US 11,145,508 B2Granted

Forming a fin cut in a hardmask

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsZhenxing Bi, Kangguo Cheng, Juntao Li, Peng Xu

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Abstract

A method of fabricating a hard mask structure is provided. According to the method, a hard mask layer is disposed over a substrate. The hard mask layer includes a lower hard mask layer disposed over the substrate and an upper hard mask layer disposed over the lower hard mask layer. The hard mask layer is patterned and the upper hard mask layer is removed by selectively etching the upper hard mask layer until reaching the lower hard mask layer to form a top portion of the hard mask structure having a first dimension. A spacer material is disposed on a sidewall of the top portion of the hard mask structure. The lower hard mask layer is removed by selectively etching the lower mask layer until reaching the substrate to form a bottom portion of the hard mask structure having a second dimension.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A semiconductor device comprising:

a substrate base extending along a first direction to define a width, a second direction opposite the first direction to define a length, and a third direction opposite the first and second directions to define a height;
hard mask structures on the substrate base, the hard mask structures comprising:
a top portion extending between opposing first and second top portion ends, the top portion including an etched top surface and having a first width dimension extending parallel to the first direction between the first and second top portion ends and having a first height dimension extending parallel to the third direction;
and
a bottom portion disposed on the substrate base and under the top portion, the bottom portion extending between first and second bottom portion ends that define a second width dimension that extends parallel to the first direction and that is greater than the first width dimension of the top portion, and a second height dimension extending parallel to the third direction, the second height dimension being greater than the first height dimension;
and
spacer material filling trenches separating the hard mask structures from each other,
wherein the etched top surface stops at the first top portion end without reaching the first bottom portion end and stops at the second top portion end without reaching the second bottom portion end, and
wherein the bottom portion is configured to define a width of a fin cut into the substrate base.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/236,811Filed 31 Dec 2018 · continuation
Priority: 26 Sep 2016
Published: US 2019/0139764 A19 May 2019
Granted: 12 Oct 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

H10P 76/405
Of masks comprising inorganic materials: characterised by their composition, e.g. multilayer masks
H10D 30/024
Of FETs having insulated gates [IGFET]: of fin field-effect transistors [FinFET]
H10D 84/0158
The components including insulated gates, e.g. IGFETs: the components including FinFETs
H10D 84/038
Using Group IV technology, e.g. silicon technology or silicon-carbide [SiC] technology: using silicon technology, e.g. SiGe

Family

Application15/275,999Parent of this continuation · filed 26 Sep 2016
Application15/632,984Parent of this continuation · filed 26 Jun 2017
US 9,761,450 B1Parent of this continuation · filed 12 Sep 2017
US 2019/0139764 A1Pre-grant publication · published 9 May 2019
US 10,262,861 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2018/0090318 A1Published application
US 11,145,508 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.