# US 12,014,984 B2 · Method of manufacturing a semiconductor apparatus having stacked devices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,014,984 B2 - Document ID: US12014984B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/954,953 - Filed: 2022-09-28 - Published: 2023-01-26 - Granted: 2024-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2019-10-22 - Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited - Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited - Inventors: Lars Liebmann; Jeffrey Smith; Anton deVilliers - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12014984B2 ## CPC - H10W 20/427: {Power or ground buses} - H10D 84/0186: {Manufacturing their interconnections or electrodes, e.g. source or drain electrodes} - H10D 84/038: {using silicon technology, e.g. SiGe} - H10D 84/837: {comprising vertical IGFETs} - H10D 84/85: Complementary IGFETs, e.g. CMOS - H10D 88/00: Three-dimensional [3D] integrated devices - H10D 88/01: {Manufacture or treatment} - H10W 20/0698: {Local interconnections} - H10W 20/42: Vias, e.g. via plugs - H10W 20/435: {Cross-sectional shapes or dispositions of interconnections} - H10W 90/00: Package configurations - H10D 84/0149: {Manufacturing their interconnections or electrodes, e.g. source or drain electrodes} - H10D 84/83135: {the IGFETs characterised by having different gate conductor materials or different gate conductor implants} - H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES ## Abstract A method for forming a semiconductor apparatus includes forming a plurality of repetitive initial structures over a substrate of the semiconductor apparatus. An initial structure in the plurality of repetitive initial structures is formed by forming a first stack of transistors along a Z direction substantially perpendicular to a substrate plane, and forming local interconnect structures. Each of the transistors in the first stack of transistors is sandwiched between two of the local interconnect structures. Vertical conductive structures are formed substantially parallel to the Z direction, a height of one of the vertical conductive structures along the Z direction being at least a height of the initial structure. The initial structure is functionalized into a final structure by forming one or more connections each electrically coupling one of the local interconnect structures to one of the vertical conductive structures. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for forming a semiconductor apparatus, comprising: forming a plurality of repetitive initial structures over a substrate of the semiconductor apparatus wherein an initial structure in the plurality of repetitive initial structures is formed by: forming a first stack of transistors along a Z direction substantially perpendicular to a substrate plane, including: forming a first transistor on the substrate, the first transistor formed with a first gate and a first channel surrounded by the first gate; forming a second transistor over the first transistor along the Z direction, the second transistor formed with a second gate and a second channel surrounded by the second gate; forming local interconnect structures, each of the transistors in the first stack of transistors being sandwiched between two of the local interconnect structures; forming vertical conductive structures substantially parallel to the Z direction, a height of one of the vertical conductive structures along the Z direction being at least a height of the initial structure; and forming the first stack of transistors as a stack of vertical field-effect transistors (VFETs), a current between a source and a drain of each of the VFETs transistors flowing substantially along the Z direction; and forming a second stack of transistors adjacent to the first stack of transistors along the Z direction, including: forming a third transistor on the substrate, the third transistor formed with a third gate and a third channel surrounded by the third gate; forming a fourth transistor over the third transistor along the Z direction, the fourth transistor formed with a fourth gate and a fourth channel surrounded by the fourth gate; functionalizing the initial structure into a final structure by forming one or more connections each electrically coupling one of the local interconnect structures to one of the vertical conductive structures; forming a first gate connection structure electrically coupling a first gate of the first transistor with a third gate of the third transistor; and forming a second gate connection structure electrically coupling a second gate of the second transistor with a fourth gate of the fourth transistor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the forming the vertical conductive structures comprises forming vertical conductive structures over the substrate in a different area than the first stack of transistors. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein forming the vertical conductive structures comprises forming power-rails for a first supply voltage and a second supply voltage, heights of the power-rails being equal to or larger than the of the initial structure. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the forming a plurality of repetitive initial structures comprises forming first and second initial structures having identical components. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the forming local interconnect structures comprises forming horizontal local interconnect structures which extend substantially parallel to the substrate plane. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the forming the vertical conductive structures comprises forming a vertical connection for outputting an output signal, the height of the vertical connection being larger than the height of the initial structures. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the forming local interconnect structures comprises: forming a lower local interconnect structure below a lowermost transistor in the first stack, and forming an upper local interconnect structure above an uppermost transistor in the first stack. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the forming vertical conductive structures comprises forming a vertical connection that electrically couples the lowermost transistor and the uppermost transistor via the lower and upper local interconnect structures, the height of the vertical connection being equal to or larger than the height of the initial structures. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first gate and the second gate are p-type gates, and the third gate and the fourth gate are n-type gates. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the forming vertical conductive structures comprises forming vertical connections electrically coupling the first and second gate connection structures to respective input signals at a wiring level that is above the initial structures. ### Claim 11 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising: functionalizing the first initial structure as a first logic cell, and functionalizing the second initial structure as a second logic cell that implements a same random logic function as the first logic cell. ### Claim 12 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising: functionalizing the first initial structure as a first logic cell, and functionalizing the second initial structure as a second logic cell that implements a different random logic function from the first logic cell. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the forming vertical conductive structures comprises forming vertical conductive structures which surround the first stack of transistors and the second stack of transistors. ### Claim 14 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the forming power-rails comprises forming power-rails electrically coupled to the first stack of transistors via one or more of the local interconnect structures. ### Claim 15 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein forming the vertical connection comprises electrically coupling the vertical connection to the first stack of transistors via one or more of the local interconnect structures. ### Claim 16 A method for forming a semiconductor apparatus, comprising: forming a plurality of repetitive initial structures over a substrate of the semiconductor apparatus wherein an initial structure in the plurality of repetitive initial structures is formed by: forming a first stack of transistors including: forming a first transistor on the substrate, the first transistor formed with a first gate and a first channel surrounded by the first gate; forming a second transistor over the first transistor along a Z direction substantially perpendicular to a substrate plane, the second transistor formed with a second gate and a second channel surrounded by the second gate; forming local interconnect structures, including forming at least a first local interconnect structure and forming a second local interconnect structure, positioning both the first gate and the first channel above the first local interconnect structure and below the second local interconnect structure along the Z direction, positioning both the second gate and the second channel above the second local interconnect structure along the Z direction, connecting the local interconnect structures to at least one of (i) a source region or a drain region of the first transistor and (ii) a source region or a drain region of the second transistor, forming one of the local interconnect structures adjacent to (i) the source region or the drain region of the first transistor and (ii) the source region or the drain region of the second transistor, wherein the source region or the drain region of the second transistor is stacked above the source region or the drain region of the first transistor along the Z direction that is substantially perpendicular to the substrate plane, the first and second transistors being vertical field-effect transistors in that a current between source and drain of each transistor flows along the Z direction; and forming vertical conductive structures substantially parallel to the Z direction, the vertical conductive structures formed to provide at least power supplies for the first one of the structures by electrically coupling with the local interconnect structures, a height of one of the vertical conductive structures along the Z direction being at least a height of the first one of the structures; and functionalizing the initial structure into a final structure by forming one or more connections each electrically coupling one of the local interconnect structures to one of the vertical conductive structures. ### Claim 17 A method for forming a semiconductor apparatus, comprising: forming a plurality of structures, wherein forming a first one of the structures of the plurality of structures includes forming a first stack of transistors by: forming a first transistor on a substrate; and forming a second transistor stacked on the first transistor along a Z direction substantially perpendicular to a substrate plane, the first and second transistors being vertical field-effect transistors having a channel positioned to have current flow in the Z direction between corresponding source and drain; forming local interconnect structures such that the first transistor is sandwiched along the Z direction between two of the local interconnect structures that are connected to a source region and a drain region of the first transistor, respectively, the local interconnect structures further formed such that they are connected to at least one of (i) the source region or the drain region of the first transistor and (ii) a source region or a drain region of the second transistor, positioning one of the local interconnect structures adjacent to (i) the source region or the drain region of the first transistor and (ii) the source region or the drain region of the second transistor such that the source region or the drain region of the second transistor is stacked above the source region or the drain region of the first transistor along the Z direction that is substantially perpendicular to the substrate plane; and forming vertical conductive structures substantially parallel to the Z direction, the vertical conductive structures positioned to provide at least power supplies for the first one of the structures by electrically coupling with the local interconnect structures, forming a height of one of the vertical conductive structures along the Z direction at least a height of the first one of the structures, connecting one of the vertical conductive structures to a plurality of the local interconnect structures, forming a second one of the structures with identical components as the first one of the structures, forming the vertical conductive structures over the substrate in a different area than the first stack of transistors, wherein forming the first one of the structures further comprises: forming a second stack of transistors adjacent to the first stack of transistors and including: forming a third transistor on the substrate; and forming a fourth transistor stacked on the third transistor along the Z direction, the second stack of transistors positioned in a different area than the first stack of transistors and the vertical conductive structures; forming a first gate connection structure that electrically couples a first gate of the first transistor with a third gate of the third transistor; and forming a second gate connection structure that electrically couples a second gate of the second transistor with a fourth gate of the fourth transistor. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the vertical conductive structures include vertical connections formed by electrically coupling the first gate connection structure and the second gate connection structure to respective input signals at a wiring level that is above the first one of the structures.