# US 12,183,580 B2 · Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device

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- Number: US 12,183,580 B2
- Document ID: US12183580B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/328,790
- Filed: 2023-06-05
- Published: 2023-10-05
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2021-02-22
- Assignees: SK hynix Inc.
- Applicants: SK hynix Inc.
- Inventors: Ji Hoon Kim; Jae Han Park; Chang Hun Lee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12183580B2

## CPC

- H10P 76/4085: {characterised by the processes involved to create the masks}
- H10P 50/73: {using masks for insulating materials}
- H10P 76/405: {characterised by their composition, e.g. multilayer masks}
- H10P 76/4088: {Processes for improving the resolution of the masks}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

The present invention is related to a method for fabricating a semiconductor device capable of forming fine patterns. The method for fabricating the semiconductor device according to the present invention may comprise forming an etch mask layer on an etch target layer; forming a spacer structure in which first spacers and second spacers are alternately disposed and spaced apart from each other on the etch mask layer; forming first spacer lines through selective etching of the first spacers; forming second spacer lines through selective etching of the second spacers; and etching the etch target layer to form a plurality of fine line patterns using the first and second spacer lines.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
forming a spacer structure in which first and second spacers extending in a first direction are spaced apart from each other and alternately disposed along a second direction on an etch target layer, wherein the first spacers and the second spacers are formed of materials having different etch rates;
forming first spacer lines having end portions that are aligned with a third direction, the third direction intersecting with the first direction, through selective etching of the first spacers;
forming second spacer lines having end portions that are aligned with a fourth direction, the fourth direction being parallel with the third direction, through selective etching of the second spacers; and
etching the etch target layer using the first and second spacer lines to form first line patterns having end portions aligned with the third direction and second line patterns having end portions aligned with the fourth direction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein
end portions of the first line patterns and end portions of the second line patterns include first ends and second ends, the first ends and the second ends facing each other along the first direction,
the first ends of the first line patterns and the first ends of the second line patterns are adjacent to each other in a zig-zag shape, and
the second ends of the first line patterns and the second ends of the second line patterns are adjacent to each other in a zig-zag shape.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, after the etching of the etch target layer, further comprising:
forming first contact plugs connected to the first ends of the first line patterns and arranged to be aligned with the third direction; and
forming second contact plugs connected to the second ends of the second line patterns and arranged to be aligned with the fourth direction.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the forming of the first spacer lines comprises:
forming a first cut mask layer selectively exposing end portions of the first and second spacers on the spacer structure; and
etching an exposed region of the end portions of the first spacers using the first cut mask layer as an etching barrier.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method according to claim 4, wherein the etching of the exposed region of the end portions of the first spacers using the first cut mask layer as an etching barrier includes using a chemical for selectively etching the end portions of the first spacers among the end portions of the first and second spacers.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the forming of the second spacer lines comprises:
forming a second cut mask layer selectively exposing end portions of the first spacer lines and end portions of the second spacers; and
etching an exposed region of the end portions of the second spacers using the second cut mask layer as an etching barrier.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method according to claim 6, wherein the etching of the exposed region of the end portions of the second spacers using the second cut mask layer as an etching barrier includes using a chemical for selectively etching the end portions of the second spacers among the end portions of the first spacer lines and the second spacers.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the forming of the spacer structure comprises:
forming a hardmask layer on the etch target layer;
forming sacrificial patterns on the hardmask layer;
forming a first sacrificial spacer on a sidewall of the sacrificial patterns;
removing the sacrificial patterns;
etching the hardmask layer using the first sacrificial spacers as an etching barrier to form the first spacers;
removing the first sacrificial spacers;
forming a second sacrificial spacer on both inner and outer sidewalls of the first spacers;
forming the second spacers on the second sacrificial spacers; and
removing the second sacrificial spacers.