# US 12,225,706 B2 · Semiconductor device with passivated contact plugs, semiconductor structure and manufacturing method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,225,706 B2 - Document ID: US12225706B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/447,218 - Filed: 2021-09-09 - Published: 2022-03-24 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2020-09-21 - Assignees: Changxin Memory Technologies, Inc. - Applicants: Changxin Memory Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Zhengqing Sun; Xing Jin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12225706B2 ## CPC - H10B 12/01: {Manufacture or treatment} - H10B 12/00: Dynamic random access memory [DRAM] devices - H10B 12/0335: {Making a connection between the transistor and the capacitor, e.g. plug} - H10W 20/01: {Manufacture or treatment} - H10W 20/43: Layouts of interconnections - H10W 72/00: Interconnections or connectors in packages - H10W 74/147: {the encapsulations being multilayered} - H10B: ELECTRONIC MEMORY DEVICES - H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A semiconductor structure manufacturing method includes: providing a substrate; forming a first insulating layer covering the substrate, and patterning the first insulating layer to form a plurality of vias and a plurality of isolation structures that are alternatingly distributed; forming conductive contact plugs in the vias respectively, where the conductive contact plugs cover bottoms of the vias and each includes a first region and a second region adjacent to each other, and the conductive contact plugs located in the first regions cover outer walls of the isolation structures and extend along the outer walls to surfaces of the isolation structures distal from the substrate; and forming a passivation layer covering side walls and surfaces of the conductive contact plugs. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A manufacturing method for a semiconductor structure, comprising: providing a substrate; forming a first insulating layer covering the substrate, and patterning the first insulating layer to form a plurality of vias and a plurality of isolation structures that are alternatingly distributed; forming conductive contact plugs in each of the vias respectively, wherein the conductive contact plugs cover bottoms of the vias and each comprises a first region and a second region adjacent to each other, and the conductive contact plugs located in the first regions cover outer walls of the isolation structures and extend along the outer walls to surfaces of the isolation structures distal from the substrate; and forming a conductive passivation layer covering side walls and upper surfaces of the conductive contact plugs; wherein a thickness of the conductive passivation layer ranges from 3 nm to 8 nm. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The manufacturing method of claim 1, wherein upper surfaces of the conductive contact plugs located in the second regions distal from the substrate are lower than an upper surface of the first insulating layer distal from the substrate. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The manufacturing method of claim 1, wherein the forming a conductive passivation layer covering side walls and upper surfaces of the conductive contact plugs comprises: forming the conductive passivation layer on the surfaces of the conductive contact plugs by using a plasma processing process. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The manufacturing method of claim 1, wherein said forming the isolation structures and the conductive contact plugs comprises: forming the first insulating layer on the substrate by using a chemical vapor deposition process; patterning the first insulating layer to form the plurality of vias that are distributed at intervals; forming a conductive layer covering the first insulating layer, wherein the conductive layer fills the vias; etching the conductive layer and the first insulating layer by using a dry etching process to form the plurality of isolation structures, wherein each of the isolation structures and each of the vias are alternatingly distributed, the conductive layer has openings respectively exposing the isolation structures, and the openings partially overlap the vias, respectively; and etching the conductive layer in portions of the vias overlapping the openings to form the conductive contact plugs having the first regions and the second regions, wherein the conductive contact plugs located in the first regions cover the outer walls of the isolation structures and extend along the outer walls to the surfaces of the isolation structures distal from the substrate, and upper surfaces of the conductive contact plugs located in the second regions distal from the substrate are lower than an upper surface of the first insulating layer distal from the substrate. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The manufacturing method of claim 4, wherein said forming the plurality of isolation structures comprises: forming a mask layer on a side of the conductive layer 301 distal from the first insulating layer; etching the mask layer to form a mask pattern; and etching the conductive layer and the first insulating layer according to the mask pattern to form the plurality of isolation structures in the first insulating layer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The manufacturing method of claim 1, wherein the manufacturing method further comprises: forming a second insulating layer on a surface of a structure constituted by the conductive passivation layer and the first insulating layer jointly, wherein the second insulating layer fills gaps between the conductive contact plugs. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The manufacturing method of claim 6, further comprising: forming an insulating dielectric layer on a side of the second insulating layer distal from the substrate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The manufacturing method of claim 1, wherein each via and an isolation structure adjacent to the via form a group, in each group, a side wall of the via proximal to the isolation structure is adjacent to a bottom of the isolation structure, and a bottom surface of the via is lower than the bottom surface of the isolation structure. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The manufacturing method of claim 1, further comprising: forming a protective layer on a surface of the conductive passivation layer, wherein the protective layer covers the side walls of the conductive contact plugs, and extends to the side walls of the isolation structures for supporting the conductive contact plugs. ### Claim 10 A semiconductor structure, comprising: a substrate; a first insulating layer covering the substrate, and comprising a plurality of vias and a plurality of isolation structures that are alternatingly distributed; a plurality of conductive contact plugs respectively covering bottoms of the vias, wherein the conductive contact plugs each comprises a first region and a second region adjacent to each other, and the conductive contact plugs located in the first regions cover outer walls of the isolation structures and extend along the outer walls to surfaces of the isolation structures distal from the substrate; and a conductive passivation layer covering side walls and upper surfaces of the conductive contact plugs; wherein a thickness of the conductive passivation layer ranges from 3 am to 8 nm. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The semiconductor structure of claim 10, wherein upper surfaces of the conductive contact plugs located in the second regions distal from the substrate are lower than an upper surface of the first insulating layer distal from the substrate. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The semiconductor structure of claim 10, wherein the semiconductor structure further comprises: a second insulating layer formed on a surface of a structure constituted by the conductive passivation layer and the first insulating layer jointly, wherein the second insulating layer fills gaps between the conductive contact plugs. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The semiconductor structure of claim 12, wherein the semiconductor structure further comprises: an insulating dielectric layer formed on a side of the second insulating layer distal from the substrate. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The semiconductor structure of claim 10, wherein each via and an isolation structure adjacent to the via form a group, in each group, a side wall of the via proximal to the isolation structure is adjacent to a bottom of the isolation structure, and a bottom surface of the via is lower than the bottom surface of the isolation structure. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The semiconductor structure of claim 10, wherein the semiconductor structure further comprises: a protective layer formed on a surface of the conductive passivation layer, wherein the protective layer covers the side walls of the conductive contact plugs, and extends to the side walls of the isolation structures for supporting the conductive contact plugs. ### Claim 16 A semiconductor device, comprising: a substrate; a first insulating layer covering the substrate, and comprising a plurality of vias and a plurality of isolation structures that are alternatingly distributed; a plurality of conductive contact plugs respectively covering bottoms of the vias, wherein the conductive contact plugs each comprises a first region and a second region adjacent to each other, and the conductive contact plugs located in the first regions cover outer walls of the isolation structures and extend along the outer walls to surfaces of the isolation structures distal from the substrate; a conductive passivation layer covering side walls and upper surfaces of the conductive contact plugs, wherein a thickness of the conductive passivation layer ranges from 3 nm to 8 nm; and a capacitor array comprising a plurality of columnar capacitors arranged at intervals, wherein the plurality of columnar capacitors are respectively formed on the conductive contact plugs, and lower electrode layers of the columnar capacitors are in contact with the conductive contact plugs.