US 12,745,616 B2Granted

Semiconductor structure including lines of different height

AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.

InventorsWei-Chen Chu, Chia-Tien Wu, Chuan-Pu Chou, Hsin-Ping Chen

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Abstract

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure includes: forming a patterned first layer which is made of a first electrically conductive material, and which includes first lines, second lines, and a connection portion disposed on a part of one of the first lines, the first lines having a height lower than a height of the second lines; forming a first via which is connected to an upper surface of the connection portion, the first via having a height above the connection portion; and forming a second via which is connected to an upper surface of one of the second lines, the second via having a height that is the same as the height of the first via above the connection portion.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure, comprising:

forming a first layer on a base structure, the first layer being made of a first electrically conductive material, and having a first region and a second region displaced from the first region, each of the first region and the second region including a conductive line;
patterning the first layer such that the conductive line at the first region is selectively recessed to have a recessed portion which has a first height and a non-recessed portion which has a second height that is greater than the first height and that is the same as a height of the conductive line at the second region;
forming a patterned dielectric layer over the patterned first layer such that the non-recessed portion is exposed from the patterned dielectric layer;
and
forming a second layer over the patterned dielectric layer so as to permit the second layer to be connected to the non-recessed portion, the second layer being made of a second electrically conductive material,
wherein patterning the first layer includes:
forming a patterned masking unit which includes
forming a patterned first mask to cover the conductive line at the second region and to expose the first region, and
forming a patterned second mask to cover the non-recessed portion of the conductive line at the first region, the patterned second mask being made of a material different from a material of the patterned first mask;
and
patterning the first layer through the patterned masking unit such that a portion of the conductive line at the first region, which is uncovered by the patterned masking unit, is recessed to form the recessed portion.

8 more elements

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure, comprising:

forming a first layer on a base structure, the first layer being made of a first electrically conductive material, and having a first region and a second region displaced from the first region, the first region including first conductive lines that extend lengthwise in a first direction, and that are spaced apart from each other in a second direction different from the first direction, the first conductive lines each having a bottom segment and an upper segment connected to each other along a third direction different from the first direction and the second direction, the second region including second conductive lines that extend lengthwise in the first direction, and that are spaced apart from each other in the second direction, and
forming a patterned first mask over the second conductive lines, the first region being uncovered by the patterned first mask;
forming a patterned second mask that covers a first part of the upper segment of a first predetermined one of the first conductive lines;
and
performing a patterning process to pattern the first layer through the patterned first mask and the patterned second mask, such that a second part of the upper segment of the first predetermined one of the first conductive lines and the upper segment of a second predetermined one of the first conductive lines are removed, and such that the first part of the upper segment of the first predetermined one of the first conductive lines remains unpatterned, and such that the second conductive lines remain unpatterned.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/366,096Filed 7 Aug 2023
Published: US 2025/0054811 A113 Feb 2025
Granted: 22 Sep 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

H10W 20/063
Of conductive parts of the interconnections: by forming conductive members before forming protective insulating material
H10P 76/408
Of masks comprising inorganic materials: characterised by their sizes, orientations, dispositions, behaviours or shapes
H10W 20/067
Of conductive parts of the interconnections: by modifying the pattern of conductive parts
H10W 20/072
Of dielectric parts thereof: of dielectric parts comprising air gaps