# US 2014/0208283 A1 · Dummy shoulder structure for line stress reduction

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- Number: US 2014/0208283 A1
- Document ID: US20140208283A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/245,085
- Filed: 2014-04-04
- Published: 2014-07-24
- Earliest claimed: 2010-04-02
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Inventors: Cheng-Cheng Kuo; Tzu-Chun Lo; Ming-Hsing Tsai; Ken-Yu Chang; Jye-Yen Cheng; Jeng-Shiun Ho; Hua-Tai Lin; Chih-Hsiang Yao
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140208283A1

## CPC

- H10W 20/031: {of conductive parts of the interconnections}
- G06F 30/39: Circuit design at the physical level (physical level design for reconfigurable circuits G06F30/347)
- G06F 30/394: Routing (G06F30/396 takes precedence)
- H10W 20/40: Interconnections external to wafers or substrates, e.g. back-end-of-line [BEOL] metallisations or vias connecting to gate electrodes
- G06F 30/392: Floor-planning or layout, e.g. partitioning or placement
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

Semiconductor integrated circuit line structures for improving a process window in the vicinity of dense-to-isolated pattern transition areas and a technique to implement the line structures in the layout process are described in this disclosure. The disclosed structure includes a semiconductor substrate, and a material layer above the substrate. The material layer has a closely spaced dense line structure, an isolated line structure next to the dense line structure, and a dummy line shoulder structure formed in the vicinity of the dense line and the isolated line structures. One end of the dummy line shoulder structure connects to the isolated line structure and another end extends away from the isolated line structure in an orientation substantially perpendicular to the isolated line structure.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
forming a plurality of dense conductive lines on a substrate, the plurality of dense conductive lines extending in a first direction;
forming an isolated line in the vicinity of the plurality of dense conductive lines, the isolated line extending in the first direction;
forming a first group of conductive shoulder lines on a first side of the isolated line, wherein the first group of conductive shoulder lines connect to the isolated line on the first side and extend therefrom in a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction; and
forming a second group of conductive shoulder lines on a second side of the isolated line that oppose the first side of the isolated line, wherein the second group of conductive lines connect to the isolated line on the second side, and wherein the second group of conductive shoulder lines has a different number of conductive shoulder lines than the first group of conductive shoulder lines.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second groups of conductive shoulder lines does not connect to the plurality of dense conductive lines.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second groups of conductive shoulder lines do not connect to the plurality of dense conductive lines.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the second group of conductive shoulder lines connect to the isolated line on the second side and extend therefrom in a third direction that is opposite the second direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dense conductive lines, the isolated line, the first group of conductive shoulder lines, and the second group of conductive shoulder lines are all formed in the same material layer on the substrate.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the isolated line is disposed between at least two of the dense conductive lines.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the second group of conductive shoulder lines includes a conductive shoulder line that includes a first portion extending in the second direction and a second portion that extends in the first direction.

### Claim 8

A method comprising:
forming a plurality of dense lines on a substrate;
forming an isolated line in the vicinity of the plurality of dense lines and extending along an axis substantially parallel to the plurality of dense lines, wherein the isolated line extends along the axis from a first end surface of the isolated line to an opposing second end surface of isolated line, wherein the isolated line includes a first side surface and an opposing second side surface extending form the first end surface to the second end surface; and
forming a plurality of dummy lines that connect to the opposing side surfaces of the isolated line, wherein the plurality of dummy lines are formed in an orientation substantially perpendicular to the isolated line, and wherein the plurality of dummy lines do not connect to the dense lines.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of dummy lines includes a first dummy line extending from the first side of the isolated line along a first axis and a second dummy line extending from the second side of the isolated line along the first axis.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of dummy lines includes a first dummy line extending from the first side of the isolated line along a first axis and a second dummy line extending from the second side of the isolated line along a second axis, wherein the first axis is substantially parallel to the second axis.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein there are more dummy line connected to the first side of the isolated line than the second side of the isolated line.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of dense lines, the isolated line, and the plurality of dummy lines comprise conductive lines.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of dense lines, the isolated line, and the plurality of dummy lines comprise metal lines.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of dense lines includes a first dense line and a second dense line, and
wherein the isolated line is disposed between the first and second dense lines without contacting the first and second dense lines.

### Claim 15

A method for designing a line structure in a semiconductor IC, comprising:
identifying an estuary region in the vicinity of an isolated line and a plurality of dense lines; and
adding a dummy line shoulder in the estuary region, wherein the dummy line shoulder connects to and is substantially perpendicular to the isolated line.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the identifying an estuary region includes:
identifying dense lines having a predetermined line width;
identifying spaces sandwiched between the dense lines identified;
grouping the spaces identified into a block;
defining the edge boundaries of the block as the estuary region;
drawing a first box of a predetermined size using the estuary region and the isolated line as borders; and
drawing a second box within a portion of the first box, the second box using the isolated line as a border and keeping a predetermined distance from the dense lines.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the dummy line shoulder is formed in an orientation substantially perpendicular to the isolated line, and wherein the dummy line shoulder does not connect to the dense lines.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein adding the dummy line shoulder in the estuary region includes adding a first group of dummy line shoulders on a first side of the isolated line and a second group of dummy line shoulders on a second side of the isolated line, wherein there are more dummy line shoulders connected to the first side of the isolated line than the second side of the isolated line.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein adding the dummy line shoulder in the estuary region includes adding a first dummy line shoulder on a first side of the isolated line and a second dummy line shoulder on a second side of the isolated line, wherein the first dummy line shoulder extends away from the first side of the isolated line along a first axis that is substantially perpendicular to the isolated line and wherein the second dummy line shoulder extends away from the first side of the isolated line along a second axis that substantially perpendicular to the isolated line

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, wherein the first axis is different than the second axis.