Metal layer end-cut flow
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorCheng-Hao Yeh
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Abstract
A method of patterning a metal layer is disclosed. The method includes providing a substrate and forming a material layer over the substrate. The method includes forming a second material layer over the first material layer. The method includes performing a first patterning process to the second material layer to form a trench in the second material layer. The first patterning process defines a width size of the trench, the width size being measured in a first direction. The method includes performing a second patterning process to the trench to transform the trench. The second patterning process defines a length size of the transformed trench. The length size is measured in a second direction different from the first direction. The method also includes filling the transformed trench with a conductive material.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- performing a first patterning process to a material layer that is disposed over a substrate, thereby forming first and second openings in the material layer;
- and
- performing a second patterning process to the material layer to form a third opening based on the first opening and a fourth opening based on the second opening;
- wherein the first and the second patterning processes are performed such that:
- the first, second, third, and fourth openings each have respective lengths that are measured in a first direction and respective widths that are measured in a second direction different from the first direction;
- the length of the first opening is approximately equal to the length of the second opening;
- the width of the first opening is approximately equal to the width of the second opening;
- and
- the length of the third opening is greater than the length of the fourth opening.
A method, comprising:
- forming a material layer over a substrate;
- performing a first patterning process to the material layer form elongate-shaped first and second openings that each extend along a first direction in the material layer, wherein the first opening and the second opening are spaced apart from one another in a second direction different from the first direction;
- and
- performing a second patterning process to the material layer to form a third opening based on the first opening and a fourth opening based on the second opening, wherein the third opening and the fourth opening have substantially different widths in a top view.
A method, comprising:
- providing a substrate;
- forming a material layer over the substrate;
- performing a first patterning process to the material layer to form first and second openings in the material layer, the first and second openings each having an elongate shape and extending in a first direction, the first and second openings having respective first and second lengths measured in the first direction and respective first and second widths measured in a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction, the first and second widths being approximately the same;
- performing a second patterning process to the material layer to form a third opening based on the first opening and a fourth opening based on the second opening, the third and fourth openings having respective third and fourth lengths that are different from each other, and wherein the third and fourth openings have respective third and fourth widths that are approximately equal to the first and second widths, respectively;
- and
- filling the third and fourth openings with a conductive material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.