US 6,444,371 B1 · Prevention of die loss to chemical mechanical polishing

Abstract

Described is a novel method for the formation of topological features during the processing of a semiconductor wafer into integrated circuit devices. The present invention is most useful for those processes used to form advanced multilevel ultra-large scale integrated circuits where global planarization techniques, such as chemical mechanical polishing, is used. The present invention is applicable to all processes used to form modern high density, multilevel integrated circuits and without respect of the number of layers formed or materials used. In the present invention, a substrate is a semiconductor wafer or portion thereof, and is the material on which the described processes alter and the layers are formed.

Claims7

Dependent claims

An apparatus used for forming dummy die features on semiconductor wafers, said apparatus comprising:

a mask reticle having a die array of integrated circuit patterns;
said die array including a pair of dedicated die containing alignment targets;
said pair of dedicated die including geometric shapes for forming topological features bordering said alignment targets, and
geometric shapes placed in blank stepping fields surrounding said die array;
said geometric shapes permit lithograhic build-up of layered materials matching layered build-up of integrated circuit topology.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

09/377,541Filed 19 Aug 1999 · division

Priority

29 May 1998

Granted

3 Sep 2002

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H10W 46/00
Marks applied to devices
H10W 46/101
Marks applied to devices, e.g. for alignment or identification: characterised by the type of information, e.g. logos or symbols
H10W 46/501
Marks applied to devices, e.g. for alignment or identification: for use before dicing
H10W 46/507
For use before dicing: located in dummy chips or in reference chips

Prevention of die loss to chemical mechanical polishing

Life of this patent

Prevention of die loss to chemical mechanical polishing

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims7