# US 6,724,096 B2 · Die corner alignment structure > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 6,724,096 B2 - Document ID: US6724096B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 10/124,216 - Filed: 2002-04-16 - Published: 2002-12-12 - Granted: 2004-04-20 - Earliest claimed: 2001-06-12 - Assignees: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. - Inventors: Thomas Werner; Gunter Grasshoff; Bernd Schulz; Carsten Hartig - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6724096B2 ## CPC - H10W 46/00: Marks applied to devices, e.g. for alignment or identification - H10W 46/101: {characterised by the type of information, e.g. logos or symbols} - H10W 46/301: {for alignment} - H10W 46/501: {for use before dicing} - Y10S 438/975: Substrate or mask aligning feature - H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract A semiconductor device structure comprises a corner structure enclosed by a delineation region, wherein the shape of the corner structure does not exhibit any symmetry with respect to point symmetry and axial symmetry, such that the corner structure is unambiguously recognizable by an automated alignment system. Furthermore, the inner region of the corner structure may be filled with a pattern indicating the type of material layer in which the corner structure is formed. The corner structure exhibits a strong contrast even if the wafer is subjected to a CMP treatment. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A semiconductor device, comprising: a die region defined by an exposure field of a lithography apparatus for fabricating the semiconductor device, the die region comprising a material layer and a corner structure formed in said material layer and located at the corner of the die region in spaced relationship to an edge of the die region; and a delineation region at least partially enclosing said corner structure, said delineation region comprising a plurality of elongated patterns formed in said material layer, wherein the delineation region is asymmetric with respect to point symmetry and axial symmetry and defines an inner region of the corner structure, and wherein the delineation region comprises a plurality of angles of approximately 90° defined by at least some of the elongated patterns. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device structure of claim 1, wherein at least two of the elongated patterns form an angle other than 90°. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device structure of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of elongated patterns comprises a plurality of individual features. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device structure of claim 1, wherein a length of a first elongated pattern and a length of a second elongated pattern exceed the length of the remaining elongated patterns, respectively, whereby the first and second elongated patterns form an angle of approximately 90°. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The semiconductor device of claim 4, wherein the first and second elongated patterns are located adjacent to and substantially parallel with corresponding edges of the exposure field, whereby a distance of the first and second elongated patterns from the corresponding edges of the exposure field is in the range from about 2 μm to about 10 μm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device structure of claim 1, wherein a lateral dimension of the elongated patterns is in the range from about 1 μm to about 5 μm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device structure of claim 1, wherein the inner region is filled with a predefined identification pattern. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The semiconductor device structure of claim 7, wherein the predefined identification pattern is indicative for the material layer in which the corner structure is formed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The semiconductor device structure of claim 7, wherein the predefined identification pattern is usable for metrology apparatus to align the substrate for an automated inspection process. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The semiconductor device structure of claim 7, wherein the predefined identification pattern comprises a plurality of parallel lines. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device structure of claim 1, wherein the delineation region further comprises an angle of about 45° and an angle of about 135° defined by at least some of the elongated patterns. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The semiconductor device structure of claim 11, wherein the length of at least first and second elongated patterns are in the range of approximately 40 μm to approximately 80 μm. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device structure of claim 1, wherein a minimal extension of the inner region is in the range of approximately 5 μm to approximately 25 μm. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device structure of claim 1, wherein the predefined identification pattern comprises a plurality of vias formed in the material layer. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The semiconductor device structure of claim 14, wherein said material layer is a layer on which a metallization layer is to be formed. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device structure of claim 1, wherein the delineation region comprises at least one feature used in semiconductor manufacturing from the group consisting of a shallow trench, a local interconnect line and a contact pattern. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device structure of claim 1, further comprising a second die region comprising a second corner structure with a second delineation region, wherein the corner structure and the second corner structure are axial symmetric with respect to a center line separating the die region and the second die region. ### Claim 18 A semiconductor device, comprising: a die region defined by an exposure field of a lithography apparatus for fabricating the semiconductor device, the die region comprising a material layer and a corner structure formed in said material layer and located at the corner of the die region in spaced relationship to an edge of the die region; and a delineation region at least partially enclosing said corner structure, said delineation region comprising a plurality of elongated patterns formed in said material layer, wherein the delineation region is asymmetric with respect to point symmetry and axial symmetry and defines an inner region of the corner structure, and wherein the delineation region comprises a plurality of angles of approximately 90° defined by at least some of the elongated patterns, wherein said inner region is filled with a predefined identification pattern comprised of a plurality of parallel lines, wherein the orientations of the parallel lines of the predefined identification patterns of corner structures formed in two subsequent material layers differ from each other.