Method of repairing an integrated electronic circuit using a formed electrical isolation
AssigneeSTMicroelectronics S.r.l.
InventorsJean-Pierre Schoellkopf, Hervé Jaouen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of repairing a defect in an integrated electronic circuit caused by an incorrect lithographic mask includes the formation of an electrical isolation between two conducting parts of the circuit. The electrical isolation is obtained by at least partly filling, with an electrically insulating material, a volume hollowed out beforehand which would otherwise, and incorrectly, form an electrical connection between the two conducting parts. To do this, a mask having an aperture revealing the hollowed out volume is formed on the circuit, and the mask used to direct the filling of the electrically insulating material and correction of the lithography defined defect.
Claims13
A method of repairing an integrated electronic circuit, comprising the formation of an electrical isolation between two conducting parts of the circuit that are located at respective places of the circuit, a volume having been errantly hollowed out for the purpose of forming both at least one of the conducting parts and an electrical connection that connects the two places, the method comprising the following steps:
- a) formation of a mask on the circuit having an aperture that reveals a portion of the errantly hollowed out volume;
- b) deposition of an electrically insulating material on that portion revealed by the mask, so as to at least partly fill the errantly hollowed out volume;
- and
- c) removal of the mask, so as to leave the errantly hollowed out volume at least partly filled with insulating material;
- and
- d) depositing an electrically conducting material in a non-filled portion of the errantly hollowed out volume so as to form at least one of the two conducting parts electrically insulated from the other of the conducting parts by the deposited insulating material.
A method for integrated circuit repair during circuit fabrication, comprising:
- using a fabrication mask which includes an error that produces both a volume for a conducting part of the circuit and an incorrect volume between two conducting parts of the circuit;
- forming a mask having an aperture that reveals the incorrect volume;
- forming an electrically insulating material block using the mask to at least partly fill the incorrect volume;
- and
- depositing a metallization within the volume for the conducting part to form at least one of the two conducting parts, the formed electrically insulating material block insulating the two conducting parts from each other to correct for the error in the fabrication mask.
A method for repairing an incorrectly lithography defined via location in an integrated circuit during fabrication, comprising:
- forming a mask including an aperture exposing the via location above a first metallization and exposing a second metallization region above the via location;
- depositing an insulator through the mask aperture to at least partly fill the via location with the insulator but not fill the second metallization region;
- and
- forming a second metallization above the insulator in the second metallization region, the insulator correcting for the incorrectly defined via location and preventing electrical connection between the first and second metallizations.
A method for repairing an incorrectly lithography defined metallization location including two metallization segments in a metallization layer of an integrated circuit during fabrication, comprising:
- forming a mask including an aperture exposing a portion of the incorrectly lithography defined metallization location;
- filling the portion with an insulator deposited through the aperture in the mask;
- and
- forming the metallization segments in the metallization layer with the insulator in the portion correcting for the incorrectly defined metallization location and preventing electrical connection between the two metallization segments.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.