Semiconductor structure having an air-gap region and a method of manufacturing the same
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsShu-Hui Su, Cheng-Lin Huang, Jiing-Feng Yang, Zhen-Cheng Wu, Ren-Guei Wu, Dian-Hau Chen, Yuh-Jier Mii
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Abstract
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor structure, the method includes removing a portion of a dielectric filler from a first metal-containing layer formed over a semiconductor substrate to define an air-gap region according to a predetermined air-gap pattern. The method further includes filling the air-gap region with a decomposable filler and forming a dielectric capping layer over the first metal-containing layer. The method further includes decomposing the decomposable filler.
Claims20
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor structure comprising:
- removing a portion of a dielectric filler from a first metal-containing layer formed over a semiconductor substrate to define an air-gap region according to a predetermined air-gap pattern, the first metal-containing layer comprising a metal structure and the dielectric filler;
- filling the air-gap region with a decomposable filler;
- forming a dielectric capping layer over the first metal-containing layer and the decomposable filler;
- decomposing the decomposable filler;
- forming an insulating layer over the dielectric capping layer;
- forming a via plug in the insulating layer, the via plug being formed over the metal structure of the first metal-containing layer without overlapping the air-gap region;
- and
- forming a conductive pad over the insulating layer, the conductive pad being formed without overlapping the air-gap region.
A method of preparing a photomask containing an air-gap pattern for forming an air-gap region in a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- laying out a pad pattern corresponding to a set of conductive pads to be formed on the semiconductor device;
- laying out a metal structure pattern corresponding to a set of metal structures to be formed in a first metal-containing layer of the semiconductor device;
- laying out a via pattern corresponding to a set of via plugs to be formed in a second metal-containing layer of the semiconductor device, the second metal-containing layer being over the first metal-containing layer of the semiconductor device;
- and
- deriving the air-gap pattern according to the pad pattern, the via pattern, and the metal structure pattern,
- wherein a pad of the set of conductive pads is formed based on the pad pattern over the second metal-containing layer, and the air-gap pattern is derived so that the via plugs of the set of via plugs and the pad are formed without overlapping the air-gap region.
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor structure comprising:
- removing a portion of a dielectric filler from a first metal-containing layer formed over a semiconductor substrate to define an air-gap region, the first metal-containing layer comprising a metal structure and the dielectric filler;
- filling the air-gap region with a decomposable filler;
- forming a dielectric capping layer over the first metal-containing layer and the decomposable filler, wherein the dielectric capping layer is formed at a temperature below a decomposition temperature of the decomposable filler;
- decomposing the decomposable filler;
- forming an insulating layer over the dielectric capping layer;
- forming a via plug in the insulating layer, the via plug being formed over the metal structure of the first metal-containing layer without overlapping the air-gap region;
- and
- forming a conductive pad over the insulating layer, the conductive pad being formed without overlapping the air-gap region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.