Methods of forming semiconductor structures including tight pitch contacts and lines
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorLuan C. Tran
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods of fabricating semiconductor structures incorporating tight pitch contacts aligned with active area features and of simultaneously fabricating self-aligned tight pitch contacts and conductive lines using various techniques for defining patterns having sublithographic dimensions. Semiconductor structures having tight pitch contacts aligned with active area features and, optionally, aligned conductive lines are also disclosed, as are semiconductor structures with tight pitch contact holes and aligned trenches for conductive lines.
Claims20
A method of fabricating a semiconductor structure, the method comprising:
- forming a plurality of tight pitch trenches and a plurality of tight pitch contact holes in a single material removal process;
- forming a plurality of tight pitch conductive lines and a plurality of tight pitch conductive contacts by introducing conductive material into each tight pitch trench of the plurality of tight pitch trenches and each tight pitch contact hole of the plurality of tight pitch contact holes.
A method of forming a semiconductor device, comprising:
- forming a first volume of material over tight pitch features on a substrate;
- forming a mask having an aperture over the first volume of material;
- forming a second volume of material over the mask;
- in a single continuous etching process, etching through the second volume of material to form tight pitch trenches in the second volume of material, and etching through the aperture in the mask and through the first volume of material to form tight pitch contact holes extending through the aperture in the mask and through the first volume of material to the tight pitch features;
- and
- filling the tight pitch contact holes and tight pitch trenches with conductive material to form tight pitch conductive contacts and tight pitch conductive lines, each tight pitch conductive contact electrically contacting a respective feature of the tight pitch features on the substrate and integrally formed with a respective tight pitch conductive line of the tight pitch conductive lines.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.