Methods of forming products with FinFET semiconductor devices without removing fins in certain areas of the product

A method, comprising:

• forming a single patterned fin-formation masking layer above first and second regions of a semiconductor substrate, wherein said single patterned fin-formation masking layer comprises a first pattern corresponding to a first plurality of fins to be formed in said first region of said substrate and a second pattern corresponding to a second plurality of fins to be formed in said second region of said substrate, said second pattern further defining a space between two fins in said second plurality of fins that corresponds to a location of a first isolation region to be formed in said second region, said space having a width greater than a spacing between fins in said first plurality of fins;
• performing at least one etching process through said single patterned fin-formation masking layer to concurrently define:
• said first plurality of fins in said first region of said substrate;
• said second plurality of fins in said second region of said substrate;
• and
• said space in said substrate between said two of said fins in said second region;
• forming a fin removal masking layer above said first and second regions of said substrate, a first portion of said fin removal masking layer being positioned above said first region, said first portion of said fin removal masking layer comprising at least one first opening positioned above at least a portion of a subset of fins in said first plurality of fin, said fin removal masking layer masking the entire second region and the space;
• and
• with said second region and the space masked, performing at least one etching process through said at least one first opening in said fin removal masking layer to remove said at least a portion of said subset of fins in said first plurality of fins underlying said at least one first opening.

A method, comprising:

• forming a patterned fin-formation masking layer positioned above first and second regions of a semiconductor substrate by performing the following:
• forming a first upper patterned mandrel layer positioned above one or more layers of masking material that will ultimately comprise said patterned fin-formation masking layer, said first upper patterned mandrel layer being patterned above said first region and non-patterned above said second region;
• forming first sidewall spacers adjacent features of said patterned portion of said first upper patterned mandrel layer positioned above said first region;
• performing a first etching process to remove said first upper patterned mandrel layer from above said first and second regions so as to define a first patterned sidewall spacer masking layer comprised of said first sidewall spacers positioned above said first region;
• while masking said second region, performing a second etching process through said first patterned sidewall spacer masking layer to define a plurality of first features of a second lower patterned mandrel layer positioned above said one or more layers of masking material, wherein said plurality of first features are positioned only above said first region;
• while masking said first region, performing a third etching process to form a plurality of second features in said second lower patterned mandrel layer, wherein said plurality of second features are positioned only above said second region;
• forming second sidewall spacers adjacent first and second features of said second lower patterned mandrel layer;
• performing a fourth etching process to remove said second lower patterned mandrel layer from above said first and second regions so as to define a second patterned sidewall spacer masking layer comprised of said second sidewall spacers;
• and
• performing at least one fifth etching process through said second patterned sidewall spacer masking layer to etch said one or more layers of masking material so as to define said patterned fin-formation masking layer;
• performing a fin-formation etching process through the patterned fin-formation masking layer to define a first plurality of functional fins and non-functional fins in said first region of said substrate, a second plurality of only functional fins in said second region of said substrate, and a space in said substrate between two of said only functional in said second region that corresponds to location of a first isolation region to be formed in said second region;
• forming a fin removal masking layer above said first and second regions of said substrate, a first portion of said fin removal masking layer being positioned above said first region, said first portion of said fin removal masking layer comprising at least one first opening positioned above at least a portion of at least one of said non-functional fins of said first plurality of fins, said fin removal masking layer masking all of said second plurality of only functional in said second region and said space for said first isolation region;
• and
• performing at least one etching process through said at least one first opening in said fin removal masking layer to remove said portion of said at least one of said non-functional fins of said first plurality of fins underlying said at least one first opening while masking all of said second plurality of only functional fins in said second region.

A method, comprising:

• performing a common fin-formation etching process through a single patterned fin-formation masking layer positioned above first and second regions of a semiconductor substrate, wherein said performance of said common fin-formation etching process results in the concurrent definition of:
• a first plurality of fins in said first region of said substrate;
• a second plurality fins in said second region of said substrate;
• and
• a space in said substrate between two of said second plurality of fins, wherein the space corresponds to a location of a first isolation region to be formed in said second region, wherein said space is formed in said second region without removing any of said second plurality of fins that was previously formed in said second region;
• forming a patterned fin removal masking layer above the substrate that masks said entire second region and said space and exposes at least a portion of a subset of said first plurality of fins in said first region;
• and
• performing at least one etching process through said patterned fin removal masking layer to remove said exposed portion of said subset of said first plurality of fins in said first region.