Abstract: The present invention relates to a fluorine-free photoacid generator (PAG) and a photoresist composition containing the same. The PAG is characterized by the presence of an onium cationic component and a fluorine-free fused ring heteroaromatic sulfonate anionic component containing one or more electron withdrawing substituents. The onium cationic component of the PAG is preferably a sulfonium or an iodonium cation. The photoresist composition further contains an acid sensitive imaging polymer. The photoresist composition is especially useful for forming material patterns on a semiconductor substrate using 193 nm (ArF) lithography.

Abstract: A method of aligning substrates, e.g., semiconductor wafers, is provided in which a first substrate can be at least coarsely aligned atop a second substrate. Each substrate can have a pattern thereon, wherein the pattern of the first substrate can be aligned with a window of the first substrate. A return signal can be returned from simultaneously illuminating the patterns of the first and second substrates through the window in the first substrate. The return signal can be compared to at least one stored signal to determine relative misalignment between the first and second substrates. A position of at least one of the first and second substrates can be altered relative to a position of the other of the first and second substrates to address the misalignment.

Abstract: A structure and method for producing the same is disclosed. The structure includes an organic passivation layer with solids suspended therein. Preferential etch to remove a portion of the organic material and expose portions of such solids creates enhanced surface roughness, which provides a significant advantage with respect to adhesion of that passivation layer to the packaging underfill material.

Abstract: A method is provided for designing a mask layout for an integrated circuit that ensures proper functional interaction among circuit features by including functional inter-layer and intra-layer constraints on the wafer. The functional constraints used according to the present invention are applied among the simulated wafer images to ensure proper functional interaction, while relaxing or eliminating the EPE constraints on the location of the wafer images.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a FinFET device includes: providing a substrate having a mask disposed thereon; covering portions of the mask to define a perimeter of a gate region; removing uncovered portions of the mask to expose the substrate; covering a part of the exposed substrate with another mask to define at least one fin region; forming the at least one fin and the gate region through both masks and the substrate, the gate region having side walls; disposing insulating layers around the at least one fin and onto the side walls; disposing a conductive material into the gate region and onto the insulating layers to form a gate electrode, and then forming source and drain regions.

Abstract: A method is provided for modeling lithographic processes in the design of photomasks for the manufacture of semiconductor integrated circuits, and more particularly for simulating intermediate range flare effects. For a region of influence (ROI) from first ROI1 of about 5?/NA to distance ROI2 when the point spread function has a slope that is slowly varying according to a predetermined criterion, then mask shapes at least within the distance range from ROI1 to ROI2 are smoothed prior to computing the SOCS convolutions. The method provides a fast method for simulating intermediate range flare effects with sufficient accuracy.