Abstract: The disclosure provides a method for fabricating a semiconductor structure with strengthened patterns. The method includes forming a masking layer on the substrate, the masking layer including a peripheral region and an array region adjacent to the peripheral region; forming a first etched peripheral pattern in the peripheral region and a first etched array pattern in the array region, wherein the first etched peripheral pattern and the first etched array pattern have a top surface, a sidewall and a bottom surface, the sidewall connecting the top surface to the bottom surface; forming a second peripheral pattern on the first etched peripheral pattern and forming a second array pattern on the first etched array pattern; and etching the masking layer using the first etched peripheral pattern and the second peripheral pattern as an etching mask to form an etched masking layer in the peripheral region.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a method that includes depositing multiple hard mask layers over an interconnect dielectric layer. A first patterning layer is deposited over the multiple hard mask layers, and a first masking structure is formed over the first masking structure. The first masking structure has openings formed by a first extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process. Portions of the first patterning layer are removed according to the first masking structure. A second masking structure is formed within the patterned first patterning layer. A third masking structure is formed over a topmost one of the hard mask layers and has openings formed by a second EUV lithography process. Removal processes are performed to pattern the multiple hard mask layers to form openings in the interconnect dielectric layer, and interconnect wires having rounded corners are formed within the openings of the interconnect dielectric layer.

Abstract: A hardmask structure including a plurality of hardmask layers is formed on a target layer in a first area and a second area, a first photoresist pattern in the first area and a second photoresist pattern in the second area are formed, a reversible hardmask pattern including a plurality of openings is formed by transferring shapes of the first and second photoresist patterns to a reversible hardmask layer that is one of the plurality of hardmask layers, a gap-fill hardmask pattern is formed by filling some of the plurality of openings formed in the first area with a gap-fill hardmask pattern material, and a feature pattern is formed in the target layer by transferring a shape of the gap-fill hardmask pattern to the target layer in the first area and a shape of the reversible hardmask pattern to the target layer in the second area.

Abstract: The present application discloses a method for fabricating a semiconductor device using a tilted etch process. The method includes forming an etching stop layer on a substrate, forming a target layer on the etching stop layer, forming a first hard mask layer on the target layer, forming second hard mask layers on the first hard mask layer, performing a first tilted etch process on the first hard mask layer to form first openings along the first hard mask layer and adjacent to first sides of the second hard mask layers, and performing a second tilted etch process on the first hard mask layer to form second openings along the first hard mask layer and adjacent to second sides of the second hard mask layers.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure includes a trunk portion and a branch portion. The trunk portion extends in a first direction. The branch portion is connected to the trunk portion. The branch portion includes a handle portion and a two-pronged portion. The handle portion is connected to the trunk portion and extends in a second direction. The second direction intersects the first direction. The two-pronged portion is connected to the handle portion. A line width of the handle portion is greater than a line width of the two-pronged portion.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure. The method includes providing an underlying semiconductor layer; depositing an insulation layer over the underlying semiconductor layer; forming a first through semiconductor via extending continuously through the insulation layer; forming a second through semiconductor via extending continuously through the insulation layer; etching a portion of the insulation layer to expose a first upper end of the first through semiconductor via above the insulation layer and a second upper end of the second through semiconductor via above the insulation layer; and forming an upper conductive connecting portion laterally connected to a first upper lateral surface of the first upper end and a second upper lateral surface of the second upper end by a self-aligned deposition process.

Abstract: A method that provides patterning of an underlying layer to form a first set of trenches and a second set of trenches in the underlying layer is based on a combination of two litho-etch (LE) patterning processes supplemented with a spacer-assisted (SA) technique. The method uses a layer stack comprising three memorization layers: an upper memorization layer allowing first memorizing upper trenches, and then one or more upper blocks; an intermediate memorization layer allowing first memorizing intermediate trenches and one or more first intermediate blocks, and then second intermediate blocks and intermediate lines; and a lower memorization layer allowing first memorizing first lower trenches and one or more first lower blocks, and then second lower trenches and one or more second lower blocks.

Abstract: Provided is a kit including a curable composition for imprinting, and a composition for forming an underlayer film for imprinting, in which the composition for forming an underlayer film for imprinting contains a polymer having a polymerizable functional group, and a compound in which the lower one of a boiling point and a thermal decomposition temperature is 480° C. or higher and ?HSP, which is a Hansen solubility parameter distance from a component with the highest content contained in the curable composition for imprinting, is 2.5 or less. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a composition for forming an underlayer film for imprinting, a pattern forming method, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, which are related to the kit.

Abstract: A power chip includes: a first power switch, formed in a wafer region and having a first and a second metal electrodes; a second power switch, formed in the wafer region and having a third and a fourth metal electrodes, wherein the first and second power switches respectively constitute an upper bridge arm and a lower bridge arm of a bridge circuit, and the first and second power switches are alternately arranged; and a metal region, at least including a first metal layer and a second metal layer that are stacked, each metal layer including a first to a third electrodes, and electrodes with the same voltage potential in the metal layers are electrically coupled.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a first chip. The first chip includes a first pixel and a second pixel. The first pixel includes a first anode region and a first cathode region, and the second pixel includes a second anode region and a second cathode region. The first chip includes a first wiring layer. The first wiring layer includes a first anode electrode, a first anode via coupled to the first anode electrode and the first anode region, and a second anode via coupled to the first anode electrode and the second anode region.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor package includes disposing a semiconductor chip having contact pads, and a connection structure around the semiconductor chip on a supporting substrate, with the contact pads facing the supporting substrate, forming an encapsulant encapsulating the semiconductor chip and the connection structure on the supporting substrate, embedding a wiring pattern having a connection portion in the encapsulant, the connection portion having a connection hole, forming a through hole penetrating the encapsulant in the connection hole, the through hole exposing a portion of an upper surface of the connection structure, and forming a conductive via in the through hole, the conductive via connecting the wiring pattern to the connection structure.

Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a chuck table for holding a workpiece, a processing unit for processing the workpiece held on the chuck table as supplying a processing water to the workpiece, and a water pan fixed to a bottom of the processing apparatus for receiving the processing water as a water leaked.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus including multi-direction conductive lines and staircase contacts for semiconductor devices. One memory device includes an array of vertically stacked memory cells, the array including: a vertical stack of horizontally oriented conductive lines, each conductive line comprising: a first portion extending in a first horizontal direction; and a second portion extending in a second horizontal direction at an angle to the first horizontal direction.

Abstract: Guard ring designs enabling in-line testing of silicon bridges for semiconductor packages, and the resulting silicon bridges and semiconductor packages, are described. In an example, a semiconductor structure includes a substrate having an insulating layer disposed thereon. A metallization structure is disposed on the insulating layer. The metallization structure incudes conductive routing disposed in a dielectric material stack. The semiconductor structure also includes a first metal guard ring disposed in the dielectric material stack and surrounding the conductive routing. The first metal guard ring includes a plurality of individual guard ring segments. The semiconductor structure also includes a second metal guard ring disposed in the dielectric material stack and surrounding the first metal guard ring. Electrical testing features are disposed in the dielectric material stack, between the first metal guard ring and the second metal guard ring.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure and a method for forming the semiconductor structure are provided. The method includes providing a to-be-etched layer; forming an initial mask layer over the to-be-etched layer; forming a patterned structure, on the initial mask layer and exposing a portion of the initial mask layer; forming a barrier layer on a sidewall surface of the patterned structure; using the patterned structure and the barrier layer as a mask, performing an ion doping process on the initial mask layer to form a doped region and an un-doped region between doped regions in the initial mask layer; removing the patterned structure and the barrier layer; and forming a mask layer on a top surface of the to-be-etched layer by removing the un-doped region. The mask layer includes a first opening exposing the top surface of the to-be-etched layer.

Abstract: Embodiments include a semiconductor package with a thermoelectric cooler (TEC), a method to form such semiconductor package, and a semiconductor packaged system. The semiconductor package includes a die with a plurality of backend layers on a package substrate. The backend layers couple the die to the package substrate. The semiconductor package includes the TEC in the backend layers of the die. The TEC includes a plurality of N-type layers, a plurality of P-type layers, and first and second conductive layers. The first conductive layer is directly coupled to outer regions of bottom surfaces of the N-type and P-type layers, and the second conductive layer is directly coupled to inner regions of top surfaces of the N-type and P-type layers. The first conductive layer has a width greater than a width of the second conductive layer. The N-type and P-type layers are directly disposed between the first and second conductive layers.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes; a substrate including a first region and a second region adjacent to the first region in a first direction, a pair of active patterns adjacently disposed on the substrate, wherein the pair of active patterns includes a first active pattern extending in the first direction and a second active pattern extending in parallel with the first active pattern, a first gate electrode on the first region and extending in a second direction that intersect the first direction across the first active pattern and the second active pattern, and a second gate electrode on the second region and extending in the second direction across the first active pattern and the second active pattern.

Abstract: Processes to form differently-pitched gate structures are provided. An example method includes providing a workpiece having a substrate and semiconductor fins spaced apart from one another by an isolation feature, depositing a gate material layer over the workpiece, forming a patterned hard mask over the gate material layer, the patterned hard mask including differently-pitched elongated features, performing a first etch process using the patterned hard mask as an etch mask through the gate material layer to form a trench, performing a second etch process using the patterned hard mask as an etch mask to extend the trench to a top surface of the isolation feature, and performing a third etch process using the patterned hard mask to extend the trench into the isolation feature. The first etch process includes use of carbon tetrafluoride and is free of use of oxygen gas.

Abstract: Embodiments are described herein that apply capping layers to cores prior to spacer formation in self-aligned multiple patterning (SAMP) processes to achieve vertical spacer profiles. For one embodiment, a plasma process is used to deposit a capping layer on cores, and this capping layer causes resulting core profiles to have protective caps. These protective caps formed with the additional capping layer help to reduce or minimize material loss and corner loss of the core material during spacer deposition and spacer etch processes. This reduction in core material loss improves the resulting spacer profile so that a more vertical profile is achieved. For one embodiment, an angle of 80-90 degrees is achieved for vertical sidewalls of the spacers adjacent core sites with respect to the horizontal surface of the underlying layer, such as a hard mask layer formed on a substrate for a microelectronic workpiece.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a first conductive layer, a first semiconductor body, a second semiconductor body, a first memory layer, and a second memory layer. The first conductive layer includes first to fourth extension regions, and a first connection region. The first extension region extends in a first direction. The second extension region extends in the first direction and is arranged with the first extension region in the first direction. The third extension region extends in the first direction and is arranged with the first extension region in a second direction crossing the first direction. The fourth extension region extends in the first direction, is arranged with the third extension region in the first direction, and is arranged with the second extension region in the second direction.