Abstract: A photomask for a photolithography process includes a mask substrate, a reflective multilayer on the mask substrate, and a light absorber pattern on the reflective multilayer and having hole patterns, wherein the hole patterns include a main hole pattern for pattern transfer onto a wafer, first sub-resolution assist feature (SRAF) hole patterns arranged at regular intervals to provide honeycomb lattices in a first region centered around the main hole pattern and having a first pitch less than or equal to a diffraction limit in the photolithography process, and second SRAF hole patterns arranged at regular intervals to surround the main hole pattern and the first SRAF patterns and providing honeycomb lattices in a second region centered around the main hole pattern and surrounding the first region, the second SRAF hole patterns being arranged with a second pitch less than or equal to the diffraction limit in the photolithography process.

Abstract: Provided is an optical proximity correction (OPC) method including receiving a design layout for a target pattern to be formed on a substrate, obtaining a first OPC pattern by performing a baseline OPC on the design layout, and obtaining a second OPC pattern by curving the first OPC pattern.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a first active pattern extending in a first horizontal direction, a second active pattern extending in the first horizontal direction and spaced apart from the first active pattern in a second horizontal direction, a gate electrode extending in the second horizontal direction, a source/drain region disposed on a side of the gate electrode, a first through-via disposed inside the substrate between the first and second active patterns, an upper interlayer insulating layer covering the source/drain region, and a second through-via connected to the first through-via by passing through the upper interlayer insulating layer in a vertical direction spaced apart from the source/drain region in the second horizontal direction. A width of the first through-via in the second horizontal direction is continuously reduced as the first through-via becomes adjacent to the lower surface of the substrate.

Abstract: An integrated circuit device includes: a substrate having a backside surface; a pair of fin-type active regions protruding from the substrate and defining a trench region in the substrate; a pair of source/drain regions disposed, one-by-one, on the pair of fin-type active regions, respectively; a device isolation film covering a sidewall of each of the pair of fin-type active regions and disposed in the trench region; a via power rail disposed between the pair of fin-type active regions and between the pair of source/drain regions, wherein the via power rail passes through the device isolation film in a vertical direction; a backside power rail passing through the substrate in the vertical direction and disposed at a position overlapping the via power rail, wherein the backside power rail is connected to the via power rail; and an air spacer disposed between the substrate and the backside power rail.

Abstract: An integrated circuit device includes a first cell and a second cell apart from each other in a first lateral direction on a substrate, the first cell and the second cell each including a plurality of gate lines, an inter-cell isolation region between the first cell and the second cell, the inter-cell isolation region extending in a second lateral direction, a power line including portions overlapping a cell boundary of each of the first cell and the second cell in a vertical direction and a portion overlapping the inter-cell isolation region in the vertical direction, a plurality of dummy gate insulation lines, a bridge insulating pattern in contact with an end portion of each of the plurality of dummy gate insulation lines, and a via power rail passing through the bridge insulating pattern, the via power rail being connected to the power line.

Abstract: Provided is a layout design method including designing a preliminary layout including a source/drain contact pattern of an integrated circuit device, designing a first layout including a cut pattern for cutting the source/drain contact pattern, designing a second layout configured by excluding a pattern overlapping the pattern of the first layout from the preliminary layout, and correcting the preliminary layout by reflecting an etch skew based on at least one parameter of the second layout.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a pattern forming method comprising disposing upon a substrate a composition comprising a block copolymer; where the block copolymer comprises a first polymer and a second polymer; where the first polymer and the second polymer of the block copolymer are different from each other and the block copolymer forms a phase separated structure; an additive polymer; where the additive polymer comprises a bottlebrush polymer; and where the bottlebrush polymer comprises a polymer that has a lower or a higher surface energy than the block copolymer; and a solvent; and annealing the composition to facilitate domain separation between the first polymer and the second polymer of the block copolymer to form a morphology of periodic domains formed from the first polymer and the second polymer; where a longitudinal axis of the periodic domains are parallel to the substrate.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a composition comprising a block copolymer; where the block copolymer comprises a first polymer and a second polymer; where the first polymer and the second polymer of the block copolymer are different from each other and the block copolymer forms a phase separated structure; an additive polymer; where the additive polymer comprises a bottlebrush polymer; and where the bottlebrush polymer comprises a polymer that is chemically and structurally the same as one of the polymers in the block copolymer or where the bottlebrush polymer comprises a polymer that has a preferential interaction with one of the blocks of the block copolymers; and a solvent.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a pattern forming method comprising providing a substrate devoid of a layer of a brush polymer; disposing upon the substrate a composition comprising a block copolymer comprising a first polymer and a second polymer; where the first polymer and the second polymer of the block copolymer are different from each other; and an additive polymer where the additive polymer comprises a bottlebrush polymer; where the bottlebrush polymer comprises a polymeric chain backbone and a grafted polymer that are bonded to each other; and where the bottlebrush polymer comprises a polymer that is chemically and structurally the same as one of the polymers in the block copolymer or where the bottlebrush polymer comprises a polymer that has a preferential interaction with one of the blocks of the block copolymers; and a solvent; and annealing the composition to facilitate domain separation between the first polymer and the second polymer.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a composition comprising a block copolymer; where the block copolymer comprises a first polymer and a second polymer; where the first polymer and the second polymer of the block copolymer are different from each other and the block copolymer forms a phase separated structure; an additive polymer; where the additive polymer comprises a bottle brush polymer; where the bottle brush polymer comprises a homopolymer that is the chemically and structurally the same as one of the polymers in the block copolymer or where the additive polymer comprises a graft copolymer that has a preferential interaction with one of the blocks of the block copolymers; and a solvent.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a composition comprising a block copolymer; where the block copolymer comprises a first polymer and a second polymer; where the first polymer and the second polymer of the block copolymer are different from each other and the block copolymer forms a phase separated structure; an additive polymer; where the additive polymer comprises a bottlebrush polymer; and where the bottlebrush polymer comprises a polymer that is chemically and structurally the same as one of the polymers in the block copolymer or where the bottlebrush polymer comprises a polymer that has a preferential interaction with one of the blocks of the block copolymers; and a solvent.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a composition comprising a block copolymer; where the block copolymer comprises a first polymer and a second polymer; where the first polymer and the second polymer of the block copolymer are different from each other and the block copolymer forms a phase separated structure; an additive polymer; where the additive polymer comprises a bottle brush polymer; where the bottle brush polymer comprises a homopolymer that is the chemically and structurally the same as one of the polymers in the block copolymer or where the additive polymer comprises a graft copolymer that has a preferential interaction with one of the blocks of the block copolymers; and a solvent.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a pattern forming method comprising disposing upon a substrate a composition comprising a block copolymer; where the block copolymer comprises a first polymer and a second polymer; where the first polymer and the second polymer of the block copolymer are different from each other and the block copolymer forms a phase separated structure; an additive polymer; where the additive polymer comprises a bottlebrush polymer; and where the bottlebrush polymer comprises a polymer that has a lower or a higher surface energy than the block copolymer; and a solvent; and annealing the composition to facilitate domain separation between the first polymer and the second polymer of the block copolymer to form a morphology of periodic domains formed from the first polymer and the second polymer; where a longitudinal axis of the periodic domains are parallel to the substrate.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a pattern forming method comprising providing a substrate devoid of a layer of a brush polymer; disposing upon the substrate a composition comprising a block copolymer comprising a first polymer and a second polymer; where the first polymer and the second polymer of the block copolymer are different from each other; and an additive polymer where the additive polymer comprises a bottlebrush polymer; where the bottlebrush polymer comprises a polymeric chain backbone and a grafted polymer that are bonded to each other; and where the bottlebrush polymer comprises a polymer that is chemically and structurally the same as one of the polymers in the block copolymer or where the bottlebrush polymer comprises a polymer that has a preferential interaction with one of the blocks of the block copolymers; and a solvent; and annealing the composition to facilitate domain separation between the first polymer and the second polymer.