Patents by Inventor Junfong Li

Junfong Li has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Method for improving within die uniformity of metal plug chemical mechanical planarization process in gate last route
    Patent number: 8409986
    Abstract: A method for improving the within die uniformity of the metal plug CMP process in the gate last route is provided. Before performing the CMP process for forming the metal plug, a metal etching process is applied, so that the step height between the metal layers in the contact hole area and the non-contact hole area is greatly reduced. Therefore, the relatively small step height will exert a significantly less effect on the following CMP process, so that the step height will be limitedly transferred to the top of metal plug after finishing CMP process. In this way, the recess on top of the metal plug is largely reduced, so that a flat top of the metal plug is obtained, and within die uniformity and electrical properties the device are improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Inventors: Tao Yang, Chao Zhao, Junfong Li
  • METHOD FOR IMPROVING WITHIN DIE UNIFORMITY OF METAL PLUG CHEMICAL MECHANICAL PLANARIZATION PROCESS IN GATE LAST ROUTE
    Publication number: 20120178255
    Abstract: A method for improving the within die uniformity of the metal plug CMP process in the gate last route is provided. Before performing the CMP process for forming the metal plug, a metal etching process is applied, so that the step height between the metal layers in the contact hole area and the non-contact hole area is greatly reduced. Therefore, the relatively small step height will exert a significantly less effect on the following CMP process, so that the step height will be limitedly transferred to the top of metal plug after finishing CMP process. In this way, the recess on top of the metal plug is largely reduced, so that a flat top of the metal plug is obtained, and within die uniformity and electrical properties the device are improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2011
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Inventors: Tao Yang, Chao Zhao, Junfong Li