Abstract: The present invention provides a coating process for patterned substrate surfaces, in which a substrate (101) is provided, the substrate having a surface (105) which is patterned in a substrate patterning region (102) and has one or more trenches (106) that are to be filled to a predetermined filling height (205), a catalyst layer (201) is introduced into the trenches (106) that are to be filled, a reaction layer (202) is deposited catalytically in the trenches (106) that are to be filled, the catalytically deposited reaction layer (202) is densified in the trenches (106) that are to be filled, and the introduction of the catalyst layer (201) and the catalytic deposition of the reaction layer (202) are repeated until the trenches (106) that are to be filled have been filled to the predetermined filling height (205).

Abstract: On a substrate surface, which has been patterned in the form of a relief, of a substrate, typically of a semiconductor wafer, a deposition process is used to provide a covering layer on process surfaces which are vertical or inclined with respect to the substrate surface. The covering layer is patterned in a direction which is vertical with respect to the substrate surface by limiting a process quantity of at least one precursor material and/or by temporarily limiting the deposition process, and is formed as a functional layer or mask for subsequent process steps.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for determining the depth of a buried structure in a semiconductor wafer. According to the invention, the layer behavior of the semiconductor wafer which is brought about by the buried structure when the semiconductor wafer is irradiated with electromagnetic radiation in the infrared range and arises as a result of the significantly longer wavelengths of the radiation used in comparison with the lateral dimensions of the buried structure is utilized to determine the depth of the buried structure by spectrometric and/or ellipsometric methods.

Abstract: A process for modifying sections of a semiconductor includes covering the sections to remain free of doping with a metal oxide, e.g., aluminum oxide. Then, the semiconductor is doped, for example, from the gas phase, in those sections that are not covered by the aluminum oxide. Finally, the aluminum oxide is selectively removed again, for example using hot phosphoric acid. Sections of the semiconductor surface which are formed from silicon, silicon oxide or silicon nitride remain in place on the wafer.

Abstract: To form a semiconductor device, an insulating layer is formed over a conductive region and a pattern transfer layer is formed over the insulating layer. The pattern transfer layer is patterned in the reverse tone of a layout of recesses to be formed in the insulating layer such that the pattern transfer layer remains over regions where the recesses are to be formed. A mask material is formed over the insulating layer and is aligned with the pattern transfer layer. Remaining portions of the pattern transfer layer are removed and recesses are etched in the insulating layer using the mask material as a mask.

Abstract: A method for printing contacts utilizes photolithographic pattern reversal. A negative of the contact is printed on a resist layer. Unexposed portions of the resist layer are stripped to expose a first layer. The first layer is etched to remove exposed portions of the first layer not covered by the negative of the contact and to expose a second layer. A pattern reversal is performed to cure exposed portions of the second layer not covered by the first layer.

Abstract: A method for producing a dielectric layer on a substrate made of a conductive substrate material includes reducing a leakage current that flows through defects of the dielectric layer at least by a self-aligning and self-limiting electrochemical conversion of the conductive substrate material into a nonconductive substrate follow-up material in sections of the substrate that are adjacent to the defects. Also provided is a configuration including a dielectric layer with defects, a substrate made of a conductive substrate material, and reinforcement regions made of the nonconductive substrate follow-up material in sections adjacent to the defects.

Abstract: Lithography masks and methods of lithography for manufacturing semiconductor devices are disclosed. Forbidden pitches are circumvented by dividing a main feature into a set of two or more sub-features. The sum of the widths of the sub-features and the spaces between the sub-features is substantially equal to the width of the main feature. The set of two or more sub-features comprise a plurality of different distances between an adjacent set of two or more sub-features. At least one of the plurality of distances comprises a pitch that is resolvable by the lithography system, resulting in increased resolution for the main features, improved critical dimension (CD) control, and increased process windows.

Abstract: A dielectric barrier layer composed of a metal oxide is applied in thin layers with a thickness of less than 20 nanometers in the course of processing semiconductor devices by sequential gas phase deposition or molecular beam epitaxy in molecular individual layers on differently structured base substrates. The method allows, inter alias, effective conductive diffusion barriers to be formed from a dielectric material, an optimization of the layer thickness of the barrier layer, an increase in the temperature budget for subsequent process steps, and a reduction in the effort for removing the temporary barrier layers.

Abstract: An electrical component, such as a DRAM semiconductor memory or a field-effect transistor is fabricated. At least one capacitor having a dielectric (130) and at least one connection electrode (120, 140) are fabricated. To enable the capacitors fabricated to have optimum storage properties even for very small capacitor structures, the dielectric (130) or the connection electrode (120, 140) are formed in such a manner that transient polarization effects are prevented or at least reduced.

Abstract: A storage capacitor, suitable for use in a DRAM cell, is at least partially formed above a substrate surface and includes: a storage electrode at least partially formed above the substrate surface, a dielectric layer formed adjacent the storage electrode, and a counter electrode formed adjacent the dielectric layer, the counter electrode being isolated from the storage electrode by the dielectric layer, wherein the storage electrode is formed as a body which is delimited by at least one curved surface having a center of curvature outside the body in a plane parallel to the substrate surface. According to another configuration, the storage electrode is formed as a body which is delimited by at least one set having two contiguous planes, the two planes extending perpendicularly with respect to the substrate surface, a point of intersection of normals of the two planes lying outside the body.

Abstract: A method of forming isolated features of semiconductor devices is disclosed. A first hard mask is deposited over a material layer to be patterned, and a second hard mask is deposited over the first hard mask. The second hard mask is patterned with a pattern for an array of features using an off-axis lithography method. A portion of the pattern for the array of features is transferred to the first hard mask. The first hard mask is then used as a mask to pattern the material layer.

Abstract: In a circuit layout, a partial area is defined in a first structure pattern, which is stored electronically in a data format and represents a first lithographic plane, in which partial area a lower limit value for the length of a serif to be added to a structure element in an OPC correction can be undershot in order to locally increase the resolution. The partial area in the electronically stored circuit layout maybe, for example, an active region with which contact is to be made and which has been selected in a second structure pattern of a further lithographic plane as a structure element. Thus, within such a partial area of an integrated circuit, elevated requirements made of dimensionally accurate imaging are satisfied, while the required data volume overall increases only to an insignificant extent.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for producing parts (1) having a sealing layer (2) on the surface, and corresponding parts. Said method and device are improved in that the sealing layer (2) is applied to the surface in the form of a water-free and solvent-free reactive hot melt layer based on polyurethane and hardened by atmospheric humidity, and the inventive device comprises an application station (6), a transport device (5) and a smoothing station (8).

Abstract: In a method for forming patterned ceramic layers, a ceramic material is deposited on a substrate and is subsequently densified by heat treatment, for example. In this case, the initially amorphous material is converted into a crystalline or polycrystalline form. In order that the now crystalline material can be removed again from the substrate, imperfections are produced in the ceramic material, for example by ion implantation. As a result, the etching medium can more easily attack the ceramic material, so that the latter can be removed with a higher etching rate. Through inclined implantation, the method can be performed in a self-aligning manner and the ceramic material can be removed on one side, by way of example, in trenches or deep trench capacitors.

Abstract: A photomask with desired illumination conditions can be constructed by combining a base pattern of openings with an assist pattern which includes openings that are offset from respectively corresponding openings of the base pattern by a preset angular distance.

Abstract: A lithographic mask having a mask substrate (3) and a patterned mask layer (4) which includes mask structures (5) and can be transferred by lithography to a further substrate is disclosed. With masks of this type, it is customary for a protective layer to be provided in the form of a membrane positioned at a distance from the mask layer (4), in order to keep impurity particles or other impurities away from the focal plane of the mask layer (4). According to the invention, the protective layer (6) is applied in liquid form directly to the mask structures (5) and fills up spaces between the mask structures (4). Then, the protective layer (6), while it is still in the liquid state, is covered with a plane-parallel plate. The continuously dense protective layer (6) which is formed in accordance with the invention is even more reliable in preventing impurity particles or impurities (20) from penetrating into spacers between the structures (5) of the mask layer (4).

Abstract: Preferably using a positive resist, a resist ridge (20) is formed in a photosensitive resist (16) applied on a semiconductor wafer (1) above a hard mask layer (12). The resist ridge (20) serves as a mask for a subsequent implantation step (46). This makes use of an effect whereby the material of the hard mask layer (12), in a part (122) shaded by the resist ridge (20), can be etched out selectively with respect to the implanted part (121). The consequently patterned hard mask layer is used as an etching mask with respect to an underlying layer or layer stack (102-104) that is actually to be patterned. From the resist ridge (10) that has been formed as a line in the photosensitive resist (16), in a type of tone reversal, an opening (24) has been formed in the hard mask layer and a trench (26) has been formed in the layer/layer stack (102-104). According to the invention, the width (51, 52) of the resist ridge (20) is reduced by exposing the resist ridge (20) to an oxygen plasma (42).

Abstract: A method for forming substantially uniformly thick, thermally grown, silicon dioxide material on a silicon body independent of bon axis. A trench is formed in a surface of the silicon body, such trench having sidewalls disposed in different crystallographic planes, one of such planes being the <100> crystallographic plane and another one of such planes being the <110> plane. A substantially uniform layer of silicon nitride is formed on the sidewalls. The trench, with the with substantially uniform layer of silicon nitride, is subjected to a silicon oxidation environment with sidewalls in the <110> plane being oxidized at a higher rate than sidewalls in the <100> plane producing silicon dioxide on the silicon nitride layer having thickness over the <110> plane greater than over the <100> plane.

Abstract: The vertical DRAM capacitor with a buried LOCOS collar characterized by: a self-aligned bottle and gas phase doping; no consumption of silicon at the depth of the buried strap; no reduction of trench diameter; and a nitride layer to protect trench sidewalls during gas phase doping.