A semiconductor wafer is diced along a plurality of dicing lines in a first direction and a second direction different from the first direction so that a chip is cut out from an effective area. The semiconductor water includes a film formation pattern. At least one dicing line included in the plurality of dicing lines is an on-pattern dicing line which overlaps the film formation pattern in its entire or partial length.

An aggregate die comprises a substrate, a first sub die, and a second sub die. The substrate comprises a surface with a first set of substrate alignment guides and a second set of substrate alignment guides. The first sub die comprises a first set of sub die alignment guides that interface with the substrate alignment guides in the first set of substrate alignment guides. The second sub die comprises a second set of sub die alignment guides that interface with substrate alignment guides in the second set of substrate alignment guides.

Among other things, one or semiconductor arrangements, and techniques for forming such semiconductor arrangements are provided. An etch sequence is performed to form a first etched region over a planar region of a semiconductor arrangement. The first etched region exposes a planar structure, such as an alignment mark used for alignment during semiconductor fabrication. The etch sequence forms a second etched region over a semiconductor fin region of the semiconductor arrangement. In an embodiment, the etch sequence forms a first trench, a first fin nub and a first pillar in the semiconductor fin region, where the first trench is formed in a semiconductor substrate of the semiconductor fin region. A multi-depth STI structure is formed over at least one of the first trench, the first fin nub, or the first pillar.

Metal-free frame designs for 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, the substrate having a perimeter. A metallization structure is disposed on the insulating layer, the metallization structure including conductive routing disposed in a dielectric material stack. A first metal guard ring is disposed in the dielectric material stack and surrounds the conductive routing. A second metal guard ring is disposed in the dielectric material stack and surrounds the first metal guard ring. A metal-free region of the dielectric material stack surrounds the second metal guard ring. The metal-free region is disposed adjacent to the second metal guard ring and adjacent to the perimeter of the substrate.

A 3D integrated circuit, the circuit including: a first level including a first wafer, the first wafer including a first crystalline substrate, a plurality of first transistors, and first copper interconnecting layers, where the first copper interconnecting layers at least interconnect the plurality of first transistors; and a second level including a second wafer, the second wafer including a second crystalline substrate, a plurality of second transistors, and second copper interconnecting layers, where the second copper interconnecting layers at least interconnect the plurality of second transistors, where the second level is bonded to the first level, where the bonded includes metal to metal bonding, where the bonded includes oxide to oxide bonding, and where at least one of the second transistors include a replacement gate.

A 3D semiconductor device with a built-in-test-circuit (BIST), the device comprising: a first single-crystal substrate with a plurality of logic circuits disposed therein, wherein said first single-crystal substrate comprises a device area, wherein said plurality of logic circuits comprise at least a first interconnected array of processor logic, wherein said plurality of logic circuits comprise at least a second interconnected set of circuits comprising a first logic circuit, a second logic circuit, and a third logic circuit, wherein said second interconnected set of logic circuits further comprise switching circuits that support replacing said first logic circuit and/or said second logic circuit with said third logic circuit; and said built-in-test-circuit (BIST), wherein said first logic circuit is testable by said built-in-test-circuit (BIST), and wherein said second logic circuit is testable by said built-in-test-circuit (BIST).

A laser dicing system is disclosed. The laser dicing system includes a host device and a laser source. The host device reads and identifies a mark formed on a surface of a semiconductor structure. The laser source is coupled to the host device and is configured to generate a dicing laser energy to form a trench on the semiconductor structure. The dicing laser energy irradiated on the semiconductor structure is adjustable based on information embedded in the mark.

A method of manufacturing a semiconducting device that includes forming first opening for forming bottom electrode hole in a first area of a semiconductor wafer; forming a deeper second opening for overlay/alignment hole in second area; depositing a bottom electrode metal layer filling the first opening to form a bottom electrode and partially filling the second opening. A layer of sacrificial material is then deposited above the bottom electrode layer and completely filling the second opening. A chemical-mechanical planarization process is performed to remove the -bottom electrode metal and -sacrificial layer, the -sacrificial material layer being removed above a surface defined atop the filled remaining portion above the second opening. The sacrificial layer material is removed in the remaining portion of the second opening. The second opening providing an overlay/alignment feature topography detectable for alignment by lithography and for overlay measurement on the overlay metrology tool.

A method for securing and verifying semiconductor wafers during fabrication includes receiving a semiconductor wafer after a layer of features has been patterned thereon. At least one security mark is formed at one or more locations embedded within a backside of the semiconductor wafer by implanting an inert species at the one or more locations. At a subsequent point in fabrication and/or after fabrication of the semiconductor wafer has completed the backside of the wafer is inspected for detection of the at least one security mark. If the at least one security mark is not detected at an expected location within the backside of the semiconductor wafer a determination is made that the semiconductor wafer has been compromised.

A chip singulation method includes, in stated order: forming a surface supporting layer on an upper surface of a wafer; thinning the wafer from the undersurface to reduce the thickness to at most 30 μm; removing the surface supporting layer from the upper surface; forming a first metal layer and subsequently a second metal layer on the undersurface of the wafer; applying a dicing tape onto an undersurface of the second metal layer; applying, onto the upper surface of the wafer, a process of increasing hydrophilicity of a surface of the wafer; forming a water-soluble protective layer on the surface of the wafer; cutting the wafer, the first metal layer, and the second metal layer by irradiating a predetermined region of the upper surface of the wafer with a laser beam; and removing the water-soluble protective layer from the surface of the wafer using wash water.