A semiconductor method is disclosed. The semiconductor method is performed upon semiconductor wafers, wherein each of the semiconductor wafers includes a first exposure field and a second exposure field, and each of the first exposure field and the second exposure field includes a first alignment mark and a second alignment mark. The method includes: determining a first alignment pattern for a first wafer by selecting one of the alignment marks of the first exposure field, and selecting one of the alignment marks of the second exposure field; performing the aligning operation upon the first semiconductor wafer by using the first alignment pattern; determining a second alignment pattern for a second wafer by selecting one of the alignment marks of the first exposure field, and selecting one of the alignment marks of the second exposure field, wherein the first alignment pattern is different from the second alignment pattern.

A semiconductor device, the device comprising: a plurality of transistors, wherein at least one of said plurality of transistors comprises a first single crystal source, channel, and drain, wherein at least one of said plurality of transistors comprises a second single crystal source, channel, and drain, wherein said second single crystal source, channel, and drain is disposed above said first single crystal source, channel, and drain, wherein at least one of said plurality of transistors comprises a third single crystal source, channel, and drain, wherein said third single crystal source, channel, and drain is disposed above said second single crystal source, channel, and drain, wherein at least one of said plurality of transistors comprises a fourth single crystal source, channel, and drain, and wherein said third single crystal channel is self-aligned to said fourth single crystal channel being processed following the same lithography step.

A method for producing a 3D semiconductor device including: providing a first level including a first single crystal layer; forming a first metal layer on top of first level; forming a second metal layer on top of the first metal layer; forming at least one second level above the second metal layer; performing a first lithography step on the second level; forming a third level on top of the second level; performing a second lithography step on the third level; perform processing steps to form first memory cells within the second level and second memory cells within the third level, where first memory cells include at least one second transistor, and the second memory cells include at least one third transistor; and deposit a gate electrode for the second and the third transistors simultaneously.

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.

A method for forming a semiconductor device includes forming a laser marking buried within a semiconductor substrate and thinning the semiconductor substrate from a backside of the semiconductor substrate. For example, a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate located in a semiconductor package. A laser marking is buried within the semiconductor substrate. For example, another semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate. A laser marking is located at a backside surface of the semiconductor substrate. Further, a portion of the backside surface located adjacent to the laser marking is free of recast material.

A 3D semiconductor device including: a first single crystal layer including a plurality of first transistors and a first metal layer, where a second metal layer is disposed atop the first metal layer; a plurality of logic gates including the first metal layer and first transistors; a plurality of second transistors disposed atop the second metal layer; a plurality of third transistors disposed atop the second transistors; a top metal layer disposed atop the third transistors; and a memory array including word-lines, where the memory array includes at least four memory mini arrays, where each of the mini arrays includes at least two rows by two columns of memory cells, where each memory cell includes one of the second transistors or one of the third transistors, and where one of the second transistors is self-aligned to one of the third transistors, being processed following a same lithography step.

A laser processing apparatus has a laser beam applying unit for applying a laser beam to a workpiece held on a chuck table. The laser beam applying unit includes an elliptical spot forming member for changing the spot shape of a pulsed laser beam into an elliptical shape and making the major axis of the elliptical beam spot parallel to a feeding direction, a diffractive optical element for branching the pulsed laser beam having the elliptical beam spot obtained by the elliptical spot forming member, into a plurality of pulsed laser beams each having an elliptical beam spot whose major axis extends in the feeding direction, and a condensing lens for condensing each of the pulsed laser beams branched by the diffractive optical element to the workpiece in such a manner that the major axes of the elliptical beam spots of the pulsed laser beams branched are partially overlapped.

A semiconductor manufacturing system has a series of steps, from manufacturing of a semiconductor on a wafer until packaging, that can be easily linked. A semiconductor chip manufacturing device manufactures a semiconductor chip, and a semiconductor packaging device packages the semiconductor chip by attaching the semiconductor chip to a package substrate which is larger than the wafer. The semiconductor chip manufacturing device includes a PLAD system for loading the wafer into and out of the semiconductor chip manufacturing device through a shuttle which is capable of housing the wafer. The semiconductor packaging device includes a PLAD system capable of loading the package substrate into and out of the semiconductor packaging device through a shuttle which is capable of housing the package substrate. The shuttles have container bodies of a same shape.

Implementations of methods of singulating a plurality of die included in a substrate may include forming a plurality of die on a first side of a substrate, forming a backside metal layer on a second side of a substrate, applying a photoresist layer over the backside metal layer, patterning the photoresist layer along a die street of the substrate, and etching through the backside metal layer located in the die street of the substrate. The substrate may be exposed through the etch. The method may also include singulating the plurality of die included in the substrate through removing a substrate material in the die street.

An alignment method and an alignment system are provided. The alignment method includes: providing a wafer including an exposed surface, wherein an alignment mark and a reference point with a reference distance are provided on the exposed surface; placing the wafer on a reference plane; performing an alignment measurement on the exposed surface to obtain a projection distance, configured as a measurement distance, between the alignment mark and the reference point on the reference plane; performing a levelling measurement between the exposed surface and the reference plane to obtain levelling data of the exposed surface; obtaining a distance, configured as an expansion reference value, between the alignment mark and the reference point in the exposed surface; obtaining an expansion compensation value based on a difference between the expansion reference value and the reference distance; and adjusting parameters of a photolithography process based on the expansion compensation value for an alignment.