Semiconductor devices and methods of manufacture are described herein. A method includes forming an opening through an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer to expose a contact etch stop layer (CESL) disposed over a conductive feature in a metallization layer. The opening is formed using photo sensitive materials, lithographic techniques, and a dry etch process that stops on the CESL. Once the CESL is exposed, a CESL breakthrough process is performed to extend the opening through the CESL and expose the conductive feature. The CESL breakthrough process is a flexible process with a high selectivity of the CESL to ILD layer. Once the CESL breakthrough process has been performed, a conductive fill material may be deposited to fill or overfill the opening and is then planarized with the ILD layer to form a contact plug over the conductive feature in an intermediate step of forming a semiconductor device.

The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor structure including an interconnect structure disposed over a semiconductor substrate. A lower metal line is disposed at a first height over the semiconductor substrate and extends through a first interlayer dielectric layer. A second interlayer dielectric layer is disposed at a second height over the semiconductor substrate and comprises a first dielectric material. An upper metal line is disposed at a third height over the semiconductor substrate. A via is disposed at the second height. The via extends between the lower metal line and the upper metal line. A protective dielectric structure is disposed at the second height. The protective dielectric structure comprises a protective dielectric material and is disposed along a first set of opposing sidewalls of the via, the protective dielectric material differing from the first dielectric material.

A semiconductor structure includes semiconductor devices located over a substrate, bit lines electrically connected to the semiconductor devices and having a respective reentrant vertical cross-sectional profile within a vertical plane that is perpendicular to a lengthwise direction along which the bit lines laterally extend, and dielectric portions that are interlaced with the bit lines along a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the lengthwise direction. The dielectric portions may contain air gaps. A bit-line-contact via structure can be formed on top of a bit line. In some embodiments, dielectric cap strips may be located on top surface of the dielectric portions and may cover peripheral regions of the top surfaces of the bit lines without covering middle regions of the top surfaces of the bit lines.

Methods for forming conductive lines and integrated chips include forming a mandrel on an etch stop layer. First spacers are formed on sidewalls of the mandrel. The mandrel is etched away. Conductive lines are formed on sidewalls of the first spacers. The first spacers are etched away. Dielectric spacers are formed between the conductive lines.

A semiconductor structure includes semiconductor devices located over a substrate, bit lines electrically connected to the semiconductor devices and having a respective reentrant vertical cross-sectional profile within a vertical plane that is perpendicular to a lengthwise direction along which the bit lines laterally extend, and dielectric portions that are interlaced with the bit lines along a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the lengthwise direction. The dielectric portions may contain air gaps. A bit-line-contact via structure can be formed on top of a bit line. In some embodiments, dielectric cap strips may be located on top surface of the dielectric portions and may cover peripheral regions of the top surfaces of the bit lines without covering middle regions of the top surfaces of the bit lines.

Semiconductor devices are provided. A semiconductor device includes a substrate. The semiconductor device includes a stack structure on the substrate. The stack structure includes a first insulating material and a second insulating material that is on the first insulating material. The semiconductor device includes a spacer that extends from a sidewall of the first insulating material of the stack structure to a portion of a sidewall of the second insulating material of the stack structure. Moreover, the semiconductor device includes a conductive line that is on the spacer. Methods of forming semiconductor devices are also provided.

Provided is a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a wafer; an etch stop layer on the wafer; a lower mold layer on the etch stop layer; an intermediate supporter layer on the lower mold layer; an upper mold layer on the intermediate supporter layer; an upper supporter layer on the upper mold layer; and a hard mask structure on the upper supporter layer, wherein the hard mask structure includes a first hard mask layer on the upper supporter layer and a second hard mask layer on the first hard mask layer, one of the first hard mask layer and the second hard mask layer includes a first organic layer including a SOH containing C, H, O, and N, and the other one of the first hard mask layer and the second hard mask layer includes a second organic layer including an SOH containing C, H, and O.

A patterning method includes at least the following steps. A first material layer is provided. A second material layer is provided over the first material layer. The second material layer partially exposes the first material layer. A passivation layer is formed over the first material layer and the second material layer. A growth rate of the passivation layer on the second material layer is greater than a growth rate of the passivation layer on the first material layer. A first etching process is performed to remove a portion of the passivation layer and a portion of the first material layer.

Embodiments include transistor devices and a method of forming the transistor devices. A transistor device includes a first dielectric over a substrate, and vias on a first metal layer, where the first metal layer is on an etch stop layer that is on the first dielectric. The transistor device also includes a second dielectric over the first metal layer, vias, and etch stop layer, where the vias include sidewalls, top surfaces, and bottom surfaces, and stacked transistors on the second dielectric and the top surfaces of the vias, where the sidewalls and top surfaces of the vias are positioned within a footprint of the stacked transistors. The stacked transistors include gate electrodes and first and second transistor layers. The first metal layer includes conductive materials including tungsten or cobalt. The footprint may include a bottom surface of the first transistor layer and a bottom surface of the gate electrodes.

Disclosed are a semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the same. The semiconductor device may include a substrate having a groove therein extending in a first direction, a gate insulating layer in the groove, a first conductive pattern in the groove and on the gate insulating layer, and a word line capping pattern in the groove and on the first conductive pattern. The first conductive pattern may include a first material and may include a first conductive portion adjacent to the word line capping pattern and a second conductive portion adjacent to a bottom end of the groove. A largest dimension of a grain of the first material of the first conductive portion may be equal to or larger than that of the first material of the second conductive portion.