A film deposition method may include preparing a non-planar substrate including a first surface, a second surface, and an inclined surface between the first surface and the second surface; depositing a film having a thickness deviation on the first surface, the second surface, and the inclined surface; and etching the film deposited on the first surface, the second surface, and the inclined surface. A height of the second surface may be different than a height of the first surface.

Disclosed are a semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the same. The device includes an FEOL layer, which includes a plurality of individual devices, on a substrate, and first, second, and third metal layers sequentially stacked on the FEOL layer. The second metal layer includes an interlayer insulating layer and an interconnection line in the interlayer insulating layer. The interconnection line includes a lower via portion electrically connected to the first metal layer, an upper via portion electrically connected to the third metal layer, and a line portion between the lower via portion and the upper via portion. A line width of an upper portion of the interconnection line gradually decreases in a vertical direction away from the substrate, and a line width of a lower portion of the interconnection line gradually increases in a vertical direction away from the substrate.

Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods of forming the apparatuses. One of the apparatuses includes a device including tiers of materials located one over another, the tiers of materials including respective memory cells and control gates for the memory cells. The control gates include respective portions that collectively form part of a staircase structure. The staircase structure includes first regions and second regions coupled to the first regions. The second regions include respective sidewalls in which a portion of each of the first regions and a portion of each of the second regions are part of a respective control gate of the control gates. The device also includes conductive pads electrically separated from each other and located on the first regions of the staircase structure, and conductive contacts contacting the conductive pads.

A method includes forming a plurality of dielectric layers, forming a plurality of redistribution lines in the plurality of dielectric layers, etching the plurality of dielectric layers to form an opening, filling the opening to form a through-dielectric via penetrating through the plurality of dielectric layers, forming an insulation layer over the through-dielectric via and the plurality of dielectric layers, forming a plurality of bond pads in the dielectric layer, and bonding a device to the insulation layer and a portion of the plurality of bond pads through hybrid bonding.

Disclosed are alkaline electrodeposition solutions and apparatus and methods for using such solutions to electroplate metal. During electroplating, the solutions may produce superconformal fill of metal in features such as features having a critical dimension of about 20 nm or less. The metal electroplating process may be used during integrated circuit fabrication. For example, it may be used to fill trenches and vias in partially fabricated integrated circuits. The electroplated metal may be copper. The copper may be electroplated on a substrate material that is less noble than copper.

The present invention relates to a metal interconnect structure containing no barrier metal and a method of manufacturing the metal interconnect structure. The method includes: filling at least a first interconnect trench with an intermetallic compound by depositing the intermetallic compound on an insulating layer having the first interconnect trench and a second interconnect trench formed in the insulating layer, the second interconnect trench being wider than the first interconnect trench; performing a planarization process of polishing the intermetallic compound until the insulating layer is exposed; and then performing a height adjustment process of polishing the intermetallic compound and the insulating layer until a height of the intermetallic compound in the first interconnect trench reaches a predetermined height.

An apparatus, a method and a system. The apparatus comprises a memory array including word lines defining a staircase structure, and a staircase etch stop layer including: a sandwich etch stop layer disposed on a top region the staircase and including a first etch stop layer and a third etch stop layer of a first material, and a second etch stop layer sandwiched between the first etch stop layer and the third etch stop layer and made of a second material having etch properties different from the first material; a precut etch stop layer disposed at a region of the staircase structure below the top region and including the second etch stop layer and the third etch stop layer and not the first etch stop layer; and contact structures extending through a dielectric layer and the staircase etch stop layer and landing on the word lines at the staircase structure.

A silicon on insulator substrate includes a semiconductor bulk handle wafer, an insulating layer on said semiconductor bulk handle wafer and a semiconductor film on said insulating layer. An opening extends completely through the semiconductor film and insulating layer to expose a surface of the semiconductor bulk handle wafer. Epitaxial material fills the opening and extends on said semiconductor film, with the epitaxial material and semiconductor film forming a thick semiconductor film. A trench isolation surrounds a region of the thick semiconductor film to define an electrical contact made to the semiconductor bulk handle wafer through the opening.

A method of forming a package structure includes: forming an inductor comprising a through-via over a carrier; placing a semiconductor device over the carrier; molding the semiconductor device and the through-via in a molding material; and forming a first redistribution layer on the molding material, wherein the inductor and the semiconductor device are electrically connected by the first redistribution layer.

A method of forming a cap layer for sealing an air gap is provided. The method includes forming a line feature over a substrate, forming a contact etch stop layer (CESL) on a sidewall of the line feature, forming a sacrificial layer on a sidewall of the CESL, forming a liner layer on a sidewall of the sacrificial layer, removing the sacrificial layer to form an air gap which is bordered at the CESL and the liner layer and which is adjacent to the line feature, etching back upper ends of the CESL and the liner layer to widen an opening of the air gap, and forming a cap layer to seal the opening of the air gap thus widened.