A method includes forming a seed layer on a semiconductor wafer, coating a photo resist on the seed layer, performing a photo lithography process to expose the photo resist, and developing the photo resist to form an opening in the photo resist. The seed layer is exposed, and the opening includes a first opening of a metal pad and a second opening of a metal line connected to the first opening. At a joining point of the first opening and the second opening, a third opening of a metal patch is formed, so that all angles of the opening and adjacent to the first opening are greater than 90 degrees. The method further includes plating the metal pad, the metal line, and the metal patch in the opening in the photo resist, removing the photo resist, and etching the seed layer to leave the metal pad, the metal line and the metal patch.

A semiconductor device including a substrate, an insulating layer on the substrate and including a trench, at least one via structure penetrating the substrate and protruding above a bottom surface of the trench, and a conductive structure surrounding the at least one via structure in the trench may be provided.

A semiconductor device including a substrate, an insulating layer on the substrate and including a trench, at least one via structure penetrating the substrate and protruding above a bottom surface of the trench, and a conductive structure surrounding the at least one via structure in the trench may be provided.

A three-dimensional metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor is formed in an integrated circuit structure. The 3D MIM capacitor may include a bottom conductor including a bottom plate portion (e.g., formed in a metal interconnect layer) and vertically-extending sidewall portions extending from the bottom plate portion. An insulator layer is formed on the bottom plate portion and the vertically extending sidewall portions of the bottom conductor. A top conductor is formed over the insulating layer, such that the top conductor is capacitively coupled to both the bottom plate portion and the vertically extending sidewall portions of the bottom conductor, to thereby define an increased area of capacitive coupling between the top and bottom conductors. The vertically extending sidewall portions of the bottom conductor may be formed in a single metal layer or by components of multiple metal layers.

In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device first conductive layers are formed over a substrate. A first photoresist layer is formed over the first conductive layers. The first conductive layers are etched by using the first photoresist layer as an etching mask, to form an island pattern of the first conductive layers separated from a bus bar pattern of the first conductive layers by a ring shape groove. A connection pattern is formed to connect the island pattern and the bus bar pattern. A second photoresist layer is formed over the first conductive layers and the connection pattern. The second photoresist layer includes an opening over the island pattern. Second conductive layers are formed on the island pattern in the opening. The second photoresist layer is removed, and the connection pattern is removed, thereby forming a bump structure.

A discrete three-dimensional (3-D) processor comprises communicatively coupled first and second dice. The first die comprises 3-D memory (3D-M) arrays, whereas the second die comprises at least a non-memory circuit and at least an off-die peripheral-circuit component of the 3D-M arrays. The first die does not comprise said off-die peripheral-circuit component. The non-memory circuit on the second die is not part of a memory.

A discrete three-dimensional (3-D) processor comprises communicatively coupled first and second dice. The first die comprises 3-D memory (3D-M) arrays, whereas the second die comprises at least a non-memory circuit and at least an off-die peripheral-circuit component of the 3D-M arrays. The first die does not comprise said off-die peripheral-circuit component. The non-memory circuit on the second die is not part of a memory.

A semiconductor die (“die”) employing repurposed seed layer for forming additional signal paths to a back end-of-line (BEOL) structure of the die, and related integrated circuit (IC) packages and fabrication methods. A seed layer is repurposed that was disposed adjacent the BEOL interconnect structure to couple an under bump metallization (UBM) interconnect without a coupled interconnect bump thus forming an unraised interconnect bump, to a UBM interconnect that has a raised interconnect bump. To couple the unraised interconnect bump to the raised interconnect bump, the seed layer is selectively removed during fabrication to leave a portion of the seed layer repurposed that couples the UBM interconnect that does not have an interconnect bump to the UBM interconnect that has a raised interconnect bump. Additional routing paths can be provided between raised interconnect bumps to the BEOL interconnect structure through coupling of UBM interconnects to an unraised interconnect bump.

A semiconductor die (“die”) employing repurposed seed layer for forming additional signal paths to a back end-of-line (BEOL) structure of the die, and related integrated circuit (IC) packages and fabrication methods. A seed layer is repurposed that was disposed adjacent the BEOL interconnect structure to couple an under bump metallization (UBM) interconnect without a coupled interconnect bump thus forming an unraised interconnect bump, to a UBM interconnect that has a raised interconnect bump. To couple the unraised interconnect bump to the raised interconnect bump, the seed layer is selectively removed during fabrication to leave a portion of the seed layer repurposed that couples the UBM interconnect that does not have an interconnect bump to the UBM interconnect that has a raised interconnect bump. Additional routing paths can be provided between raised interconnect bumps to the BEOL interconnect structure through coupling of UBM interconnects to an unraised interconnect bump.

Disclosed is a semiconductor package comprising a semiconductor chip, an external connection member on the semiconductor chip, and a dielectric film between the semiconductor chip and the external connection member. The semiconductor chip includes a substrate, a front-end-of-line structure on the substrate, and a back-end-of-line structure on the front-end-of-line structure. The back-end-of-line structure includes metal layers stacked on the front-end-of-line structure, a first dielectric layer on the uppermost metal layer and including a contact hole that vertically overlaps a pad of an uppermost metal layer, a redistribution line on the first dielectric layer and including a contact part in the contact hole and electrically connected to the pad, a pad part, and a line part that electrically connects the contact part to the pad part, and an upper dielectric layer on the redistribution line.