In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, a first insulating interlayer and a sacrificial layer is sequentially formed on a substrate. The sacrificial layer is partially removed to form a first opening exposing an upper surface of the first insulating interlayer. An insulating liner including silicon oxide is conformally formed on the exposed upper surface of the first insulating interlayer and a sidewall of the first opening. At least a portion of the insulating liner on the upper surface of the first insulating interlayer and a portion of the first insulating interlayer thereunder are removed to form a second opening connected to the first opening. A self-forming barrier (SFB) pattern is formed on a sidewall of the second opening and the insulating liner. A wiring structure is formed to fill the first and second openings. After the sacrificial layer is removed, a second insulating interlayer is formed.

Semiconductor devices, methods of manufacture thereof, and methods of forming conductive features thereof are disclosed. A semiconductor device includes an insulating material layer disposed over a workpiece. The insulating material layer includes a silicon-containing material comprising about 13% or greater of carbon (C). A conductive feature is disposed within the insulating material layer. The conductive feature includes a capping layer disposed on a top surface thereof.

A method of forming an integrated circuit structure includes forming an etch stop layer over a conductive feature, forming a dielectric layer over the etch stop layer, forming an opening in the dielectric layer to reveal the etch stop layer, and etching the etch stop layer through the opening using an etchant comprising an inhibitor. An inhibitor film comprising the inhibitor is formed on the conductive feature. The method further includes depositing a conductive barrier layer extending into the opening, performing a treatment to remove the inhibitor film after the conductive barrier layer is deposited, and depositing a conductive material to fill a remaining portion of the opening.

Integrated circuit metallization lines having a planar top surface but different vertical heights, for example to control intra-layer resistance/capacitance of integrated circuit interconnect. A hardmask material layer may be inserted between two thicknesses of dielectric material that are over a via metallization. Following deposition of the hardmask material layer, trench openings may be patterned through the hardmask layer to define where line metallization will have a greater height. Following the deposition of a thickness of dielectric material over the hardmask material layer, a trench pattern may be etched through the uppermost thickness of dielectric material, exposing the hardmask material layer wherever the trench does not coincide with an opening in the hardmask material layer. The trench etch may be retarded where the hardmask material layer is exposed, resulting to trenches of differing depth. Trenches of differing depth may be filled with metallization and then planarized.

A method of forming a semiconductor device having a vertical metal line interconnect (via) fully aligned to a first direction of a first interconnect layer and a second direction of a second interconnect layer in a selective recess region by forming a plurality of metal lines in a first dielectric layer; and recessing in a recess region first portions of the plurality of metal lines such that top surfaces of the first portions of the plurality of metal lines are below a top surface of the first dielectric layer; wherein a non-recess region includes second portions of the plurality of metal lines that are outside the recess region.

A semiconductor device includes a first conductive structure. The semiconductor device includes a first dielectric structure. The semiconductor device includes a second conductive structure. The first dielectric structure is positioned between a first surface of the first conductive structure and a surface of the second conductive structure. The semiconductor device includes an etch stop layer overlaying the first conductive structure. The semiconductor device includes a first spacer structure overlaying the first dielectric structure. The semiconductor device includes a second dielectric structure overlaying the first spacer structure and the etch stop layer.

The present disclosure is directed to a semiconductor structure that includes a semiconductor substrate. A first interconnect layer is disposed over the semiconductor substrate. The first interconnect layer includes a first dielectric material having a conductive body embedded therein. The conductive body includes a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and a bottom surface. A spacer element has a sidewall which contacts the first sidewall of the conductive body and which contacts the bottom surface of the conductive body. A second interconnect layer overlies the first interconnect layer and includes a second dielectric material with at least one via therein. The at least one via is filled with a conductive material which is electrically coupled to the conductive body of the first interconnect layer.

A method for manufacturing an interconnection structure for an integrated circuit is provided. The integrated circuit includes a first insulating layer, a second insulating layer, and a third insulating layer. Electrical contacts pass through the first insulating layer, and a component having an electrical contact region is located in the second insulating layer. The method includes etching a first opening in the third layer, vertically aligned with the contact region. A fourth insulating layer is deposited to fill in the opening, and a second opening is etched to the contact region by passing through the opening in the third insulating layer. A metal level is formed by filling in the second opening with a metal.

A semiconductor structure includes a conductive feature, a first metal-based etch-stop layer over the underlying structure, a metal-free etch-stop layer over the first metal-based etch-stop layer, a second metal-based etch-stop layer over the metal-free etch-stop layer, an interlayer dielectric layer over the second metal-based etch-stop layer, and an interconnect structure extending through the first metal-based etch-stop layer, metal-free etch-stop layer, and the second metal-based etch-stop layer, wherein a bottom portion of the conductive interconnect structure directly contacts the conductive feature. The first metal-based etch-stop layer may include a first metallic component having one of aluminum, tantalum, titanium, or hafnium, and the second metal-based etch-stop layer may include a second metallic component the same as or different from the first metallic component. The first metal-based etch-stop layer and the second metal-based etch-stop layer may both be free of silicon.

Methods for forming microelectronic device structures include forming interconnects that are self-aligned with both a lower conductive structure and an upper conductive structure. At least one lateral dimension of an interconnect is defined upon subtractively patterning the lower conductive structure along with a first sacrificial material. At least one other lateral dimension of the interconnect is defined by patterning a second sacrificial material or by an opening formed in a dielectric material through which the interconnect will extend. A portion of the first sacrificial material, exposed within the opening through the dielectric material, along with the second sacrificial material are removed and replaced with conductive material(s) to integrally form the interconnect and the upper conductive structure. The interconnect occupies a volume between vertically overlapping areas of the lower conductive structure and the upper conductive structure, where such overlapping areas coincide with the opening through the dielectric material.