A semiconductor device includes an insulating layer, wherein the insulating layer has a via opening and a conductive line opening. The semiconductor device further includes a via in the via opening, wherein the via includes a first conductive material. The semiconductor device further includes a conductive line in the conductive line opening. The conductive line includes a first liner layer, wherein a first thickness of the first liner layer over the via is less than a second thickness of the first liner layer over the insulating layer, and a conductive fill comprising a second conductive material different from the first conductive material.

Memory stack structures are formed through an alternating stack of insulating layers and sacrificial material layers. Backside recesses are formed by removal of the sacrificial material layers selective to the insulating layers and the memory stack structures. A barrier layer stack including a crystalline electrically conductive barrier layer and an amorphous barrier layer is formed in the backside recesses prior to formation of a metal fill material layer.

A semiconductor structure and the manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. An exemplary method includes receiving a workpiece including a dielectric layer and a contact via extending through the dielectric layer, selectively forming a metal feature on a top surface of the contact via, forming a barrier layer over the metal feature and the dielectric layer, wherein the contact via is spaced apart from the barrier layer, and, forming a metal fill layer over the barrier layer. The metal feature is formed of a first material and the barrier layer is formed of a second material different from the first material.

A method of making a semiconductor device includes etching an insulating layer to form a first opening and a second opening. The method further includes depositing a conductive material in the first opening. The method further includes performing a surface modification process on the conductive material. The method further includes depositing, after the surface modification process, a first liner layer in the second opening, wherein the first liner layer extends over the conductive material and the insulating layer. The method further includes depositing a conductive fill over the first liner layer, wherein the conductive fill includes a different material from the conductive material.

Conductive lines, integrated chips, and methods of forming the same include forming a first metal liner in a trench in a substrate. The trench is filled with a second metal. The second metal is overpolished with a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process that stops on the first metal liner, such that the second metal is reduced to a level that is below a height of a top surface of the substrate. The trench is filled with a third metal.

A semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes: a first interlayer insulating film defining a lower wiring trench; a lower wiring structure including a first lower barrier film which extends along sidewalls of the lower wiring trench, and a lower filling film which is on the first lower barrier film; a second interlayer insulating film on the first interlayer insulating film, the second interlayer insulating film defining an upper wiring trench which exposes at least part of the lower wiring structure; and an upper wiring structure provided in the upper wiring trench and connected to the lower wiring structure. An upper surface of the first lower barrier film is closer to a bottom surface of the lower wiring trench than each of an upper surface of the first interlayer insulating film and an upper surface the lower filling film. The upper surface of the first lower barrier film is concave.

A method of fabricating a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) is disclosed. The method includes providing a substrate. A patterned dielectric layer with a plurality of openings is formed on the substrate. A barrier layer is deposited in the openings by a first tool and a sacrificing protection layer is deposited on the barrier layer by the first tool. The sacrificing layer is removed and a metal layer is deposited on the barrier layer by a second tool.

A semiconductor device including a lower contact pattern including a first metal, an upper contact pattern including a second metal, a first resistivity of first metal being greater than a second resistivity of the second metal, and a metal barrier layer between the lower contact pattern and a lower portion of the upper contact pattern, the metal barrier layer including a third metal, the third metal being different from the first and second metals may be provided. A lower width of the upper contact pattern may be less than an upper width of the lower contact pattern.

A semiconductor device structure, along with methods of forming such, are described. The semiconductor device structure includes a device, a first dielectric material disposed over the device, and an opening is formed in the first dielectric material. The semiconductor device structure further includes a conductive structure disposed in the opening, and the conductive structure includes a first sidewall. The semiconductor device structure further includes a surrounding structure disposed in the opening, and the surrounding structure surrounds the first sidewall of the conductive structure. The surrounding structure includes a first spacer layer and a second spacer layer adjacent the first spacer layer. The first spacer layer is separated from the second spacer layer by an air gap.

A method for forming a semiconductor device structure is provided. The method includes forming a first metal layer over a substrate, forming a dielectric layer over the first metal layer. The method includes forming a trench in the dielectric layer, and performing a surface treatment process on a sidewall surface of the trench to form a hydrophobic layer. The hydrophobic layer is formed on a sidewall surface of the dielectric layer. The method further includes depositing a metal material in the trench and over the hydrophobic layer to form a via structure.