Disclosed herein are integrated circuit (IC) interconnects, as well as related devices and methods. For example, in some embodiments, an interconnect may include a first material and a second material distributed in the first material. A concentration of the second material may be greater proximate to the top surface than proximate to the bottom surface.

A memory device includes first conductive rails laterally extending along a first horizontal direction over a substrate, where the first conductive rails include a fill portion, and a first cobalt-containing cap liner contacting a top surface of the fill portion, a rectangular array of first memory pillar structures overlying top surfaces of the first conductive rails, where each first memory pillar structure includes a respective first resistive memory element, and second conductive rails laterally extending along a second horizontal direction and overlying top surfaces of the rectangular array of first memory pillar structures.

Use of a single alloy conductor to form simultaneous ohmic contacts (SOC) to n- and p-type 4HSiC. The single alloy conductor also is an effective diffusion barrier against gold (AU) and oxygen (O.sub.2) at high temperatures (e.g., up to 800 C.). The innovation may also provide an effective interconnecting metallization in a multi-level metallization device scheme.

Methods of forming conductive elements, such as interconnects and electrodes, for semiconductor structures and memory cells. The methods include forming a first conductive material and a second conductive material comprising silver in a portion of at least one opening and performing a polishing process to fill the at least one opening with at least one of the first and second conductive materials. An annealing process may be performed to form a mixture or an alloy of the silver and the first conductive material. The methods enable formation of silver-containing conductive elements having reduced dimensions (e.g., less than about 20 nm). The resulting conductive elements have a desirable resistivity. The methods may be used, for example, to form interconnects for electrically connecting active devices and to form electrodes for memory cells. A semiconductor structure and a memory cell including such a conductive structure are also disclosed.

A semiconductor apparatus that comprises a package, an active device, and a passive device is disclosed. The package includes a metal base, a shell, and a lid. The active device is mounted of the metal base. The passive device is soldered on the metal base. The passive device includes an insulating substrate with a rectangular outer shape and a bottom electrode with a plane shape reflecting the rectangular outer shape of the insulating substrate. The insulating substrate is made of material with brittleness greater than that of the metal base. A feature of the invention is that the bottom electrode has cut corners.

An object of the present invention is to stabilize and strengthen the strength of a bonding part between a metal electrode on a semiconductor chip and metal wiring connected thereto using a simple structure. Provided is a semiconductor device including a metal layer 130 on a surface of a metal electrode 120 formed on a semiconductor chip 110, the metal layer 130 consisting of a metal or an alloy different from a constituent metal of the metal electrode 120, metal wiring 140 is connected to the metal layer 130 via a bonding part 150, wherein the constituent metal of the metal layer 130 is a metal or an alloy different from the constituent metal of the metal electrode 120, and the bonding part 150 has an alloy region harder than the metal wiring 140.

An integrated circuit substrate and its method of production are described. The integrated circuit substrate comprises at least an internal conductive trace layer formed by one or more internal conductive traces that is deposited on a partially or completely removable carrier; and a dielectric layer encapsulating the internal conductive trace layer through a lamination process or a printing process. The top surface of the topmost internal conductive trace layer and bottom surface of the bottommost internal conductive trace layer are exposed and not covered by the dielectric layer. External conductive trace layer can also be deposited outside of the dielectric layer. The internal conductive trace layers are deposited through plating or printing of an electronically conductive material, whereas the external conductive trace layer is deposited through electroless and electroplating, or printing of the electronically conductive layer.

Methods of forming conductive elements, such as interconnects and electrodes, for semiconductor structures and memory cells. The methods include forming a first conductive material and a second conductive material comprising silver in a portion of at least one opening and performing a polishing process to fill the at least one opening with at least one of the first and second conductive materials. An annealing process may be performed to form a mixture or an alloy of the silver and the first conductive material. The methods enable formation of silver-containing conductive elements having reduced dimensions (e.g., less than about 20 nm). The resulting conductive elements have a desirable resistivity. The methods may be used, for example, to form interconnects for electrically connecting active devices and to form electrodes for memory cells. A semiconductor structure and a memory cell including such a conductive structure are also disclosed.

An alloy liner is located on a diffusion barrier liner and both are present in at least a via portion of a combined via/line opening that is present in an interconnect dielectric material. The alloy liner includes an alloy of a first metal or metal alloy having a first bulk resistivity and a second metal or metal alloy having a second bulk resistivity that is higher than the first bulk resistivity. A first electrically conductive structure is located on the alloy liner and is present in at least the via portion of the combined via/line opening. The first electrically conductive structure includes the second metal or metal alloy. A second electrically conductive structure can be present in at least the line portion of the combined via/line opening. The second electrically conductive structure may include a metal or metal alloy having the first or second bulk resistivity.

A method for fabricating an advanced metal conductor structure is described. A pattern in a dielectric layer is provided. The pattern includes a set of features in the dielectric for a set of metal conductor structures. An adhesion promoting layer is created over the patterned dielectric. A ruthenium layer is deposited over the adhesion promoting layer. Using a physical vapor deposition process, a cobalt layer is deposited over the ruthenium layer. A thermal anneal is performed which reflows the cobalt layer to fill the set of features to form a set of metal conductor structures.