The present invention provides a barrier layer removal method, wherein the barrier layer includes at least one layer of ruthenium or cobalt, the method comprising: removing the barrier layer including ruthenium or cobalt formed on non-recessed areas of a semiconductor structure by thermal flow etching. The present invention further provides a semiconductor structure forming method, comprising: providing a semiconductor structure which includes a dielectric layer, a hard mask layer formed on the dielectric layer, recessed areas formed on the hard mask layer and the dielectric layer, a barrier layer including at least one layer of ruthenium or cobalt formed on the hard mask layer, sidewalls of the recessed areas and bottoms of the recessed areas, a metal layer formed on the barrier layer and filling the recessed areas; removing the metal layer formed on the non-recessed areas and the metal in the recessed areas, and remaining a certain amount of metal in the recessed areas; removing the barrier layer including ruthenium or cobalt formed on the non-recessed areas, and the hard mask layer by thermal flow etching.

A method for fabricating a semiconductor structure includes following steps. First, a first layer, a second layer and a third layer are sequentially formed on the substrate. The second layer is conformally disposed on the top surface of the first layer. The second layer and the first layer have different compositions, and the third layer and the second layer also have different compositions. Then, a planarizing process is performed on the third layer until portions of the second layer are exposed. Afterwards, hydrofluoric acid and aqueous oxidant are concurrently or sequentially provided to the remaining second and third layers. Finally, an etch back process is carried out to remove all the second layer and portions of the first layer.

In one embodiment, a substrate processing liquid contains phosphoric acid as a primary component and contains water and ketone. In another embodiment, a substrate processing method includes processing a substrate in a substrate processing bath with a substrate processing liquid containing phosphoric acid, water and ketone. The method further includes discharging the substrate processing liquid from the substrate processing bath to a circulating flow channel, heating the substrate processing liquid flowing through the circulating flow channel at a temperature between 50° C. and 90° C., and supplying the substrate processing liquid again from the circulating flow channel to the substrate processing bath to circulate the substrate processing liquid under heating.

In certain embodiments, a method for processing a substrate includes applying a surface treatment to selected surfaces of the substrate. The substrate has a non-planar topography including structures defining recesses. The method further includes depositing a fill material on the substrate by spin-on deposition. The surface treatment directs the fill material to the recesses and away from the selected surfaces to fill the recesses with the fill material without adhering to the selected surfaces. The method further includes removing the surface treatment from the selected surfaces of the substrate and depositing a planarizing film on the substrate by spin-on deposition. The planarizing film is deposited on the selected surfaces and top surfaces of the fill material.

A method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming fins on a substrate, depositing a gate layer having a first material on the fins, and depositing a sacrificial layer having a second material on the gate layer. The method further includes removing a first portion of the sacrificial layer using a first slurry or etchant having a first selectivity of second material to first material. The method further includes removing a first portion of the gate layer and a second portion of the sacrificial layer using a second slurry or etchant having a second selectivity of second material to first material to form a planarized gate layer. The first selectivity is greater than the second selectivity. An example benefit includes reduced dependency of the gate layer planarization process on underlying structure density and reduced variation in thickness of the gate layer on device structures across a wafer.

A structure for an e-Fuse device in a semiconductor device is described. The e-Fuse device includes an anode region, a cathode region and a fuse element which interconnects the anode and cathode regions in a dielectric material on a first surface of a substrate. The fuse element has a smaller cross section and a higher aspect ratio than the anode and cathode regions. The anode and cathode regions are comprised of a high EM-resistant conductive material. The fuse element is comprised of low EM-resistant conductive material.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of processing a surface of a polysilicon and a method of processing a surface of a substrate assembly. The method of processing a surface of a polysilicon includes forming a material film on the surface of the polysilicon; and processing, by using a chemico-mechanical polishing technology, the surface of the polysilicon on which the material film is formed. The material film is selected such that the polysilicon is preferentially removed in a polishing process.

The present disclosure relate to a method to an integrated chip having a source/drain self-aligned contact to a transistor or other semiconductor device. In some embodiments, the integrated chip has a pair of gate structures including a gate electrode arranged over a substrate and an insulating material arranged over the gate electrode. A source/drain region is arranged within the substrate between the pair of gate structures. An etch stop layer is arranged along sidewalls of the pair of gate structures and over the source/drain region, and a dielectric layer is over the insulating material. A source/drain contact is arranged over the insulating material and the etch stop layer and is separated from the sidewalls of the pair of gate structures by the etch stop layer. The source/drain contact is electrically coupled to the source/drain region.

An SGT is produced by forming a first insulating film around a fin-shaped semiconductor layer, forming a pillar-shaped semiconductor layer in an upper portion of the fin-shaped layer, forming a second insulating film, a polysilicon gate electrode covering the second insulating film, and a polysilicon gate line, forming a diffusion layer in an upper portion of the fin-shaped layer and a lower portion of the pillar-shaped layer, forming a metal-semiconductor compound in an upper portion of the diffusion layer in the fin-shaped layer, depositing an interlayer insulating film, exposing and etching the polysilicon gate electrode and gate line, depositing a first metal, forming a metal gate electrode and a metal gate line, and forming a third metal sidewall on an upper side wall of the pillar-shaped layer. The third metal sidewall is connected to an upper surface of the pillar-shaped layer.

A semiconductor device includes first and second gate structures on a substrate respectively corresponding to an n-type and a p-type transistor, a first source/drain on the substrate corresponding to the n-type transistor, a second source/drain on the substrate corresponding to the p-type transistor, a first contact trench over the first source/drain and adjacent the first gate structure, a second contact trench over the second source/drain and adjacent the second gate structure, a first liner layer in the first trench positioned at a bottom part of the first trench, a second liner layer in the second trench and on the first liner layer in the first trench, a metallization layer in the first and second trenches on the second liner layer, and a first silicide contact between the first liner layer and the first source/drain and a second silicide contact between the second liner layer and the second source/drain.