An IC that includes a contiguous standard cell area with a 4×3 e-beam pad that is compatible with advanced manufacturing processes and an associated e-beam testable structure.

An IC that includes a contiguous standard cell area with a 43 e-beam pad that is compatible with advanced manufacturing processes and an associated e-beam testable structure.

The semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate having active regions; field-effect devices disposed on the semiconductor substrate, the field-effect devices including gate stacks with elongated shape oriented in a first direction; a first metal layer disposed over the gate stacks, the first metal layer including first metal lines oriented in a second direction being orthogonal to the first direction; a second metal layer disposed over the first metal layer, the second metal layer including second metal lines oriented in the first direction; and a third metal layer disposed over the second metal layer, the third metal layer including third metal lines oriented in the second direction. The first, second, and third metal lines have a first thickness T.sub.1, a second thickness T.sub.2, and t a third thickness T.sub.3, respectively. The second thickness is greater than the first thickness and the third thickness.

A MOS device of an IC includes pMOS and nMOS transistors. The MOS device further includes a first M.sub.x layer interconnect extending in a first direction and coupling the pMOS and nMOS transistor drains together, and a second M.sub.x layer interconnect extending in the first direction and coupling the pMOS and nMOS transistor drains together. The first and second M.sub.x layer interconnects are parallel. The MOS device further includes a first M.sub.x+1 layer interconnect extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The first M.sub.x+1 layer interconnect is coupled to the first M.sub.x layer interconnect and the second M.sub.x layer interconnect. The MOS device further includes a second M.sub.x+1 layer interconnect extending in the second direction. The second M.sub.x+1 layer interconnect is coupled to the first M.sub.x layer interconnect and the second M.sub.x layer interconnect. The second M.sub.x+1 layer interconnect is parallel to the first M.sub.x+1 layer interconnect.

Interconnect structures that maximize integrated circuit (IC) density and corresponding formation techniques are disclosed. An exemplary IC device includes a gate layer extending along a first direction. An interconnect structure disposed over the gate layer includes odd-numbered interconnect routing layers oriented along a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction and even-numbered interconnect routing layers oriented along a third direction that is substantially parallel to the first direction. In some implementations, a ratio of a gate pitch of the gate layer to a pitch of a first of the even-numbered interconnect routing layers to a pitch of a third of the even-numbered interconnect routing layers is 3:2:4. In some implementations, a pitch of a first of the odd-numbered interconnect routing layers to a pitch of a third of the odd-numbered interconnect routing layers to a pitch of a seventh of the odd-numbered interconnect routing layers is 1:1:2.

A semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes a first-direction plurality of wirings extending in a first direction, and a second-direction plurality of wiring extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The first-direction plurality of wirings that extend in the first direction includes gate wirings spaced apart from each other in the second direction by a gate pitch, first wirings above the gate wirings spaced apart from each other in the second direction by a first pitch, second wirings above the first wirings spaced apart from each other in the second direction by a second pitch, and third wirings above the second wirings spaced apart from each other in the second direction by a third pitch. A ratio between the gate pitch and the second pitch is 6:5.

A method for processing a semiconductor wafer uses non-contact electrical measurements indicative of at least one tip-to-side short or leakage, at least one corner short or leakage, and at least one via open or resistance, where such measurements are obtained from non-contact pads associated with respective tip-to-side short, corner short, and via open test areas.

The semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate having active regions; field-effect devices disposed on the semiconductor substrate, the field-effect devices including gate stacks with elongated shape oriented in a first direction; a first metal layer disposed over the gate stacks, the first metal layer including first metal lines oriented in a second direction being orthogonal to the first direction; a second metal layer disposed over the first metal layer, the second metal layer including second metal lines oriented in the first direction; and a third metal layer disposed over the second metal layer, the third metal layer including third metal lines oriented in the second direction. The first, second, and third metal lines have a first thickness T.sub.1, a second thickness T.sub.2, and t a third thickness T.sub.3, respectively. The second thickness is greater than the first thickness and the third thickness.

An IC includes a contiguous standard cell area with first, second, and third TS-GATE-short-configured test area geometries disposed therein. In some embodiments, the contiguous standard cell area may further include: fourth and fifth TS-GATE-short-configured test area geometries, and/or other test area geometries, such as tip-to-tip-short, tip-to-side-short, diagonal-short, corner-short, interlayer-overlap-short, via-chamfer-short, merged-via-short, snake-open, stitch-open, via-open, or metal-island-open.

The semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate having active regions; field-effect devices disposed on the semiconductor substrate, the field-effect devices including gate stacks with elongated shape oriented in a first direction; a first metal layer disposed over the gate stacks, the first metal layer including first metal lines oriented in a second direction being orthogonal to the first direction; a second metal layer disposed over the first metal layer, the second metal layer including second metal lines oriented in the first direction; and a third metal layer disposed over the second metal layer, the third metal layer including third metal lines oriented in the second direction. The first, second, and third metal lines have a first thickness T.sub.1, a second thickness T.sub.2, and t a third thickness T.sub.3, respectively. The second thickness is greater than the first thickness and the third thickness.