A structure is manufactured by forming a mask that has an opening pattern on a fine recessed and projected structure of a substrate having the fine recessed and projected structure with an average period of 1 μm or less on a surface thereof, etching the surface of the substrate from a side of the mask to form a recessed portion which has an opening greater than the average period of the fine recessed and projected structure according to the opening pattern of the mask, the recessed portion having a depth equal to or greater than double a difference in height between recesses and projections of the fine recessed and projected structure, and then removing the mask.

Dummy gate patterning lines, and integrated circuit structures resulting therefrom, are described. For example, an integrated circuit structure includes a first gate line along a first direction. A second gate line is parallel with the first gate line along the first direction. A third gate line extends between and is continuous with the first gate line and the second gate line along a second direction, the second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

A method of preparing a layout for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes receiving a layout that includes a plurality of metal interconnects, identifying a first set of metal interconnects from the metal interconnects corresponding to a first patterning process and a second set of metal interconnects from the metal interconnects corresponding to a second patterning process, identifying a first set of floating metal portions in the first set of metal interconnects and a second set of floating metal portions in the second set of metal interconnects, and removing the second set of floating metal portions from the layout, while the first set of floating metal portions remains in the layout.

Semiconductor processing methods are described that include providing a substrate to a reaction chamber, where the substrate includes substrate trenches that have a top surface and a bottom surface. A deposition gas that includes a carbon-containing gas and a nitrogen-containing gas flows into a plasma excitation region of the reaction chamber. A deposition plasma having an electron temperature less than or about 4 eV is generated from the deposition gas. The methods further include depositing a carbon-containing layer on the top surface and the bottom surface of the substrate trenches, where the as-deposited carbon-containing layer has a top surface-to-bottom surface thickness ratio of greater than or about 3:1. Also described are semiconductor structures that include an as-deposited carbon-containing layer on the top and bottom surface of at least a first and second trench, where the carbon-containing layer has a top surface-to-bottom surface thickness ratio of greater than or about 3:1.

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes following steps: A patterned mask layer including a plurality of standing walls and a covering part is formed on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, wherein two adjacent standing walls define a first opening exposing a part of the surface, and the covering part blankets the surface. A first patterned photoresist layer is formed to partially cover the covering part. A first etching process is performed to form a first trench in the substrate, passing through the surface and aligning with the first opening. A portion of the patterned mask layer is removed to form a second opening exposing another portion of the surface. A second etching process is performed to form a second trench in the substrate and define an active area on the surface. The depth of the first trench is greater than that of the second trench.

A tool and method for processing substrates by encapsulating a mask to protect from degradation during an etch-back to prevent a feature liner material from pinching off an opening during deposition-etch cycles used to fabricate high aspect ratio features with very tight critical dimension control.

Present invention is related to a semiconductor device with an improved reliability and a method for the same. A method for fabricating a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention may comprise: forming a plurality of bit line structures over a substrate; forming line-shaped openings between the bit line structures; forming a stopper structure on edges of the line-shaped openings; filling a line pattern in each of the line-shaped openings; forming a plurality of contact plugs and a plurality of isolation grooves by etching the line patterns; and filling a plug isolation layer in the isolation grooves.

A method for forming a semiconductor device is provided. A first patterned mask is formed on the substrate, the first patterned mask having a first opening therein. A second patterned mask is formed on the substrate in the first opening, the first patterned mask and the second patterned mask forming a combined patterned mask. The combined patterned mask is formed having one or more second openings, wherein one or more unmasked portions of the substrate are exposed. Trenches that correspond to the one or more unmasked portions of the substrate are formed in the substrate in the one or more second openings.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes depositing a first material on a substrate, depositing on the substrate a second material that has an etch selectivity different from an etch selectively of the first material, depositing a spacer material on the first and second material, and etching the substrate using the spacer material as an etch mask to form a fin under the first material and a fin under the second material.

A method may include forming in a substrate a first array of a first material of first linear structures, interspersed with a second array of a second material, of second linear structures, the first and second linear structures elongated along a first axis. The method may include generating a chop pattern in the first layer, comprising a third linear array, interspersed with a fourth linear array. The third and fourth linear arrays may be elongated along a second axis, forming a non-zero angle of incidence with respect to the first axis. The third linear array may include alternating portions of the first and second material, while the fourth linear array comprises an array of cavities, arranged within the patterning layer. The method may include elongating a first set of cavities along the first axis, to form a first set of elongated cavities bounded by the first material.