An apparatus includes a through-silicon via (TSV) including a conductive material; a first contact plug having an upper surface and a bottom surface directly connected to an upper surface of the TSV; a first wiring directly connected to the upper surface of the first contact plug; a second wiring having an upper surface; a second contact plug having an upper surface and a bottom surface directly connected to the upper surface of the second wiring; and a third wiring directly connected to the upper surface of the second contact plug; wherein the first wiring and the third wiring are in a substantially same level.

A method for making a semiconductor structure, including: forming a conductive layer; forming a patterned mask layer on the conductive layer; patterning the conductive layer to form a recess and a conductive feature; forming a first dielectric layer over the patterned mask layer and filling the recess with the first dielectric layer; patterning the first dielectric layer to form an opening; selectively forming a blocking layer in the opening; forming an etch stop layer to cover the first dielectric layer and exposing the blocking layer; forming on the etch stop layer a second dielectric layer; forming a second dielectric layer on the etch stop layer; patterning the second dielectric layer to form a through hole and exposing the conductive feature; and filling the through hole with an electrically conductive material to form an interconnect electrically connected to the conductive feature.

Integrated circuit devices are provided. An integrated circuit device includes an insulating layer and a metal via structure that is in the insulating layer. The metal via structure has a lower portion and an upper portion that is narrower than the lower portion. Moreover, the integrated circuit device includes a metal line that is on and electrically connected to the metal via structure. Related methods of forming integrated circuit devices are also provided.

A method of fabricating a three-dimensional memory includes forming a laminated structure including stacked dummy gate layers and interlayer insulation layers on one side of a substrate. The respective adjacent dummy gate layers and interlayer insulation layers form staircase stairs. At least a part of the interlayer insulation layer of each of the staircase stairs is exposed. The method also includes forming a buffer layer covering the staircase stairs. The method further includes removing a part of the buffer layer covering the sidewalls of the staircase stairs to form spacing grooves. The method further includes forming a dielectric layer that fills the spacing grooves and covers the staircase stairs. The method further includes forming a contact hole penetrating through the dielectric layer and the buffer layer and extending to the dummy gate layer farthest from the substrate.

Methods of forming a slurry and methods of performing a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process utilized in manufacturing semiconductor devices, as described herein, may be performed on semiconductor devices including integrated contact structures with ruthenium (Ru) plug contacts down to a semiconductor substrate. The slurry may be formed by mixing a first abrasive, a second abrasive, and a reactant with a solvent. The first abrasive may include a first particulate including titanium dioxide (TiO.sub.2) particles and the second abrasive may include a second particulate that is different from the first particulate. The slurry may be used in a CMP process for removing ruthenium (Ru) materials and dielectric materials from a surface of a workpiece resulting in better WiD loading and planarization of the surface for a flat profile.

A metallic stack and a preparing method therefor, and an electronic device including the metallic stack. The metallic stack includes at least one interconnection wire layer and at least one via layer alternately arranged on a substrate. At least one pair of interconnection wire layer and via layer in the metallic stack includes interconnection wires in the interconnection wire layer and conductive vias in the via layer, wherein the interconnection wire layer is closer to the substrate than the via layer. At least a part of the interconnection wires is integrated with the conductive vias on the at least a part of the interconnection wires.

Embodiments of the disclosure are in the field of integrated circuit structure fabrication. In an example, an integrated circuit structure includes an inter-layer dielectric (ILD) layer over a conductive interconnect line, the ILD layer having a trench therein, the trench exposing a portion of the conductive interconnect line. A dielectric liner layer is along a top surface of the ILD layer and along sidewalls of the trench, the dielectric liner layer having an opening therein, the opening over the portion of the conductive interconnect line. A conductive via structure is in the trench and between portions of the dielectric liner layer along the sidewalls of the trench, the conductive via structure having a portion extending vertically beneath the dielectric liner layer and in contact with the portion of the conductive interconnect line.

Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods of forming the apparatuses. One of the apparatuses includes tiers located one over another, the tiers including respective memory cells and control gates for the memory cells; a first pillar extending through the tiers and separated from the control gates, the first pillar including a first dielectric liner portion and a first core portion adjacent the first dielectric liner portion, the first dielectric liner portion and the first core portion extending along a length of the first pillar; and a second pillar extending through the tiers and separated from the control gates, the second pillar including a second dielectric liner portion and a second core portion adjacent the second dielectric liner portion, the second dielectric portion and the second core portion extending along a length of the second pillar, wherein the first core portion and the second core portion have different materials.

Apparatus and methods are disclosed, including interconnection pathways, vias, memory cells, semiconductor devices and systems. Example semiconductor devices and methods include a conducting via passing between a top level of a stack and a bottom level of the stack. One or more isolation layers surround sides and a bottom of the conducting via. A lateral connection is shown between a location along the conducting via and a selected conductor layer from the stack, the lateral connection passing through the isolation layer.

A semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate, a dielectric layer, a via, a first graphene layer, and a metal line. The dielectric layer is over the semiconductor substrate. The via extends through the dielectric layer. The first graphene layer extends along a top surface of the via. The metal line spans the first graphene layer. The metal line has a line width decreasing as a distance from the first graphene layer increases.