A semiconductor device includes a porous dielectric layer including a recessed portion, a conductive layer formed in the recessed portion, and a cap layer formed on the porous dielectric layer and on the conductive layer in the recessed portion, an upper surface of the porous dielectric layer being exposed through a gap in the cap layer.

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 semiconductor structure includes a first dielectric layer, a first metallic feature over the first dielectric layer, an air gap over the first dielectric layer and adjacent to the first metallic feature, a second dielectric layer disposed above the air gap and on a sidewall of the first metallic feature, and a third dielectric layer disposed above the air gap and on a sidewall of the second dielectric layer. A lower portion of the first metallic feature is exposed in the air gap. The third and the second dielectric layers are substantially co-planar.

Some embodiments relate to a semiconductor structure having a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) on a substrate and a top electrode on the MTJ. A first segment of a top surface of the top electrode adjacent to a first sidewall of the top electrode is different from a second segment of the top surface of the top electrode adjacent to a second sidewall of the top electrode. A sidewall spacer comprises a first spacer on the first sidewall of the top electrode and a second spacer on the second sidewall of the top electrode. A first surface of the first spacer comprises a first curve and a second surface of the second spacer comprises a second curve. A dielectric layer is around the MTJ and top electrode.

Semiconductor wafers and methods of fabricating the same are provided. An example semiconductor wafer has multiple die regions separated by a die spacing region and includes a wafer substrate, multiple dies disposed over the wafer substrate, and multiple buried sacrificial structures corresponding to the multiple dies. Each die is located in the corresponding die region and further includes a die substrate, an integrated circuit (IC) device disposed in the die substrate, and a multi-layer interconnect structure disposed on the IC device. The buried sacrificial structure is surrounding the die substrate and disposed between the die and the wafer substrate. The buried sacrificial structure further includes a bottom portion disposed in the die region and a side portion circumferentially connected to the bottom portion. The side portion is located in the die spacing region surrounding the corresponding die and disposed on the sidewall of the die substrate.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a conductive structure in the substrate. The semiconductor device further includes an etch stop layer over the substrate. The semiconductor device further includes an interlayer dielectric (ILD) over the etch stop layer. The semiconductor device further includes a dual damascene conductive element in the ILD, wherein the dual damascene conductive element extends through the etch stop layer to electrically connect to the conductive structure, and the dual damascene conductive element has a line end roughness (LER) ranging from 3.3 nanometers (nm) to 5.3 nm.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, at least two source/drain features, at least two source/drain features, one or more channel layers, a gate structure, a first conductive feature, a second conductive feature, and an alignment mark. The semiconductor substrate has a first region and a second region next to the first region. The at least two source/drain features are disposed in the second region and are laterally arranged to each other. The one or more channel layers are disposed in the second region and connect the at least two source/drain features. The gate structure is disposed in the second region and engages the one or more channel layers and interposes the at least two source/drain features. The first conductive feature is disposed in the second region and is electrically coupled to the at least two source/drain features. The second conductive feature is disposed in the second region and is electrically coupled to the at least two source/drain features through the first conductive feature. The alignment mark is disposed in the first region and includes a first dielectric feature and a third conductive feature lining a bottom and a sidewall of the first dielectric feature.

A method for manufacturing an electrical interconnection structure including a step of providing an initial structure including a substrate, an electrically conductive lower element, a cavity formed in the substrate and having an inner wall internally defining an access to the lower element, and an electrically insulating layer; a step of forming an interconnection element in the cavity; and a final polishing step, wherein a portion of the interconnection element and at least one part of the electrically insulating layer are removed simultaneously by chemical-mechanical polishing using a final polishing agent, thereby forming the electrical interconnection structure.

A method of processing a substrate that includes: forming a conformal etch stop layer (ESL) over a staircase pattern of the substrate, the staircase pattern including staircases, each of the staircases including a conductive surface; forming a dielectric layer over the ESL; planarizing a top surface of the dielectric layer; forming a patterned hardmask over the dielectric layer; and etching the dielectric layer selectively to the ESL using the patterned hardmask as an etch mask to form a plurality of recesses, each of the plurality of recesses landing on each of the staircases, the ESL protecting the conductive surface from the etching, the etching including exposing the substrate to a plasma generated from a process gas including a fluorocarbon, O.sub.2, and WF.sub.6, a flow rate of WF.sub.6 being between 0.01% and 1% of a total gas flow rate of the process gas.

Provided is a semiconductor structure, a test structure, a manufacturing method and a test method. The semiconductor structure includes a substrate, which includes multiple pillars spaced along a first direction by first trenches; second trenches formed at opposite sides along a second direction of each of the pillars; target conductive structures extending along the second direction in the substrate directly below adjacent second trenches; and a first dielectric layer, a conductive layer and a second dielectric layer sequentially stacked in the first trenches and the second trenches. A depth of the first trenches is greater than that of the second trenches. The first direction intersects the second direction.