Bit Line Support Structure for Collapse-Resistant Semiconductor Arrays
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing process of semiconductor devices with small line widths faces challenges such as fragile bit line structures due to distortion, tilt, or collapse, which affect electrical performance and signal transmission, and the parasitic capacitance caused by interconnection of conductive materials limits device performance and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor structure is designed with bit line structures supported by initial support pattern structures, featuring conductive plug structures and protective layers to enhance structural strength and reduce parasitic capacitance, achieved through a method involving deposition, etching, and filling processes to form conductive holes and conductive plugs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If the critical dimension of the bit line is reduced to increase integration density, then the bit line structure becomes more fragile and prone to distortion, tilt, or collapse
Solution Approach 1:
The bit line structure is divided into multiple segments with support pattern structures distributed along its length. These support patterns segment the bit line into smaller sections, providing intermediate support points that prevent overall structural collapse while maintaining the reduced critical dimension for high integration density.
Solution Approach 2:
The bit line structure employs composite material composition with the bit line made of conductive material and the support pattern structures made of dielectric or sacrificial material. This composite approach allows the bit line to maintain structural integrity through the supporting dielectric framework while keeping the conductive path narrow for high integration density.
2Strength
If the bit line height is increased to maintain structural stability, then the parasitic capacitance increases and affects electrical performance
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing the vertical height of the bit line to improve stability, the invention introduces support pattern structures in the lateral dimension (horizontal support patterns extending perpendicular to the bit line). This dimensional shift provides structural stability through lateral bracing rather than vertical reinforcement, thereby avoiding increased parasitic capacitance.
Solution Approach 2:
The support pattern structures act as intermediary elements between adjacent bit lines, providing mechanical support and preventing collapse without requiring increased bit line height. These intermediary support structures distribute the mechanical load and maintain bit line integrity while minimizing direct capacitance coupling between bit lines.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional manufacturing processes are used for bit line formation, then distortion, tilt, or collapse occurs affecting electrical performance parameters
Solution Approach 1:
The support pattern structures are formed preliminarily before the bit line structure is fully defined and before subsequent manufacturing steps. This preliminary action provides a structural framework in advance that prevents distortion, tilt, or collapse during subsequent processing, ensuring manufacturing precision without significantly complicating the overall manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces new structural parameters (support pattern width, spacing, and material properties) that change the mechanical characteristics of the bit line system. By adjusting these parameters, the structure achieves adequate stability during manufacturing while maintaining the required electrical performance, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and structural accuracy.
4Reliability
If the bit line structure is made more robust to prevent collapse, then the parasitic capacitance increases and limits device performance
Solution Approach 1:
The bit line is segmented into sections by the support pattern structures, which provide localized reinforcement only where needed for structural reliability. This segmentation allows the bit line to be mechanically robust at critical points while maintaining narrow dimensions in the conductive path regions, thereby preventing collapse without significantly increasing overall parasitic capacitance.
Solution Approach 2:
The support pattern structures provide localized quality enhancement to the bit line system, concentrating structural reinforcement at specific locations (where support patterns are placed) rather than uniformly increasing the bit line dimensions throughout. This local quality approach ensures structural reliability at critical points while minimizing the overall parasitic capacitance of the bit line structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor structure and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The semiconductor structure includes a substrate, bit line structures distributed at intervals, initial support pattern structures distributed at intervals and target conductive contact structures. The bit line structures distributed at intervals are located on the substrate, and the bit line structures extend along a first direction. Each of the initial support pattern structures runs through top regions of the bit line structures, the initial support pattern structures extend along a second direction, and the first direction intersects with the second direction. Each of the target conductive contact structures is located within adjacent bit line structures and adjacent initial support pattern structures, and each of the target conductive contact structures includes a conductive plug structure and a target protective layer covering an outer sidewall of the conductive plug structure.