Semiconductor Constructions With Air Gap Spacer Insulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor technologies face challenges in controlling and uniformly forming air gaps between conductive structures, which affects the tailoring of insulative structures for specific applications and their uniformity across numerous structures during fabrication.
Innovation Solution
The use of air gap/spacer insulative structures with tailored dielectric spacers and capping materials, where the relative widths of air gaps and dielectric spacers are customized, and the composition of dielectric spacers can be adjusted to enhance the insulative properties, allowing for precise control and uniformity through methodologies like dual-damascene processing and sacrificial material removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If air gaps are used in insulative structures, then dielectric properties are improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to difficulties in controlling air gap size and shape
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dielectric spacers as intermediary structures that define and control the air gap regions. These spacers act as mediators between the conductive structures, providing a template that determines the precise size, shape, and position of the air gaps. The spacers are formed using standard semiconductor fabrication techniques, thereby translating the abstract concept of air gaps into controllable physical structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The dielectric spacers are formed in advance before the air gaps are created. This preliminary formation of spacers establishes the boundaries and dimensions of future air gaps, allowing precise control over air gap geometry. The spacers remain in place during subsequent processing steps, ensuring that air gaps are formed with the intended dimensions and shapes.
2Reliability
If air gaps are used in insulative structures, then insulative performance is enhanced, but ease of manufacture deteriorates due to challenges in uniformly forming air gaps across numerous structures
Solution Approach 1:
The dielectric spacers serve as reusable templates that can be uniformly formed across entire semiconductor wafers using batch fabrication processes. This intermediary approach allows the same spacer formation process to be applied to thousands of structures simultaneously, ensuring consistent air gap dimensions and shapes across the entire wafer, thereby greatly improving ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes standard semiconductor fabrication parameters (deposition thicknesses, etch selectivities, spacer widths) that can be precisely controlled and replicated across numerous structures. By expressing air gap dimensions in terms of these controllable fabrication parameters, the method enables uniform formation of air gaps across entire wafers using conventional manufacturing equipment and processes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If dielectric spacers with tailored composition are used, then insulative structure properties are customized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves customization of insulative properties by varying the composition and thickness of dielectric spacer layers using standard semiconductor deposition techniques. Different dielectric materials (such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or low-k materials) and different layer thicknesses can be selected to achieve desired dielectric constants, breakdown voltages, and other insulative properties, all within existing fabrication capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulative structures utilize composite constructions combining different dielectric materials in layered configurations. The dielectric spacers may consist of multiple layers with different compositions and properties, allowing simultaneous optimization of various insulative characteristics while maintaining compatibility with standard semiconductor manufacturing processes.
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments include a construction having conductive structures spaced from one another by intervening regions. Insulative structures are within the intervening regions. The insulative structures include dielectric spacers and air gaps between the dielectric spacers. Dielectric capping material is over the air gaps. The dielectric capping material is between the dielectric spacers and not over upper surfaces of the dielectric spacers. Some embodiments include a construction having a first conductive structure with an upper surface, and having a plurality of second conductive structures electrically coupled with the upper surface of the first conductive structure and spaced from one another by intervening regions. Air gap/spacer insulative structures are within the intervening regions. The air gap/spacer insulative structures have dielectric spacers along sidewalls of the second conductive structures and air gaps between the dielectric spacers. Dielectric capping material is over the air gaps.