Semiconductor Layout Dummy Elements Annealing Heat Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for suppressing characteristic variations in semiconductor elements during the annealing process, particularly due to heating variations caused by different heat reflective properties of regions in semiconductor devices, are inadequate as they only consider two-dimensional area ratios and fail to account for three-dimensional heat transfer and surface area contacts.
Innovation Solution
A design method that calculates and adjusts the area ratio of inspection regions in semiconductor devices by inserting dummy elements to ensure the area ratio is within a predetermined range, considering the surface area contact between members with different heat reflective properties, thereby reducing heating variations and characteristic variations across the chip.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If dummy elements are inserted to balance two-dimensional area ratio, then etching process variations are suppressed, but heating variations in annealing process remain unaddressed
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from considering only two-dimensional area ratios to incorporating three-dimensional surface area contacts. By calculating the surface area of contact between the first member (diffusion region) and second member (device isolation region or gate electrode), the method accounts for vertical heat transfer paths that were previously neglected, thereby addressing heating variations in the annealing process while maintaining etching process improvements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a new parameter - the surface area ratio of contact between members with different heat reflective properties - to complement the existing two-dimensional area ratio parameter. This parameter change enables the design method to simultaneously optimize for both etching uniformity (via 2D area ratio) and annealing heating uniformity (via 3D surface area contact ratio).
2Productivity
If lamp annealing is used to reduce manufacturing time, then productivity increases, but heating variations due to different heat reflective properties become prominent
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by calculating and adjusting the layout of dummy elements before the actual manufacturing process. By pre-balancing the surface area ratio of contact between members with different heat reflective properties in the design stage, the method prevents heating variations from occurring during the rapid lamp annealing process, thereby maintaining both high productivity and heating uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The dummy elements act as intermediaries that mediate the heat distribution between regions with different heat reflective properties. By strategically placing these dummy elements, the invention creates a buffer that equalizes the thermal environment during lamp annealing, allowing rapid processing while maintaining heating uniformity across the semiconductor substrate.
3Device complexity
If only two-dimensional area ratio is considered for dummy element placement, then layout simplicity is maintained, but three-dimensional heat transfer effects are neglected
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extends the design consideration from two-dimensional layout to three-dimensional thermal effects by incorporating surface area contact calculations. This dimensional extension allows the method to account for vertical heat transfer paths and the actual thermal interaction between different structural layers, improving heating uniformity without significantly increasing layout complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach effectively suppresses characteristic variations in semiconductor elements by minimizing the difference in heating states across regions, leading to improved stability and performance of semiconductor devices during the annealing process.
Implementation Method 1
In the annealing process, a semiconductor substrate is heated to diffuse impurities implanted into the semiconductor substrate.
Implementation Method 2
a first member (for example, diffusion region) and a second member (for example, device isolation region, gate electrode, and so on) forming a plurality of regions have different heat reflective properties
Implementation Method 3
In the lamp annealing process, heat transfer is caused in the three-dimensional way.
Data Source
AI summary
A design method of a semiconductor device includes setting an inspection region of layout data generated based on circuit data, calculating an area ratio of a first area to a second area, the first area indicating an area of the inspection region, the second area indicating a sum of a surface area of a plane that a first member contacts with a second member, the second member contacting with the first member constituting a circuit element included in the inspection region, the second member further having different heat reflective properties from the first member, and arranging a dummy element in the layout data so that the area ratio is within a predetermined range in each inspection region of the layout data.