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Semiconductor structure and manufacturing method thereof — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (US11211380B2)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. · Google Patents

Google Patents · Patents · License: Open Access

che ltd.taiwansemiconductormanufacturingco.

patent, google patents, intellectual property, US11211380B2, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Che-Cheng Chang, en, 2021

ABSTRACT

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure includes forming a plurality of dummy semiconductor fins on a substrate. The dummy semiconductor fins are adjacent to each other and are grouped into a plurality of fin groups. The dummy semiconductor fins of the fin groups are recessed one group at a time.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM AND CROSS-REFERENCE

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/978,589, filed May 14, 2018, entitled âSemiconductor Structure and Manufacturing Method Thereof,â which is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/968,468, filed Dec. 14, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,991,256, issued on Jun. 5, 2018, entitled âSemiconductor Structure and Manufacturing Method Thereof,â which applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced exponential growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. In the course of IC evolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has increased while geometry size (i.e., the smallest component (or line) that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased. This scaling down process provides increasing production efficiency and lowering associated costs.

Such scaling down has also increased the complexity of processing and manufacturing ICs and similar developments in IC processing and manufacturing are provided. For example, a three dimensional transistor, such as a fin-like field-effect transistor (FinFET), has been introduced to replace a planar transistor. The fin transistor has a channel (referred to as a fin channel) associated with a top surface and opposite sidewalls. The fin channel has a total channel width defined by the top surface and the opposite sidewalls.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It is noted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.

FIGS. 1A to 1H are cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device at various stages in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2A to 2E are cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device at various stages in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3A to 3E are cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device at various stages in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4A to 4E are cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device at various stages in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 5A to 5D are cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device at various stages in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of the provided subject matter. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the formation of a first feature over or on a second feature in the description that follows may include embodiments in which the first and second features are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional features may be formed between the first and second features, such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

Further, spatially relative terms, such as âbeneath,â âbelow,â âlower,â âabove,â âupperâ and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.

Examples of devices that can be improved from one or more embodiments of the present application are semiconductor devices. Such a device, for example, is a FinFET device. The following disclosure will continue with a FinFET example to illustrate various embodiments of the present application. It is understood, however, that the application should not be limited to a particular type of device.

FIGS. 1A to 1H are cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device at various stages in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Reference is made to FIG. 1A . A substrate 110 is provided. The substrate 110 has at least one isolation region 102 and at least one active region 104 . For example, in FIG. 1A , the substrate 110 has one isolation region 102 and one active region 104 . In some embodiments, the substrate 110 includes silicon. Alternatively, the substrate 110 may include germanium, silicon germanium, gallium arsenide or other appropriate semiconductor materials. Also alternatively, the substrate 110 may include an epitaxial layer. For example, the substrate 110 may have an epitaxial layer overlying a bulk semiconductor. Further, the substrate 110 may be strained for performance enhancement. For example, the epitaxial layer may include a semiconductor material different from that of the bulk semiconductor, such as a layer of silicon germanium overlying bulk silicon or a layer of silicon overlying bulk silicon germanium. Such strained substrate may be formed by selective epitaxial growth (SEG). Furthermore, the substrate 110 may include a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) structure. Also alternatively, the substrate 110 may include a buried dielectric layer, such as a buried oxide (BOX) layer, such as that formed by separation by implantation of oxygen (SIMOX) technology, wafer bonding, SEG, or other appropriate method.

A plurality of dummy semiconductor fins 112 are formed on the isolation region 102 of the substrate 110 . The dummy semiconductor fins 112 are adjacent to each other and are grouped into a plurality of fin groups. In greater detail, there are three fin groups G 1 , G 2 , and G 3 in FIG. 1A . However, in some other embodiments, the number of the fin groups is not limited in this respect. The fin groups G 1 , G 2 , and G 3 are adjacent to each other. For example, in FIG. 1A , the fin group G 1 is disposed between the fin groups G 2 and G 3 . The fin groups G 1 , G 2 , and G 3 respectively include at least two adjacent dummy semiconductor fins 112 . For example, in FIG. 1A , the fin groups G 1 , G 2 , and G 3 respectively include two adjacent dummy semiconductor fins 112 . It is noted that the number of the dummy semiconductor fins 112 in FIG. 1A are illustrative, and should not limit the claimed scope of the present disclosure. A person having ordinary skill in the art may select suitable numbers for the dummy semiconductor fins 112 according to actual situations.

In some embodiments, the dummy semiconductor fins 112 include silicon. The dummy semiconductor fins 112 may be formed, for example, by patterning and etching the substrate 110 using photolithography techniques. In some embodiments, a layer of photoresist material (not shown) is deposited over the substrate 110 . The layer of photoresist material is irradiated (exposed) in accordance with a desired pattern (the dummy semiconductor fins 112 in this case) and developed to remove a portion of the photoresist material. The remaining photoresist material protects the underlying material from subsequent processing steps, such as etching. It should be noted that other masks, such as an oxide or silicon nitride mask, may also be used in the etching process.

In some embodiments, at least one active semiconductor fin 114 is formed on the active region 104 of the substrate 110 . For example, in FIG. 1A , there are three active semiconductor fins 114 . The active semiconductor fins 114 have functionality in the semiconductor device while the dummy semiconductor fins 112 have no functionality in the semiconductor device but make the device processes more uniform, more reproducible, and more manufacturable.

The active semiconductor fins 114 can be formed with the dummy semiconductor fins 112 . In some embodiments, the height H 1 of the dummy semiconductor fins 112 and the height H 2 of the active semiconductor fins 114 can be about 100 nm to about 160 nm, and the claimed scope is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, an oxide define (OD) pattern 116 can be formed on the active region 104 of the substrate 110 . In FIG. 1A , the OD pattern 116 is disposed between the active semiconductor fins 114 and the dummy semiconductor fins 112 for defining active areas, and the claimed scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. The OD pattern 116 can be formed with the dummy semiconductor fins 112 and the active semiconductor fins 114 . In FIG. 1A , the <fig

PRIORITY CLAIM AND CROSS-REFERENCE

BACKGROUND

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A to 1H are cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device at various stages in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2A to 2E are cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device at various stages in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3A to 3E are cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device at various stages in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4A to 4E are cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device at various stages in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 5A to 5D are cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device at various stages in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For forming the dummy semiconductor fins 112 , the active semiconductor fins 114 , and the OD pattern 116 , a pad layer 122 and a mask layer 124 can be formed on the substrate 110 in advanced. The pad layer 122 includes a dielectric material, such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or any other suitable dielectric material. The mask layer 124 includes a dielectric material, such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or any other suitable dielectric material. In some embodiments, the mask layer 124 is a hard mask layer. In some embodiments, the pad layer 122 is a silicon oxide layer deposited on the substrate 110 , and the mask layer 124 is a silicon nitride layer deposited on the pad layer 122 . The pad layer 122 and the mask layer 124 can be formed by thermal oxidation, chemical oxidation, atomic layer deposition (ALD), or any other appropriate method. In some embodiments, the thickness of the pad layer 122 may be between about 100-800 Angstroms, and the thickness of the mask layer 124 may be between about 200-2000 Angstroms. Subsequently, a lithography process defining the dummy semiconductor fins 112 , the active semiconductor fins 114 , and the OD pattern 116 on the semiconductor substrate 110 is performed.

Reference is made to FIG. 1B . A tri-layer photoresist 130 may be used, including a photoresist (PR) layer 132 as the top or uppermost portion, a middle layer 134 , and a bottom layer 136 . The tri-layer photoresist 130 covers the dummy semiconductor fins 112 , the active semiconductor fins 114 , and the OD pattern 116 . The tri-layer photoresist 130 provides the PR layer 132 , the middle layer 134 which may include anti-reflective layers or backside anti-reflective layers to aid in the exposure and focus of the PR processing, and the bottom layer 136 which may be a hard mask material; for example, a nitride.

The PR layer 132 of the tri-layer photoresist 130 is then patterned. The patterned PR layer 132 exposes portions of the middle layer 134 disposed on the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 1 . Meanwhile, another portions of the middle layer 134 disposed on the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin groups G 2 and G 3 , the active semiconductor fins 114 , and the OD pattern 116 are still covered by the PR layer 132 . To pattern the tri-layer photoresist 130 , the PR layer 132 is patterned using a mask, exposure to radiation, such as light or an excimer laser, for example, a bake or cure operation to harden the resist, and use of a developer to remove either the exposed or unexposed portions of the resist, depending on whether a positive resist or a negative resist is used, to form the pattern from the mask in the PR layer 132 . This patterned PR layer 132 is then used to etch the underlying middle layer 134 and bottom layer 136 to form an etch mask for the target features; here, the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 1 .

Reference is made to FIG. 1C . Using the patterned PR layer 132 (see FIG. 1B ) as a mask, the middle layer 134 and the bottom layer 136 of the tri-layer photoresist 130 (see FIG. 1B ) are etched by various methods, including a dry etch, a wet etch, or a combination of dry etch and wet etch. Then, portions of the mask layer 124 and the pad layer 122 (see FIG. 1B ) disposed on the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 1 are removed (or etched). Next, at least portions of the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 1 are recessed (or etched or removed). The dry etching process may implement fluorine-containing gas (e.g., CF 4 , SF 6 , CH 2 F 2 , CHF 3 , and/or C 2 F 6 ), chlorine-containing gas (e.g., Cl 2 , CHCl 3 , CCl 4 , and/or BCl 3 ), bromine-containing gas (e.g., HBr and/or CHBr 3 ), oxygen-containing gas, iodine-containing gas, other suitable gases and/or plasmas, or combinations thereof. The etching process may include a multiple-step etching to gain etch selectivity, flexibility and desired etch profile. After the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 1 are partially recessed, the PR layer 132 , the middle layer 134 and the bottom layer 136 of the tri-layer photoresist 130 are removed, for example, by ashing. The ashing operation such as a plasma ash removes the remaining tri-layer photoresist 130 , and a wet clean may be performed to clean the etch residues.

In FIG. 1C , the heights H 1 a of the recessed dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 1 can be about 15 nm to about 30 nm. At least one of the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 1 has a top surface 113 a . The top surface 113 a can be concave. In some embodiments, the top surfaces 113 a of the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 1 are curved inwardly. Moreover, in some embodiments, the heights H 1 a of the two recessed dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 1 are substantially the same. The term âsubstantiallyâ as used herein may be applied to modify any quantitative representation which could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related.

Reference is made to FIG. 1D . Another tri-layer photoresist 140 may be used, including a photoresist (PR) layer 142 as the top or uppermost portion, a middle layer 144 , and a bottom layer 146 . The tri-layer photoresist 140 covers the dummy semiconductor fins 112 , the active semiconductor fins 114 , and the OD pattern 116 . The tri-layer photoresist 140 provides the PR layer 142 , the middle layer 144 which may include anti-reflective layers or backside anti-reflective layers to aid in the exposure and focus of the PR processing, and the bottom layer 146 which may be a hard mask material; for example, a nitride.

The PR layer 142 of the tri-layer photoresist 140 is then patterned. The patterned PR layer 142 exposes portions of the middle layer 144 disposed on the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 2 . Meanwhile, another portions of the middle layer 144 disposed on the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin groups G 1 and G 3 , the active semiconductor fins 114 , and the OD pattern 116 are still covered by the PR layer 142 . To pattern the tri-layer photoresist 140 , the PR layer 142 is patterned using a mask, exposure to radiation, such as light or an excimer laser, for example, a bake or cure operation to harden the resist, and use of a developer to remove either the exposed or unexposed portions of the resist, depending on whether a positive resist or a negative resist is used, to form the pattern from the mask in the PR layer 142 . This patterned PR layer 142 is then used to etch the underlying middle layer 144 and bottom layer 146 to form an etch mask for the target features; here, the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 2 .

Reference is made to FIG. 1E . Using the patterned PR layer 142 (see FIG. 1D ) as a mask, the middle layer 144 and the bottom layer 146 of the tri-layer photoresist 140 (see FIG. 1D ) are etched by various methods, including a dry etch, a wet etch, or a combination of dry etch and wet etch. Then, portions of the mask layer 124 and the pad layer 122 (see FIG. 1D ) disposed on the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 2 are removed (or etched). Next, at least portions of the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 2 are recessed (or etched or removed). The dry etching process may implement fluorine-containing gas (e.g., CF 4 , SF 6 , CH 2 F 2 , CHF 3 , and/or C 2 F 6 ), chlorine-containing gas (e.g., Cl 2 , CHCl 3 , CCl 4 , and/or BCl 3 ), bromine-containing gas (e.g., HBr and/or CHBr 3 ), oxygen-containing gas, iodine-containing gas, other suitable gases and/or plasmas, or combinations thereof. The etching process may include a multiple-step etching to gain etch selectivity, flexibility and desired etch profile. After the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 2 are partially removed, the PR layer 142 , the middle layer 144 and the bottom layer 146 of the tri-layer photoresist 140 are removed, for example, by ashing. The ashing operation such as a plasma ash removes the remaining tri-layer photoresist 140 , and a wet clean may be performed to clean the etch residues.

In FIG. 1E , the heights H 1 b of the recessed dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 2 can be about 15 nm to about 30 nm. Moreover, the height difference between the recessed dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 2 and G 1 is less than about 5 nm, or is less than about 2% of the height H 2 of the active semiconductor fin 114 (see FIG. 1A ). That is, the dummy semiconductor fins 112 have a height variation of less than about 5 nm. Or, the heights H 1 a and H 1 b are substantially the same. The terms âsubstantiallyâ as used herein may be applied to modify any quantitative representation which could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related.

The dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 2 respectively have top surfaces 113 b . The top surfaces 113 b can be non-concave, for example, convex or substantially flat. That is, the top surfaces 113 b of the recessed dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 2 are curved outwardly. At least one of the top surfaces 113 a of the recessed dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 1 and at least one of the top surfaces 113 b of the recessed dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 2 are curved in different directions. For example, the top surfaces 113 a of the recessed dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 1 are concave (or curved inwardly), and the top surfaces 113 b of the recessed dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 2 are non-concave, such as convex (or curved outwardly) or substantially flat.

Reference is made to FIG. 1F . Still another tri-layer photoresist 150 may be used, including a photoresist (PR) layer 152 as the top or uppermost portion, a middle layer 154 , and a bottom layer 156 . The tri-layer photoresist 150 covers the dummy semiconductor fins 112 , the active semiconductor fins 114 , and the OD pattern 116 . The tri-layer photoresist 150 provides the PR layer 152 , the middle layer 154 which may include anti-reflective layers or backside anti-reflective layers to aid in the exposure and focus of the PR processing, and the bottom layer 156 which may be a hard mask material; for example, a nitride.

The PR layer 152 of the tri-layer photoresist 150 is then patterned. The patterned PR layer 152 exposes portions of the middle layer 154 disposed on the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 3 . Meanwhile, another portions of the middle layer 154 disposed on the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin groups G 1 and G 2 , the active semiconductor fins 114 , and the OD pattern 116 are still covered by the PR layer 152 . To pattern the tri-layer photoresist 150 , the PR layer 152 is patterned using a mask, exposure to radiation, such as light or an excimer laser, for example, a bake or cure operation to harden the resist, and use of a developer to remove either the exposed or unexposed portions of the resist, depending on whether a positive resist or a negative resist is used, to form the pattern from the mask in the PR layer 152 . This patterned PR layer 152 is then used to etch the underlying middle layer 154 and bottom layer 156 to form an etch mask for the target features; here, the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 3 .

Reference is made to FIG. 1G . Using the patterned PR layer 152 (see FIG. 1F ) as a mask, the middle layer 154 and the bottom layer 156 of the tri-layer photoresist 150 (see FIG. 1F ) are etched by various methods, including a dry etch, a wet etch, or a combination of dry etch and wet etch. Then, portions of the mask layer 124 and the pad layer 122 (see FIG. 1F ) disposed on the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 3 are removed (or etched). Next, at least portions of the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 3 are recessed (or etched or removed). The dry etching process may implement fluorine-containing gas (e.g., CF 4 , SF 6 , CH 2 F 2 , CHF 3 , and/or C 2 F 6 ), chlorine-containing gas (e.g., Cl 2 , CHCl 3 , CCl 4 , and/or BCl 3 ), bromine-containing gas (e.g., HBr and/or CHBr 3 ), oxygen-containing gas, iodine-containing gas, other suitable gases and/or plasmas, or combinations thereof. The etching process may include a multiple-step etching to gain etch selectivity, flexibility and desired etch profile. After the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 3 are partially removed, the PR layer 152 , the middle layer 154 and the bottom layer 156 of the tri-layer photoresist 150 are removed, for example, by ashing. The ashing operation such as a plasma ash removes the remaining tri-layer photoresist 150 , and a wet clean may be performed to clean the etch residues.

Therefore, in FIGS. 1A to 1G , the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group disposed at the edge portion E (see FIG. 1H ) of the isolation region 102 (i.e., the fin group G 2 or G 3 ) are recessed after the dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group disposed at the middle portion M (see FIG. 1H ) of the isolation region 102 (i.e., the fin group G 1 ) are recessed.

In FIG. 1G , the heights H 1 c of the recessed dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 3 can be about 15 nm to about 30 nm. Moreover, the height difference among the recessed dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 1 , G 2 , and G 3 is less than about 5 nm, or is less than about 2% of the height H 2 of the active semiconductor fin 114 (see FIG. 1A ). Or, the heights H 1 a , H 1 b , and H 1 c are substantially the same. The terms âsubstantiallyâ as used herein may be applied to modify any quantitative representation which could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related.

The dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 3 respectively have top surfaces 113 c . The top surfaces 113 c can be non-concave, for example, convex or substantially flat. That is, the top surfaces 113 c of the recessed dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 3 are curved outwardly. At least one of the top surfaces 113 a of the recessed dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 1 and at least one of the top surfaces 113 c of the recessed dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 3 are curved in different directions. For example, the top surfaces 113 a of the recessed dummy semiconductor fins 112 of the fin group G 1 are concave (or curved inwardly), and the top surfaces 113 c of the recessed <figure-callout id="112" label="dummy semiconductor fins" filenames="US11211380-20211228-D00000.png,US11211380-2021

CLAIMS

Claims ( 20 )

What is claimed is:

1. A semiconductor structure comprising:

a substrate;

a first active fin and a second active fin over the substrate; and

a plurality of dummy fins over the substrate and between the first active fin and the second active fin, wherein each of a first group of the plurality of dummy fins has a concave topmost surface, wherein each of a second group of the plurality of dummy fins has a convex topmost surface, and wherein no active fin is interposed between the first group of the plurality of dummy fins and the second group of the plurality of dummy fins.

2. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , further comprising an isolation region over the substrate and between the first active fin and the second active fin, the isolation region covering the plurality of dummy fins.

3. The semiconductor structure of claim 2 , wherein a top surface of the first active fin and a top surface of the second active fin is above a top surface of the isolation region.

4. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein a height of each of the plurality of dummy fins is less than a height of the first active fin and a height of the second active fin.

5. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the first group of the plurality of dummy fins is interposed between the first active fin and the second group of the plurality of dummy fins.

6. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the first group of the plurality of dummy fins comprises more dummy fins than the second group of the plurality of dummy fins.

7. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein a first height of a first sidewall of a first dummy fin of the first group of the plurality of dummy fins is greater than a second height of a second sidewall of the first dummy fin of the first group of the plurality of dummy fins.

8. A semiconductor structure comprising:

a substrate;

a first active fin over the substrate; and

a plurality of dummy fins over the substrate and adjacent the first active fin, wherein a triplet of the plurality of dummy fins have concave topmost surfaces, wherein a pair of the plurality of dummy fins have convex topmost surfaces, wherein the triplet of the plurality of dummy fins are interposed between the first active fin and the pair of the plurality of dummy fins, and wherein the plurality of dummy fins are shorter than the first active fin.

9. The semiconductor structure of claim 8 , further comprising a second active fin, the plurality of dummy fins being interposed between the first active fin and the second active fin.

10. The semiconductor structure of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of dummy fins are shorter than the second active fin.

11. The semiconductor structure of claim 8 , further comprising an isolation region over the plurality of dummy fins.

12. The semiconductor structure of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of dummy fins have a height variation of less than about 5 nm.

13. The semiconductor structure of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of dummy fins have a height variation of less than about 2% of a height of the first active fin.

14. The semiconductor structure of claim 8 , wherein a height of the first active fin is between about 100 nm to about 160 nm.

15. A semiconductor structure comprising:

a substrate;

a first active fin and a second active fin over the substrate;

a plurality of dummy fins over the substrate and between the first active fin and the second active fin, wherein no active fin is interposed between each pair of adjacent dummy fins of the plurality of dummy fins, wherein a first dummy fin of the plurality of dummy fins has a first concave top surface, wherein a second dummy fin of the plurality of dummy fins has a second concave top surface, and wherein a third dummy fin of the plurality of dummy fins has a convex top surface; and

an isolation region over the substrate and between the first active fin and the second active fin, wherein the isolation region covers the plurality of dummy fins.

16. The semiconductor structure of claim 15 , wherein the second dummy fin is interposed between the first dummy fin and the third dummy fin.

17. The semiconductor structure of claim 15 , wherein a first height of a first sidewall of the first dummy fin is greater than a second height of a second sidewall of the first dummy fin.

18. The semiconductor structure of claim 15 , wherein a height of the isolation region is less than a height of the first active fin and a height of the second active fin.

19. The semiconductor structure of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of dummy fins have a height variation of less than about 2% of a height of the first active fin.

20. The semiconductor structure of claim 15 , wherein a portion of the first active fin extends above a top surface of the isolation region.

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2019-11-15

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2018-06-05

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US10636787B2

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2020-07-23

US20170170174A1

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2017-06-15

CN106876336A

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2017-06-20

TWI625827B

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2018-06-01

Semiconductor structure and manufacturing method thereof — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (US11211380B2)

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