Spacer etching process for integrated circuit design

摘要

A method includes forming a first material layer on a substrate and performing a first patterning process using a first layout to form a first plurality of trenches in the first material layer. The method further includes performing a second patterning process using a second layout to form a second plurality of trenches in the first material layer, wherein the second layout a cut pattern for the first layout. The method further includes forming spacer features on sidewalls of both the first and second pluralities of trenches, wherein the spacer features have a thickness and the cut pattern corresponds to a first trench of the second plurality whose width is less than twice the thickness of the spacer features. The method further includes removing the first material layer; forming a second material layer on the substrate and within openings defined by the spacer features; and removing the spacer features.

主权项

1. A method, comprising:
forming a first material layer on a substrate; performing a first patterning process using a first layout to form a first plurality of trenches in the first material layer, the first layout including a first subset of a target pattern; performing a second patterning process using a second layout to form a second plurality of trenches in the first material layer, the second layout including a second subset of the target pattern and a cut pattern for the first subset; forming spacer features on sidewalls of both the first plurality of trenches and the second plurality of trenches, the spacer features having a thickness, wherein the cut pattern corresponds to a first trench of the second plurality whose width is less than twice the thickness of the spacer features; removing the first material layer; forming a second material layer on the substrate and within openings defined by the spacer features; and removing the spacer features.