Overlay-tolerant via mask and reactive ion etch (RIE) technique

摘要

A method is provided that includes first etching a substrate according to a first mask. The first etching forms a first etch feature in the substrate to a first depth. The first etching also forms a sliver opening in the substrate. The sliver opening may then be filled with a fill material. A second mask may be formed by removing a portion of the first mask. The substrate exposed by the second mask may be etched with a second etch, in which the second etching is selective to the fill material. The second etching extends the first etch feature to a second depth that is greater than the first depth, and the second etch forms a second etch feature. The first etch feature and the second etch feature may then be filled with a conductive metal.

主权项

1. A structure including an array of conductive pathways comprising:
a substrate comprising a dielectric material layer an array of lines having a length that extends along a horizontal direction of the substrate, wherein at least one of the lines has a dimple region or a pinch region on its sidewall at a lower surface of said at least one of the lines, wherein said at least one line that has said dimple region or said pinch region has a bottommost surface comprising a first portion and a second portion, and wherein said first portion of said bottommost surface comprises said dimple region or said pinch region and is vertically offset from said second bottommost portion of a bottommost surface of said at least one line having a dimple region or a pinch region; and an array of vias, wherein each via of the array of vias has a vertical dimension that is perpendicular to the length of the array of lines, wherein at least one via in the array of vias is in contact with at least one line of the array of lines.