The present invention relates to semiconductor fabrication, and more particularly to the fabrication of metal-oxide-metal (or more generally metal-dielectric-metal) finger capacitors.
A common type of capacitor configuration for integrated circuits is the metal-oxide-metal finger capacitor, where the two plates of the capacitor comprise fingers that are interlaced (interdigitated) with one another. In many applications, it is desirable for integrated circuits to make use of high-density finger capacitors. That is, it is desirable for a finger capacitor having some given capacitance to occupy the least amount of area on a semiconductor die.
Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems and method for metal-oxide-metal finger capacitors.
In an embodiment, a semiconductor die includes a first finger capacitor fabricated in a first metal layer having a first preferred direction, where the finger direction of the first finger capacitor is parallel to the first preferred direction. The embodiment also includes a second finger capacitor fabricated in a second metal layer adjacent to the first metal layer. The second metal layer has a. second preferred direction orthogonal to the first preferred direction, and the finger direction of the second finger capacitor is parallel to the second preferred direction.
In another embodiment, the semiconductor die further includes a third finger capacitor fabricated in a third metal layer adjacent to the second metal layer. The third metal layer has a third preferred direction orthogonal to the second preferred direction, and the finger direction of the third finger capacitor is parallel to the third preferred direction,
In another embodiment, a first method includes depositing a bidirectional metal layer in a semiconductor die; patterning the bidirectional metal layer to form a capacitor; depositing a first unidirectional metal layer in the semiconductor die adjacent to the bidirectional metal layer, the first unidirectional metal layer having a first preferred direction; patterning the first unidirectional metal layer to form a first capacitor, the first capacitor comprising interdigitated fingers in a direction parallel to the first preferred direction; depositing a second unidirectional metal layer in the semiconductor die adjacent to the first unidirectional metal layer, the second unidirectional metal layer having a second preferred direction orthogonal to the first preferred direction; and patterning the second unidirectional metal layer to form a second capacitor, the second capacitor comprising interdigitated fingers in a direction parallel to the second preferred direction.
In another embodiment, the method further includes depositing a third unidirectional metal layer in the semiconductor die adjacent to the second unidirectional metal layer, the third unidirectional metal layer having a third preferred direction orthogonal to the second preferred direction; and patterning the third unidirectional metal layer to form a third capacitor, the third capacitor comprising interdigitated fingers in a direction parallel to the third preferred direction.
In another embodiment, a second method includes means for depositing a bidirectional metal layer in a semiconductor die; means for patterning the bidirectional metal layer to form a capacitor; means for depositing a first unidirectional metal layer in the semiconductor die adjacent to the bidirectional metal layer, the first unidirectional metal layer having a first preferred direction; means for patterning the first unidirectional metal layer to form a first capacitor, the first capacitor comprising interdigitated fingers in a direction parallel to the first preferred direction; means for depositing a second unidirectional metal layer in the semiconductor die adjacent to the first unidirectional metal layer, the second unidirectional metal layer having a second preferred direction orthogonal to the first preferred direction; and means for patterning the second unidirectional metal layer to form a second capacitor, the second capacitor comprising interdigitated fingers in a direction parallel to the second preferred direction.
In another embodiment, the second method further includes means for depositing a third unidirectional metal layer in the semiconductor die adjacent to the second unidirectional metal layer, the third unidirectional metal layer having a third preferred direction orthogonal to the second preferred direction; and means for patterning the third unidirectional metal layer to form a third capacitor, the third capacitor comprising interdigitated fingers in a direction parallel to the third preferred direction.
In another embodiment, a communication device includes a semiconductor die, where the semiconductor die includes a first unidirectional metal layer formed in the semiconductor die, the first metal layer having a first preferred direction; a first capacitor fabricated in the first metal layer, the first capacitor comprising interdigitated fingers having a direction parallel to the first preferred direction; a second unidirectional metal layer formed in the semiconductor die and adjacent to the first metal layer, the second unidirectional metal layer having a second preferred direction orthogonal to the first preferred direction; and a second capacitor fabricated in the second metal layer, the second capacitor comprising interdigitated fingers having a direction parallel to the second preferred direction.
In another embodiment, the semiconductor die in the communication device further includes a third unidirectional metal layer formed in the semiconductor die and adjacent to the second unidirectional metal layer, the third unidirectional metal layer having a third preferred direction orthogonal to the second preferred direction; and a third capacitor fabricated in the third unidirectional metal layer, the third capacitor comprising interdigitated fingers having a direction parallel to the third preferred direction.
In another embodiment, a third method includes a step of depositing a bidirectional metal layer in a semiconductor die; a step of patterning the bidirectional metal layer to form a capacitor; a step of depositing a first unidirectional metal layer in the semiconductor die adjacent to the bidirectional metal layer, the first unidirectional metal layer having a first preferred direction; a step of patterning the first unidirectional metal layer to form a first capacitor, the first capacitor comprising interdigitated fingers in a direction parallel to the first preferred direction; a step of depositing a second unidirectional metal layer in the semiconductor die adjacent to the first unidirectional metal layer, the second unidirectional metal layer having a second preferred direction orthogonal to the first preferred direction; and a step of patterning the second unidirectional metal layer to form a second capacitor, the second capacitor comprising interdigitated fingers in a direction parallel to the second preferred direction.
In another embodiment, the third method further includes a step of depositing a third unidirectional metal layer in the semiconductor die adjacent to the second unidirectional metal layer, the third unidirectional metal layer having a third preferred direction orthogonal to the second preferred direction; and a step of patterning the third unidirectional metal layer to form a third capacitor, the third capacitor comprising interdigitated fingers in a direction parallel to the third preferred direction.
The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the description of embodiments of the invention and are provided solely for illustration of the embodiments and not limitation thereof.
Aspects of the invention are disclosed in the following description and related drawings directed to specific embodiments of the invention. Alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the scope of the invention. Additionally, well-known elements of the invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention.
The term “embodiments of the invention” does not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” and/or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Further, many embodiments are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a. computing device. Specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or a combination of both, may perform the various actions described herein. Additionally, the sequences of actions described herein can be considered to be embodied entirely within any form of computer readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that upon execution would cause an associated processor to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects of the invention may be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which have been contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each of the embodiments described herein, the corresponding form of any such embodiments may be described herein as, for example, “logic configured to” perform the described action.
In semiconductor fabrication, some metal layers within a semiconductor die (chip) are fabricated such that their smallest feature size is available in only one direction. For example, with an 80 nm pitch metal process in which single patterning lithography is used for a metal layer, the smallest trace width and spacing of 40 nm is available in only one direction along the plane of the metal layer. This direction is sometimes called the preferred direction of the metal layer. In a direction orthogonal to the preferred direction, the smallest trace width and spacing is 80 nm for this particular example.
For some process technologies, there is no preferred direction in a metal layer. For example, in a 90 nm metal pitch process technology utilizing single patterning lithography, the smallest trace width and spacing are each 45 nm, regardless of direction along the plane of the metal layer. For a 64 nm process technology utilizing double patterning lithography, the smallest trace width and spacing are each 32 nm, regardless of direction.
A metal layer having a preferred direction may be referred to as being unidirectional, and a metal layer having no preferred direction may be referred to as bidirectional.
In manufacturing an integrated circuit with multiple metal layers, it is common practice for the lower metal layers to be bidirectional, and for the higher metal layers to be unidirectional. For example, in an integrated circuit chip employing six metal layers, the first three lowest metal layers may be bidirectional, and the three upper metal layers may be unidirectional.
It is a common design practice for adjacent unidirectional metal layers to have their preferred directions orthogonal to one another. Having adjacent layers with orthogonal preferred directions allows for higher density placement for the routing interconnects. Accordingly, for adjacent metal layers that are unidirectional, it is preferable in many cases to alternate the direction of metal fingers to be aligned to the preferred direction of their respective metal layer.
The term adjacent when referring to a first layer and a second layer is to be interpreted to mean that the first and second layers are formed in a semiconductor die such that there is no other metal layer formed between them.
In
Another simplified abstraction of a semiconductor die, labeled 118 in
A coordinate axis letter is placed next to each unidirectional metal layer to indicate its preferred direction. The letter “X” is placed next to metal layers 112, 126, 116, and 130 to indicate that their preferred directions are along the X-axis. The letter “Y” is placed next to the metal layers 114 and 128 to indicate that their preferred directions are along the Y-axis. The combination of letters “X-Y” is placed next to metal layers 106, 108, 110, 120, 122, and 124 to indicate that they are bidirectional. The structures for the MOM finger capacitors 112, 114, 116, 126, 128, and 130 illustrated in
Note that the direction of the fingers for the MOM capacitor illustrated in
Referring now to
Note that the direction of the fingers for the MOM capacitor illustrated in
In light of the above discussion regarding capacitor direction or orientation, for the embodiments illustrated in
Accordingly, for unidirectional metal layers in which the preferred directions for adjacent metal layers are orthogonal to one another, the directions of finger capacitors in adjacent layers will be orthogonal to one another.
By depositing unidirectional metal layers with preferred directions for adjacent layers orthogonal to each other, efficient routing is achieved, where interdigitated finger capacitors formed in the unidirectional metal layers have their fingers parallel to the preferred directions.
Referring to box 406, a first unidirectional metal layer is deposited adjacent to the topmost bidirectional metal layer, having a first preferred direction. The first unidirectional metal layer is patterned to form a first capacitor, where the first capacitor has interdigitated fingers parallel to the first preferred direction (408). As indicated in blocks 410, 412, 414, and 416, the pair of steps performed in boxes 406 and 408 are repeated except were the preferred directions of adjacent unidirectional layers are orthogonal to each other, where a finger capacitor in unidirectional metal layer has interdigitated fingers in a direction parallel to the preferred direction of its corresponding unidirectional metal layer.
Embodiments may find widespread application in numerous systems, such as a communication network. For example,
Embodiments may be used in data processing systems associated with communication device 506, or with base station 504C, or both, for example.
Embodiments may find application in semiconductor dice used in the components illustrated in
Those of skill in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.
Further, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.
The invention is not limited to illustrated examples and any means for performing the functionality described herein are included in embodiments of the invention.
While the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative embodiments of the invention, it should be noted that various changes and modifications could be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps and/or actions of the method claims in accordance with the embodiments of the invention described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the invention may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.
The present Application for Patent claims priority to Provisional Application No. 61/654,194 entitled “METAL FINGER CAPACITORS WITH HYBRID METAL FINGER ORIENTATIONS IN STACK WITH UNIDIRECTIONAL METAL LAYERS” filed Jun. 1, 2012, and assigned to the assignee hereof and hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61654194 | Jun 2012 | US |