Patent · US Expired

Polysilicon conductor width measurement for 3-dimensional FETs

US7227183B2 · kind B2 · utility

195Cited by
3References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 17, 2004
Grant dateJun 5, 2007
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 10, 2025

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH10D30/62
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An apparatus and method is disclosed for determining polysilicon conductor width for 3-dimensional field effect transistors (FinFETs). Two or more resistors are constructed using a topology in which polysilicon conductors are formed over a plurality of silicon “fins”. A first resistor has a first line width. A second resistor has a second line width. The second line width is slightly different than the first line width. Advantageously, the first line width is equal to the nominal design width used to make FET gates in the particular semiconductor technology. Resistance measurements of the resistors and subsequent calculations using the resistance measurements are used to determine the actual polysilicon conductor width produced by the semiconductor process. A composite test structure not only allows calculation of the polysilicon conductor width, but provides proof that differences in the widths used in the calculations do not introduce objectionable etching characteristics of the polysilicon conductors.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.