Method of manufacturing semiconductor structure and semiconductor structure thereof
View Patent ↗A substrate is provided, wherein the substrate includes a device layer, and a logo region is defined in a peripheral region of the substrate. An interconnect structure is formed over the device layer. A first conductive feature and at least one second conductive feature are formed in the interconnect structure, wherein the first conductive feature is recognizable as a first identification mark, and the at least one second conductive feature is disposed between different portions of the first conductive feature. A third conductive feature is formed at a first elevation over a second elevation of the first conductive feature, wherein the third conductive feature overlaps the first conductive feature vertically and is recognizable as a second identification mark, and a space other than the third conductive feature in the logo region at the first elevation is filled with a dielectric material.
1 . A method of manufacturing a semiconductor structure, comprising:
providing a substrate, including a device layer, wherein a logo region is defined in a peripheral region of the substrate;
forming an interconnect structure over the device layer;
forming a first conductive feature and at least one second conductive feature in the interconnect structure, wherein the first conductive feature is recognizable as a first identification mark, and the at least one second conductive feature is disposed between different portions of the first conductive feature; and
forming a third conductive feature at a first elevation over a second elevation of the first conductive feature, wherein the third conductive feature overlaps the first conductive feature vertically and is recognizable as a second identification mark, and a space other than the third conductive feature in the logo region at the first elevation is filled with a dielectric material,
wherein the first conductive feature and the at least one second conductive feature include a same conductive material, and the third conductive feature includes a conductive material different from that of the first conductive feature.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first identification mark includes a first character, the second identification mark includes a second character, and the first character and the second character have a same configuration and vertically overlap one another.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first or second identification mark is selected from a group consisting of a numeral, a punctuation mark, a word, an English letter, and a combination thereof.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the third conductive feature includes aluminum and is disposed above the interconnect structure.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the third conductive feature is disposed in one of top two metal line layers of the interconnect structure.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the third conductive feature is disposed in a topmost metal layer of the interconnect structure, and the method further comprises:
forming a passivation layer at a third elevation over the third conductive feature, wherein the second identification mark of the third conductive feature is recognizable through the passivation layer from a top view.
7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
forming a plurality of conductive pads at the third elevation, wherein the plurality of conductive pads are surrounded by the passivation layer and separated from the third conductive feature from a top view.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the interconnect structure comprises a plurality of intermetal dielectric (IMD) layers and a plurality of metal vias, and the metal vias are absent from the IMD layers in the logo region.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first conductive feature is disposed in a metal line layer below top two metal line layers of the interconnect structure, and the first conductive feature includes a plurality of segments parallel to one another.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first conductive feature is electrically isolated from the third conductive feature, and the first conductive feature and the third conductive feature are electrically isolated from all other conductive features of the substrate.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first conductive feature includes a first portion having a first orientation and a second portion having a second orientation, and a region between the first portion and the second portion includes no conductive materials.
12 . A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure, comprising:
receiving a circuit layout, that includes a circuit pattern, a mark pattern, and a dummy pattern corresponding to features to be formed on a same material layer over an integrated circuit (IC) substrate, wherein the circuit pattern is distant from the mark pattern, and the dummy pattern is proximal to and at least partially between different portions of the mark pattern;
removing the dummy pattern from the circuit layout;
generating a modified circuit layout for circuit fabrication without the dummy pattern;
forming a first conductive feature and at least one second conductive feature over the IC substrate, wherein the first conductive feature corresponds to the mark pattern and the at least one second conductive feature corresponds to the dummy pattern, and the first conductive feature and the at least one second conductive feature include a same conductive material; and
transferring the modified circuit layout to a conductive layer over the first conductive feature to form a third conductive feature corresponding to the mark pattern, wherein the third conductive feature includes a conductive material different from that of the first conductive feature.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the mark pattern includes a product information and an indicator of an index of the same material layer over the IC substrate.
14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the conductive layer is a topmost metal line layer of an interconnect structure.
15 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
fragmenting the mark pattern to generate a fragmented mark pattern having a plurality of segments configured in parallel; and
transferring the modified circuit layout to a layer of an interconnect structure.
16 . A semiconductor structure, comprising:
a substrate, including a cell region, a peripheral region surrounding the cell region, and a logo region in the peripheral region;
a first metal layer, disposed over the substrate and comprising:
a first conductive feature in the cell region;
a second conductive feature in the logo region, wherein the second conductive feature is recognizable as a first identification mark; and
a third conductive feature in the logo region adjacent to the second conductive feature, wherein the third conductive feature is disposed between different portions of the second conductive feature and configured as a dummy pattern; and
a second metal layer, disposed over the first metal layer and comprising:
a fourth conductive feature in the cell region, electrically connected to the first conductive feature;
a fifth conductive feature in the logo region, overlapping the second conductive feature, wherein the fifth conductive feature is recognizable as a second identification mark; and
a dielectric layer, surrounding the fifth conductive feature, wherein the second metal layer in the logo region consists of the fifth conductive feature and the dielectric layer,
wherein the second conductive feature and the third conductive feature include a same conductive material, and the fifth conductive feature includes a conductive material different from that of the second conductive feature.
17 . The semiconductor structure of claim 16 , wherein the fifth conductive feature is electrically isolated from the second conductive feature.
18 . The semiconductor structure of claim 16 , wherein the dielectric layer in the logo region encircled the fifth conductive feature.
19 . The semiconductor structure of claim 16 , wherein the second conductive feature comprises a plurality of segments arranged parallel to one another.
20 . The semiconductor structure of claim 16 , wherein an entirety of a top surface of the fifth conductive feature is covered by the dielectric layer.