IP Library Patent Application 17933000
Patent Application
App. No. 17/933,000

INTEGRATED CIRCUIT (IC) DEVICE WITH HYBRID METAL LAYER

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US None
App. No.
17/933,000
Abstract

An IC device includes a transistor, a first layer, and a second layer. The first layer is coupled to the transistors and is between the transistor and the second layer in a first direction. The first layer includes a first structure and a second structure. The first structure includes a first metal (e.g., Ru). The second structure includes a second metal (e.g., Cu). The second structure may be wrapped around by a different material that may include a third metal (e.g., Co). The first structure may be shorter than the second structure in the first direction and narrower than the second structure in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The first structure may be closer to the second layer than the second structure in the first direction. The first structure may be a wordline of a memory. The second structure may be a bitline.

Claims (51)

1 . An integrated circuit (IC) device, comprising:

a first structure comprising a first metal;

a second structure comprising a second metal, wherein the second metal is different from the first metal;

a third structure wrapping around at least part of the second structure; and

a fourth structure over the second structure in a first direction,

wherein the third structure and the fourth structure comprise an electrically conductive material, a height of the second structure in the first direction is greater than a height of the first structure in the first direction, and a width of the second structure in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction is greater than a height of the first structure in the second direction.

2 . The IC device according to claim 1 , wherein the width of the first structure is not greater than about 12 nanometers, or the width of the second structure is between about 20 and 50 nanometers.

3 . The IC device according to claim 1 , wherein a height of the fourth structure in the first direction is at least 3 nanometers.

4 . The IC device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the second structure comprises a first cross-section and a second cross-section,

the fourth structure is closer to the first cross-section than the second cross-section, and

a width of the first cross-section along the second direction is greater than a width of a width of the second cross-section.

5 . The IC device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the second structure comprises a first cross-section and a second cross-section,

the fourth structure is closer to the first cross-section than the second cross-section, and

a width of the first cross-section along the second direction is greater than a width of a width of the second cross-section.

6 . The IC device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a fifth structure comprising a third metal;

a first via between the first structure and the fifth structure; and

a second via between the second structure and the fifth structure,

wherein a height of the first via in the first direction is greater than a height of the second via in the first direction.

7 . The IC device according to claim 6 , wherein the third metal is the same as the second metal.

8 . The IC device according to claim 1 , wherein the first structure is coupled to a source region or a drain region of a transistor, and the second structure is coupled to a channel region of the transistor.

9 . The IC device according to claim 1 , wherein the first metal is ruthenium, or the second metal is copper.

10 . The IC device according to claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive material comprises cobalt.

11 . An integrated circuit (IC) device, comprising:

a transistor comprising a source region, a drain region, and a channel region;

a first layer comprising a first structure and a second structure, wherein the first structure is coupled to the source region or the drain region, the second structure is coupled to the channel region, a width of the first structure in a first direction is smaller than a width of the second structure in the first direction; and

a second layer comprising a third metal,

wherein a distance between the first structure and the second layer in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction is longer than a distance between the second structure and the second layer in the second direction.

12 . The IC device according to claim 11 , wherein the first layer is between the transistor and the second layer in the second direction.

13 . The IC device according to claim 11 , wherein the first structure is at least part of a wordline of a memory device, and the second structure is at least part of a bitline of the memory device.

14 . The IC device according to claim 11 , further comprising.

a first via between the first structure and the second layer; and

a second via between the second structure and the second layer,

wherein a length of the first layer in the second direction is greater than a length of the second layer in the second direction.

15 . The IC device according to claim 11 , wherein the first structure, the second structure, and the second layer are separated by one or more electrical insulators.

16 . A method for forming an integrated circuit (IC) device, the method comprising:

forming a first structure in a first opening in a structure, wherein the first structure comprises a first metal, and the structure comprises an electrical insulator;

forming a layer, wherein at least part of the layer is in a second opening and over one or more surfaces of the second opening, the layer comprises a first electrically conductive material, the layer forms a new opening, and a width of the first opening is smaller than a width of the second opening;

forming a second structure in the new opening, wherein the second structure comprises a second metal and is at least partially wrapped by the layer; and

forming a third structure over the second structure, wherein the third structure comprises a second electrically conductive material.

17 . The method according to claim 16 , further comprising:

before forming the third structure over the second structure, removing a portion of the layer or a portion of the second structure.

18 . The method according to claim 16 , further comprising:

after forming the third structure over the second structure, providing an electrical insulator over the third structure;

forming openings in the electrical insulator, wherein the openings have different dimensions; and

forming vias in the openings, wherein the vias comprise a first via connected to the first structure and a second via connected to the third structure.

19 . The method according to claim 18 , wherein forming openings in the electrical insulator comprises:

forming the openings through a selective etching process, wherein a rate of etching the electrical insulator is higher than a rate of etching the second electrically conductive material in the selective etching process.

20 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the width of the first opening is not greater than 12 nanometers, and the width of the second opening is in a range from 20 to 50 nanometers.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 14, 2026
From: INTEL CORPORATION
To: INTEL FOUNDRY IP LLC
Reel/Frame 076007/0292 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 16, 2022
From: CHOI, JUNE; WALLACE, CHARLES HENRY; SCHENKER, RICHARD E.; MEHTA, NIKHIL JASVANT
To: INTEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 061126/0110 →