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Semiconductor devices and methods of manufacture thereof

Semiconductor devices and methods of manufacture thereof description/claims

The present invention relates generally to the fabrication of semiconductor devices, and more particularly to the fabrication of capacitors in integrated circuits.

Semiconductor devices are used in a variety of electronic applications, such as personal computers, cell phones, digital cameras, and other electronic equipment, as examples. Semiconductor devices are typically fabricated by sequentially depositing insulating or dielectric layers, conductive layers, and semiconductive layers of material over a semiconductor substrate, and patterning the various layers using lithography to form circuit components and elements thereon.

Capacitors are elements that are used extensively in semiconductor devices for storing an electrical charge. Capacitors essentially comprise two conductive plates separated by an insulating material. When an electric current is applied to a capacitor, electric charges of equal magnitude yet opposite polarity build up on the capacitor plates. The capacitance, or the amount of charge held by the capacitor per applied voltage, depends on a number of parameters, such as the area of the plates, the distance between the plates, and the dielectric constant value of the insulating material between the plates, as examples. Capacitors are used in applications such as electronic filters, analog-to-digital converters, memory devices, control applications, and many other types of semiconductor device applications.

What are needed in the art are improved methods of fabricating capacitors in semiconductor devices and structures thereof.

Technical advantages are generally achieved by preferred embodiments of the present invention, which provide novel methods of manufacturing capacitor plates, capacitors, semiconductor devices, and structures thereof.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a capacitor plate includes a first propeller-shaped portion, a second propeller-shaped portion, and a via portion disposed between the first propeller-shaped portion and the second propeller-shaped portion.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of embodiments of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of embodiments of the invention will be described hereinafter, which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures or processes for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein a capacitor plate including propeller-shaped portions is formed in a plurality of conductive material layers of the semiconductor device;

FIG. 2 shows a top view of a capacitor including two capacitor plates comprising propeller-shaped portions in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a top view of a plurality of capacitor plates in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of capacitor plates in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a top view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein two or more capacitor plates are electrically coupled together using a conductive material layer of the semiconductor device disposed above or below the capacitor plates;

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention, wherein one blade of a propeller-shaped portion of a capacitor plate is elongated and extends proximate an elongated blade of a propeller-shaped portion of an adjacent capacitor plate;

FIG. 7 shows yet another embodiment of the present invention, wherein two blades of the propeller-shaped portion of the capacitor plate are elongated, and wherein the blades of two adjacent capacitor plates are coupled together; and

FIGS. 8 and 9 show top views of a semiconductor device in accordance with a preferred embodiment, wherein the novel capacitor plates described herein are formed in unused or dedicated regions of a semiconductor device.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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