Patent ID: 11967533
Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.
Field: Semiconductors (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 18:
19. A method of making a semiconductor device, comprising:
forming a first semiconductor fin and a second semiconductor fin over a substrate that both extend along a first direction;
forming a dielectric fin that extends along the first direction and is disposed between the first and second semiconductor fins;
forming a dummy gate structure that extends along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and straddles the first and second semiconductor fins and the dielectric fin;
removing a portion of the dummy gate structure over the dielectric fin to form a trench by performing a first etching process, a second etching process, and a third etching process, wherein the first etching process is configured to form a first portion of the trench in a valley-shaped profile, the second etching process is configured to form a second portion of the trench in a curvature-based U-shaped profile, and the third etching process is configured to form a third portion of the trench in an edge-based U-shaped profile; and
filling the trench with a dielectric material to form a gate isolation structure.