Patent ID: 11955376
Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.
Field: Semiconductors (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 2:
3. A semiconductor device, comprising:
a semiconductor substrate;
a dielectric structure arranged over the semiconductor substrate;
first and second metal vias disposed in the dielectric structure and spaced laterally apart from one another;
first and second metal lines disposed in the dielectric structure and having nearest neighboring sidewalls that are spaced laterally apart from one another by a portion of the dielectric structure, the first and second metal lines contacting upper portions of the first and second metal vias, respectively; and
first and second air gaps disposed in the portion of the dielectric structure, the first and second air gaps being proximate to the nearest neighboring sidewalls of the first and second metal lines, respectively; and
wherein the first metal via and the first metal line are a first continuous metal structure and wherein the second metal via and the second metal line are a second continuous metal structure, and wherein the first metal line laterally overhangs the first metal via on both sides by a same amount.