Patent ID: 8563410

Claim:
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, the method comprising: forming at least one material layer over a substrate; forming a capping layer over the at least one material layer; forming a hard mask layer over the capping layer; performing an end-cut patterning process to form an end-cut pattern overlying the at least one material layer; transferring the end-cut pattern to the hard mask layer; performing a line-cut patterning process after the end-cut patterning process to form a line-cut pattern overlying the at least one material layer; transferring the line-cut pattern to the hard mask layer; patterning the capping layer utilizing the hard mask layer after the transferring of the end-cut pattern to the hard mask layer and the transferring of the line-cut pattern to the hard mask layer, wherein the patterning of the capping layer transfers the end-cut pattern and the line-cut pattern to the capping layer; and patterning the at least one material layer utilizing the hard mask layer and the patterned capping layer.