PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15966032
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-04
Publication Date: 2019-10
Patent Classification: ["438", "637000"]

Abstract:
Methods of forming an interconnect of an IC are disclosed. The methods include forming a first interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer and a second ILD layer with an ILD etch stop layer (ESL) therebetween. The ILD ESL has an etch rate that is at least five times slower than the first and second ILD layers, and may include, for example, aluminum oxynitride. A dual damascene (DD) hard mask is used to form a wire trench opening in the second ILD layer and a via opening in the first ILD layer, creating a via-wire opening. Due to the slower etch rate, the ILD ESL defines the via opening in the first ILD layer as a chamferless via opening. A unitary via-wire conductive structure coupled to the conductive structure in the via-wire opening can be formed from the via-wire opening.

Claim (Index 13):
The method of  claim 10 , wherein the interconnect layer ESL includes an oxygen-doped silicon carbide (SiC:N) layer over an aluminum oxynitride (AlON) layer, and\n wherein the etching to form the via opening removes the SiC:N layer in a bottom of the via opening exposing the AlON layer, and the removing any remaining interconnect layer ESL removes the AlON layer in the bottom of the via opening, exposing the upper surface of the conductive structure.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 20.0
- Percentile: 91.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.10959
- Patent Class: 438.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: none
- Component Type: 0
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15912975', '10379757', '10963268', '14540367', '10246061']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.8838811083401295
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5310442046913286
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.8485974179752495
- Mean Citation Score: 286.899104
- Max Citation Score: 356.33475
- Similarity Product: 259.0032840367556

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test