PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15996099
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-06
Publication Date: 2018-10
Patent Classification: ["438", "702000"]

Abstract:
Patterning techniques are disclosed that can relax overlay requirements and/or increase integrated circuit design flexibility. An exemplary method includes forming a first set of fins and a second set of fins having different etch sensitivities on a material layer. The fins of the second set of fins are interspersed between the fins of the first set of fins. A first patterning process removes a subset of the first set of fins and a portion of the material layer underlying the subset of the first set of fins. The first patterning process avoids substantial removal of an exposed portion of the second set of fins. A second patterning process removes a subset of the second set of fins and a portion of the material layer underlying the subset of the second set of fins. The second patterning process avoids substantial removal of an exposed portion of the first set of fins.

Claim (Index 16):
A method comprising:\n forming a fin patterning layer that includes a first spacer material, a second spacer material, and a third spacer material over a material layer of a workpiece, wherein the first spacer material defines a first set of fins and the third spacer material defines a second set of fins, wherein the second spacer material separates each fin of the first set of fins from each fin of the second set of fins, and wherein the first spacer material, the second spacer material, and the third spacer material are different materials; performing a first fin-cut process that includes:\n forming a first patterned resist layer over the fin patterning layer, wherein the first patterned resist layer exposes a first subset of the first set of fins, a first subset of the second set of fins, and a first subset of the second spacer material, \n selectively etching the first subset of the first set of fins to expose a first portion of the material layer, and \n selectively etching the exposed first portion of the material layer, thereby forming a first recess in the material layer; \n performing a second fin-cut process that includes:\n forming a second patterned resist layer over the fin patterning layer, wherein the second patterned resist layer exposes a second subset of the first set of fins, a second subset of the second set of fins, and a second subset of the second spacer material, \n selectively etching the second subset of the second set of fins to expose a second portion of the material layer, and \n selectively etching the exposed second portion of the material layer, thereby forming a second recess in the material layer; \n depositing a fill material in the first recess and the second recess; and removing the fin patterning layer and the material layer.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 2.0
- Percentile: 94.0
- Lexical Diversity: 3.07843
- Patent Class: 438.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['14689288', '14835495', '15477588', '15990147', '15684282']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.8345623870182678
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5282899900792364
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.8039351473243647
- Mean Citation Score: 240.767746
- Max Citation Score: 334.17044
- Similarity Product: 264.45667525867697

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