Importance

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Abstract

A method of preventing or at least reducing the likelihood of bridging between adjacent micro-scale polycrystalline structures, and particularly to reducing electrical shorting between adjacent metallization lines of a microcircuit. The method generally entails forming a multilayer structure that comprises a polycrystalline layer and at least one constraining layer, and then patterning the multilayer structure to yield a first line and a second line that is narrower in width than the first line. The first line has a patterned edge that is spaced apart from a patterned edge of the second line, so that the first and second lines are electrically insulated from each other. One or more features associated with the first line are then formed that prevent bridging between the first and second lines if excessive lateral grain growth subsequently occurs along the patterned edge of the first line. Suitable features include patterning the multilayer structure to form a dummy line between and spaced apart from the first and second lines, patterning holes near the patterned edge of the first line, forming the patterned edge of the first line to have teeth that project toward the second line and are closer to the second line than the remainder of the patterned edge between the teeth, and forming the patterned edge of the first line to be stepped so that the first line has corner regions at opposite ends of the patterned edge that are closer to the second line than the remainder of the patterned edge between the corner regions. The invention also encompasses multilayer structures formed in accordance with the method.

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First Claim