Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Chia Ming Liang

Harry-Hak-Lay Chuang

Bao-Ru Young

Wei Cheng Wu

Meng-Fang Hsu

Kong-Pin Chang

Ching-Feng Fu

Shih-Ting Hung

Jin-Aun Ng

Yi-Shien Mor

Huai-Hsien Chiu

Chi-Hsin Chang

Yi-Juei Lee

Wei-Cheng Wu

Ming Zhu

Sheng-Chen Chung

Li-Wei Yin

Ryan Chia-jen Chen

Tzu-Wen Pan

Sin-Hua Wu

Jih-Sheng Yang

Shih-Chieh Chao

Provided are structures and methods for forming structures with sloping surfaces of a desired profile. An exemplary method includes performing a first etch process to differentially etch a gate material to a recessed surface, wherein the recessed surface includes a first horn at a first edge, a second horn at a second edge, and a valley located between the first horn and the second horn; depositing an etch-retarding layer over the recessed surface, wherein the etch-retarding layer has a central region over the valley and has edge regions over the horns, and wherein the central region of the etch-retarding layer is thicker than the edge regions of the etch-retarding layer; and performing a second etch process to recess the horns to establish the gate material with a desired profile.

Tunable structure profile

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes receiving a silicon substrate having an isolation feature disposed on the substrate and a well adjacent the isolation feature, wherein the well includes a first dopant. The method also includes etching a recess to remove a portion of the well and epitaxially growing a silicon layer (EPI layer) in the recess to form a channel, wherein the channel includes a second dopant. The method also includes forming a barrier layer between the well and the EPI layer, the barrier layer including at least one of either silicon carbon or silicon oxide. The barrier layer can be formed either before or after the channel. The method further includes forming a gate electrode disposed over the channel and forming a source and drain in the well.

Method for fabricating a semiconductor device

Integrated circuit devices having optimized fin critical dimension loading are disclosed herein. An exemplary integrated circuit device includes a core region that includes a first multi-fin structure and an input/output region that includes a second multi-fin structure. The first multi-fin structure has a first width and the second multi-fin structure has a second width. The first width is greater than the second width. In some implementations, the first multi-fin structure has a first fin spacing and the second multi-fin structure has a second fin spacing. The first fin spacing is less than the second fin spacing. In some implementations, a first adjacent fin pitch of the first multi-fin structure is greater than or equal to three times a minimum fin pitch and a second adjacent fin pitch of the second multi-fin structure is less than or equal to two times the minimum fin pitch.

Fin critical dimension loading optimization

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method. In this method, a semiconductor substrate, which has an active region disposed in the semiconductor substrate, is received. A shallow trench isolation (STI) structure is formed to laterally surround the active region. An upper surface of the active region bounded by the STI structure is recessed to below an upper surface of the STI structure. The recessed upper surface extends continuously between inner sidewalls of the STI structure and leaves upper portions of the inner sidewalls of the STI structure exposed. A semiconductor layer is epitaxially grown on the recessed surface of the active region between the inner sidewalls of the STI structure. A gate dielectric is formed over the epitaxially-grown semiconductor layer. A conductive gate electrode is formed over the gate dielectric.

Silicon recess etch and epitaxial deposit for shallow trench isolation (STI)

A method includes forming a PMOS device. The method includes forming a gate dielectric layer over a semiconductor substrate and in a PMOS region, forming a first metal-containing layer over the gate dielectric layer and in the PMOS region, performing a treatment on the first metal-containing layer in the PMOS region using an oxygen-containing process gas, and forming a second metal-containing layer over the first metal-containing layer and in the PMOS region. The second metal-containing layer has a work function lower than a mid-gap work function of silicon. The first metal-containing layer and the second metal-containing layer form a gate of the PMOS device.

CMOS devices with metal gates and methods for forming the same

The embodiments described provide methods and semiconductor device areas for etching an active area region on a semiconductor body and epitaxially depositing a semiconductor layer overlying the active region. The methods enable the mitigation or elimination of problems encountered in subsequent manufacturing associated with STI divots.

Silicon recess ETCH and epitaxial deposit for shallow trench isolation (STI)

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Taipei, Taiwan

Chia Ming Liang