Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Chih-Chuan Yang

Shih-Hao Lin

Ping-Wei Wang

Kuo-Hsiu Hsu

Kian-Long Lim

Chia-Hao Pao

Hsin-Wen Su

Yu-Kuan Lin

Lien Jung Hung

Feng-Ming Chang

Lien-Jung Hung

Chang-Ta Yang

Jing-Yi Lin

Wen-Chun Keng

Chih-Hsuan Chen

Chien-Chih Lin

Chia-Wei Chen

Chih-Yu Hsu

Chong-De Lien

Choh Fei Yeap

Ming-Shuan Li

Chih-Hsiang Huang

Chao-Yuan Chang

Jui-Wen Chang

Shang-Rong Li

Chien-Yuan Chen

Chih-Wei Lee

Jui-Lin Chen

Bwo-Ning Chen

Yung-Hsiang Chan

Jo-Chun Hung

Ruey-Wen Chang

Cha-Hon Chou

Chenchen Jacob Wang

Ming-Yen Chuang

A method includes receiving a structure that includes a substrate including a first well region having a first dopant type and a second well region having a second dopant type that is opposite to the first dopant type; and fins extending above the substrate. The method further includes forming a patterned etch mask on the structure, wherein the patterned etch mask provides an opening that is directly above a first fin of the fins, wherein the first fin is directly above the first well region. The method further includes etching the structure through the patterned etch mask, wherein the etching removes the first fin and forms a recess in the substrate that spans from the first well region into the second well region; and forming a dielectric material between remaining portions of the fins and within the recess.

FinFET circuit devices with well isolation

A method includes providing a substrate, a source/drain (S/D) feature and semiconductor channel layers over the substrate, a high-k metal gate (HKMG) wrapping around the channel layers, a dielectric cap over the HKMG, a contact etch stop layer (CESL) over the S/D feature and on sidewalls of the dielectric cap and the HKMG, and an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer over the CESL. The channel layers are spaced one from another along a direction perpendicular to a top surface of the substrate and connect to the S/D feature. The method further includes etching the ILD layer and the CESL to expose a top portion of the S/D feature; etching the S/D feature, resulting in a S/D contact trench, wherein a bottom surface of the S/D contact trench is below an upper surface of a bottommost layer of the channel layers; and forming a metallic contact in the S/D contact trench.

Method and structure for gate-all-around devices with deep S/D contacts

A memory device includes a memory array having a plurality of memory cells. Each memory cell of the plurality of memory cells is connected to a word line to apply a first signal to select the memory cell to read data from or write the data to the memory cell and a bit line to read the data from the memory cell or provide the data to write to the memory cell upon selecting the memory cell by the word line. A first bit line portion of the bit line connected to a first memory cell of the plurality of memory cells abuts a second bit line portion of the bit line connected to a second memory cell of the plurality of memory cells. The first memory cell is adjacent to the second memory cell.

Macro and SRAM bit cell cooptimizatoin for performance (long/shortwordline combo SRAM)

Some embodiments relate to a memory device. The memory device includes a transistor having a first source/drain (S/D) region and a second S/D region, a first S/D contact disposed over the first S/D region, the first S/D contact extending lengthwise in a first direction, a second S/D contact disposed over the second S/D region, a first via landing on the first S/D contact, the first via extending lengthwise in a second direction different from the first direction, a second via landing on the second S/D contact, the first via having a length measured in the second direction that is larger than the second via, a first conductive line coupled to the first via, a second conductive line coupled to the second via, and a memory structure disposed above the transistor and coupled to the second conductive line.

Memory device and method of forming the same

A method includes forming an anti-punch-through layer over a first region and a second region of a substrate, forming a semiconductor layer over the anti-punch-through layer, patterning the semiconductor layer and the anti-punch-through layer to form a first plurality of fins over the first region and a second plurality of fins over the second region, and forming a patterned resist layer over the first plurality of fins and the second plurality of fins. The method also includes recessing a portion of the substrate between the first plurality of fins and the second plurality of fins in an etching process through openings of the patterned resist layer.

Crown bulk for FinFET device

A test structure on a wafer is provided. The test structure includes a plurality of cells under test, a plurality of first input pads, and a plurality of second input pads. The cells are arranged in rows and columns of a test array. Each of the first input pads is coupled to the cells in respective column of the test array. Each of the second input pads is coupled to the cells in respective row of the test array. one of the cells which is coupled to one of the first input pads and one of the second input pads is turned on, and a current flowing through the turned-on cell is measured.

Test structure and test method thereof

A memory cell includes first through fifth gate structures that each extend along a first lateral direction, a first active structure extending along a second lateral direction and overlaid by respective first portions of the first to fourth gate structures, a second active structure extending along the second lateral direction and overlaid by respective second portions of the first to fourth gate structures, and a third active structure extending along the second lateral direction and overlaid by respective third portions of the third and fifth gate structures. In some embodiments, the first and second gate structures are aligned with each other, with the fourth and fifth gate structures aligned with a first segment and a second segment of the third gate structure, respectively. In some embodiments, the second lateral direction perpendicular to the first lateral direction.

SRAM design with four-poly-pitch

The present disclosure describes a method for memory cell placement. The method can include placing a memory cell region in a layout area and placing a well pick-up region and a first power supply routing region along a first side of the memory cell region. The method also includes placing a second power supply routing region and a bitline jumper routing region along a second side of the memory cell region, where the second side is on an opposite side to that of the first side. The method further includes placing a device region along the second side of the memory cell region, where the bitline jumper routing region is between the second power supply routing region and the device region.

Static random access memory layout

Nanostructure field-effect transistors (NSFETs) including isolation layers formed between epitaxial source/drain regions and semiconductor substrates and methods of forming the same are disclosed. In an embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate; a gate stack over the semiconductor substrate, the gate stack including a gate electrode and a gate dielectric layer; a first epitaxial source/drain region adjacent the gate stack; and a high-k dielectric layer extending between the semiconductor substrate and the first epitaxial source/drain region, the high-k dielectric layer contacting the first epitaxial source/drain region, the gate dielectric layer and the high-k dielectric layer including the same material.

Semiconductor device and method

A method of fabricating a device includes providing a fin element in a device region and forming a dummy gate over the fin element. In some embodiments, the method further includes forming a source/drain feature within a source/drain region adjacent to the dummy gate. In some cases, the source/drain feature includes a bottom region and a top region contacting the bottom region at an interface interposing the top and bottom regions. In some embodiments, the method further includes performing a plurality of dopant implants into the source/drain feature. In some examples, the plurality of dopant implants includes implantation of a first dopant within the bottom region and implantation of a second dopant within the top region. In some embodiments, the first dopant has a first graded doping profile within the bottom region, and the second dopant has a second graded doping profile within the top region.

Multi-gate device and related methods

A method includes forming a first semiconductor fin and a second semiconductor fin over a substrate; forming a first gate structure over the substrate and crossing the first semiconductor fin; forming a second gate structure over the substrate and crossing the second semiconductor fin; forming a first gate spacer on a sidewall of the first gate structure; and forming a second gate spacer on a sidewall of the second gate structure, wherein in a top view, an outer sidewall of the first gate spacer farthest from the first gate structure is coterminous with an outer sidewall of the second gate spacer farthest from the second gate structure, and an inner sidewall of the first gate spacer in contact with the first gate structure is misaligned with an inner sidewall of the second gate spacer in contact with the second gate structure.

Memory device and method for forming the same

The present disclosure describes a memory structure including a memory cell array. The memory cell array includes memory cells and first n-type wells extending in a first direction. The memory structure also includes a second n-type well formed in a peripheral region of the memory structure. The second n-type well extends in a second direction and is in contact with a first n-type well of the first n-type wells. The memory structure further includes a pick-up region formed in the second n-type well. The pick-up region is electrically coupled to the first n-type well of first n-type wells.

Shared pick-up regions for memory devices

A method of fabricating a device includes providing a fin extending from a substrate in a device type region, where the fin includes a plurality of semiconductor channel layers. In some embodiments, the method further includes forming a gate structure over the fin. Thereafter, in some examples, the method includes removing a portion of the plurality of semiconductor channel layers within a source/drain region adjacent to the gate structure to form a trench in the source/drain region. In some cases, the method further includes after forming the trench, depositing an adhesion layer within the source/drain region along a sidewall surface of the trench. In various embodiments, and after depositing the adhesion layer, the method further includes epitaxially growing a continuous first source/drain layer over the adhesion layer along the sidewall surface of the trench.

A semiconductor structure includes a first pair of source/drain features (S/D), a first stack of channel layers connected to the first pair of S/D, a second pair of S/D, and a second stack of channel layers connected to the second pair of S/D. The first pair of S/D each include a first epitaxial layer having a first dopant, a second epitaxial layer having a second dopant and disposed over the first epitaxial layer and connected to the first stack of channel layers, and a third epitaxial layer having a third dopant and disposed over the second epitaxial layer. The second pair of S/D each include a fourth epitaxial layer having a fourth dopant and connected to the second stack of channel layers, and a fifth epitaxial layer having a fifth dopant and disposed over the fourth epitaxial layer. The first dopant through the fourth dopant are of different species.

Nano-sheet-based complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor devices with asymmetric inner spacers

Well pick-up (WPU) regions are disclosed herein for improving performance of memory arrays, such as static random access memory arrays. An exemplary semiconductor device includes a circuit region, a first WPU region, second WPU region, a first well of a first conductivity type, and a second well of a second conductivity type. The circuit region, the first WPU region, and the second WPU region are arranged along a first direction in sequence. The first well has a first portion disposed in the circuit region and a second portion disposed in the first WPU region. The second well has a first portion disposed in the circuit region, a second portion disposed in the first WPU region, and a third potion disposed in the second WPU region. Measured along the first direction a width of the first WPU region is less than a width of the second WPU region.

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Chih-Chuan Yang