Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Chih-Wei Chiang

Ding-I Liu

Po-Hsiung Leu

Wen-Long Lee

Kuang-Cheng Wu

The method for forming a semiconductor structure includes forming a protection layer having a first portion and a second portion over a substrate and forming a dummy gate layer over the first portion and the second portion of the protection layer. The method for forming a semiconductor structure further includes patterning the dummy gate layer to form a dummy gate structure over the first portion of the protection layer and forming a spacer on a sidewall of the dummy gate structure over a second portion of the protection layer. The method for forming a semiconductor structure further includes replacing the first portion of the protection layer and the dummy gate structure by a gate dielectric layer and a gate electrode layer. In addition, a thickness of the protection layer is greater than a thickness of the gate dielectric layer.

Semiconductor structure with protection layer

Some embodiments relate to an integrated circuit (IC). The IC includes a semiconductor substrate having an upper surface with a source region and drain region proximate thereto. A channel region is disposed in the substrate between the source region and the drain region. A gate electrode is disposed over the channel region and separated from the channel region by a gate dielectric. Sidewall spacers are formed about opposing sidewalls of the gate electrode. Upper outer edges of the sidewall spacers extend outward beyond corresponding lower outer edges of the sidewall spacers. A liner is disposed about opposing sidewalls of the sidewall spacers and has a first thickness at an upper portion of liner and a second thickness at a lower portion of the liner. The first thickness is less than the second thickness. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

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Zhubei, Taiwan

Chih-Wei Chiang