International Business Machines Corporation

Universiteit Gent

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Sck-cen

Christophe Detavernier

Christian Lavoie

Cyril Cabral, Jr

Roy Arthur Carruthers

Simon Gaudet

Huiling Shang

Davy Deduytsche

Katherine Lynn Saenger

Kenneth Parker Rodbell

Rajarao Jammy

Conal Eugene Murray

Phaedon Avouris

Hon-Sum Philip Wong

James M E Harper

Jia Chen

Johan Adriaan Martens

James M Harper

Cedrik Y Coia

Sven Van Den Berghe

Ann Leenaers

Amit Kumar Roy

Sreeprasanth Pulinthanathu Sree

Cedrik Y Cole

Johan Haemers

Johan Martens

A system for combinatorial deposition of a thin layer on a substrate is described. The system comprises at least one deposition material source holder and a substrate holder. The system also comprises a rotatable positioning system for subsequently positioning the at least one substrate in parallel and in non-parallel configuration with at least one deposition material source. The system comprises at least one mask holder arranged for positioning a mask between at least one of the target holder and the positioning system, for allowing variation of the material flux across the at least one substrate when the combinatorial deposition is performed. The mask holder is in a fixed arrangement with respect to the at least one deposition material source holder during the combinatorial depositing.

Deposition tool for combinatorial thin film material libraries

A method is described for providing a hydrophilic effect to a fluoropolymer, e.g. polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) material. The method comprises obtaining an at least partly hydrophobic fluoropolymer material, applying a plasma and/or ozone activation step and depositing an inorganic coating using an atomic layer deposition process. Plasma activation step and/or said atomic layer deposition process thereby comprises using process parameters determining a high interaction probability between one or more precursors for the atomic layer deposition process and the fluoropolymer material so as to obtain a coated fluoropolymer material having a contact angle with water below 30&#xb0;.

Methods for obtaining hydrophilic fluoropolymers

A method is described for producing nuclear fuel products, including the steps of receiving metallic or intermetallic uranium-based fuel particle cores, providing at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer surrounding the fuel particle core and embedding the nuclear fuel particles in a matrix so as to form a powder mixture of matrix material and coated fuel particles. The at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer may include inhibitors of inhibiting, stabilizing and/or reducing interaction between metallic and intermetallic uranium-based fuel particles cores and the matrix wherein the fuel particles typically may be embedded. The deposited coating layer may include neutron poisons.

Coated nuclear reactor fuel particles

The present invention relates to the use of atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques to enhance the acid catalytic activity of nanoporous materials.

Enhancing catalytic activity of nanoporous materials

A method for forming germano-silicide contacts atop a Ge-containing layer that is more resistant to etching than are conventional silicide contacts that are formed from a pure metal is provided. The method of the present invention includes first providing a structure which comprises a plurality of gate regions located atop a Ge-containing substrate having source/drain regions therein. After this step of the present invention, a Si-containing metal layer is formed atop the said Ge-containing substrate. In areas that are exposed, the Ge-containing substrate is in contact with the Si-containing metal layer. Annealing is then performed to form a germano-silicide compound in the regions in which the Si-containing metal layer and the Ge-containing substrate are in contact; and thereafter, any unreacted Si-containing metal layer is removed from the structure using a selective etch process. In some embodiments, an additional annealing step can follow the removal step. The method of the present invention provides a structure having a germano-silicide contact layer atop a Ge-containing substrate, wherein the germano-silicide contact layer contains more Si than the underlying Ge-containing substrate.

Self-aligned metal to form contacts to Ge containing substrates and structure formed thereby

A semiconductor device such as a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) including at least one FET that includes a gate electrode including a metal carbide and method of fabrication are provided. The CMOS comprises dual work function metal gate electrodes whereby the dual work functions are provided by a metal and a carbide of a metal.

Metal carbide gate structure and method of fabrication

A method for forming a stabilized metal silicide film, e.g., contact (source/drain or gate), that does not substantially agglomerate during subsequent thermal treatments, is provided In the present invention, ions that are capable of attaching to defects within the Si-containing layer are implanted into the Si-containing layer prior to formation of metal silicide. The implanted ions stabilize the film, because the implants were found to substantially prevent agglomeration or at least delay agglomeration to much higher temperatures than in cases in which no implants were used.

Stabilization of Ni monosilicide thin films in CMOS devices using implantation of ions before silicidation

The present invention provides a method for producing thin nickel (Ni) monosilicide or NiSi films (having a thickness on the order of about 30 nm or less), as contacts in CMOS devices wherein an amorphous Ni alloy silicide layer is formed during annealing which eliminates (i.e., completely by-passing) the formation of metal-rich silicide layers. By eliminating the formation of the metal-rich silicide layers, the resultant NiSi film formed has improved surface roughness as compared to a NiSi film formed from a metal-rich silicide phase. The method of the present invention also forms Ni monosilicide films without experiencing any dependence of the dopant type concentration within the Si-containing substrate that exists with the prior art NiSi films.

Eliminating metal-rich silicides using an amorphous Ni alloy silicide structure

A method that solves the increased nucleation temperature that is exhibited during the formation of cobalt disilicides in the presence of Ge atoms is provided. The reduction in silicide formation temperature is achieved by first providing a structure including a Co layer including at least Ni, as an additive element, on top of a SiGe containing substrate. Next, the structure is subjected to a self-aligned silicide process which includes a first anneal, a selective etching step and a second anneal to form a solid solution of (Co, Ni) disilicide on the SiGe containing substrate. The Co layer including at least Ni can comprise an alloy layer of Co and Ni, a stack of Ni/Co or a stack of Co/Ni. A semiconductor structure including the solid solution of (Co, Ni) disilicide on the SiGe containing substrate is also provided.

Reduction of silicide formation temperature on SiGe containing substrates

A method for providing a low resistance non-agglomerated Ni monosilicide contact that is useful in semiconductor devices. Where the inventive method of fabricating a substantially non-agglomerated Ni alloy monosilicide comprises the steps of: forming a metal alloy layer over a portion of a Si-containing substrate, wherein said metal alloy layer comprises of Ni and one or multiple alloying additive(s), where said alloying additive is Ti, V, Ge, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Rh, Pd or Pt or mixtures thereof; annealing the metal alloy layer at a temperature to convert a portion of said metal alloy layer into a Ni alloy monosilicide layer; and removing remaining metal alloy layer not converted into Ni alloy monosilicide. The alloying additives are selected for phase stability and to retard agglomeration. The alloying additives most efficient in retarding agglomeration are most efficient in producing silicides with low sheet resistance.

Retarding agglomeration of Ni monosilicide using Ni alloys

A method for forming a stabilized metal silicide film, e.g., contact (source/drain or gate), that does not substantially agglomerate during subsequent thermal treatments, is provided. In the present invention, ions that are capable of attaching to defects within the Si-containing layer are implanted into the Si-containing layer prior to formation of metal silicide. The implanted ions stabilize the film, because the implants were found to substantially prevent agglomeration or at least delay agglomeration to much higher temperatures than in cases in which no implants were used.

A semiconductor device such as a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) comprising at least one FET that comprises a gate electrode comprising a metal carbide and method of fabrication are provided. The CMOS comprises dual work function metal gate electrodes whereby the dual work functions are provided by a metal and a carbide of a metal.

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Denderleeuw, Belgium

Christophe Detavernier