Globalfoundries U.S. Inc.

Globalfoundries Inc.

Khalifa University

Dirk Utess

Irfan Abdulqayyum Saadat

Zhixing Zhao

Dominik M Kleimaier

Florent Ravaux

Dmytro Chumakov

Frank Koschinsky

Bernd Hintze

Peter Philipp Steinmann

Stephanie Wilhelm

The present disclosure relates to semiconductor structures and, more particularly, to a layout optimization for radio frequency (RF) device performance and methods of manufacture. The structure includes: a first active device on a substrate; source and drain diffusion regions adjacent to the first active device; and a first contact in electrical contact with the source and drain diffusion regions and which is spaced away from the first active device to optimize a stress component in a channel region of the first active device.

Stress layout optimization for device performance

One illustrative integrated circuit product disclosed herein comprises first and second spaced-apart P-active regions positioned on a buried insulation layer positioned on a base substrate, at least one first PFET transistor in the first P-active region, and a plurality of second PFET transistors in the second P-active region, wherein the first P-active region has a first length (in the gate length direction of the device) and the second P-active region has a second length that is greater than the first length and wherein the number of second PFET transistors is greater than the number of first PFET transistors. In this example, the product also includes a tensile-stressed layer of material positioned on the at least one first PFET transistor and above the first P-active region and a compressive-stressed layer of material positioned on the plurality of second PFET transistors and above the second P-active region.

Methods to reduce or prevent strain relaxation on PFET devices and corresponding novel IC products

A method of providing a semiconductor structure comprising a diffusion barrier layer and a seed layer, the seed layer comprising an alloy of copper and a metal other than copper, depositing an electrically conductive material on the seed layer, performing an annealing process, wherein at least a first portion of the metal other than copper diffuses away from a vicinity of the diffusion barrier layer through the electrically conductive material, and wherein, in case of a defect in the diffusion barrier layer, a second portion of the metal other than copper indicative of the defect remains in a vicinity of the defect, measuring a distribution of the metal other than copper in at least a portion of the semiconductor structure, and determining, from the measured distribution of the metal other than copper, if the second portion of the metal other than copper is present.

Method for detecting defects in a diffusion barrier layer

In complex semiconductor devices, the contact characteristics may be efficiently determined on the basis of a test structure which includes a combination of interconnect chain structures and a comb structure including gate electrode structures. Consequently, an increased amount of measurement information may be obtained on the basis of a reduced overall floor space of the test structure. In this manner, the complex manufacturing sequence for forming a contact level of a semiconductor device may be quantitatively estimated and monitored.

Test structure for ILD void testing and contact resistance measurement in a semiconductor device

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Dresden, Germany

Dirk Utess