International Business Machines Corporation

Hari Prasad Amanapu

Raghuveer Reddy Patlolla

Cornelius Brown Peethala

Chih-Chao Yang

Charan V Surisetty

Kangguo Cheng

Ruilong Xie

Chanro Park

Hemanth Jagannathan

Michael Rizzolo

Su Chen Fan

Christopher Joseph Waskiewicz

Prasad Bhosale

Lawrence Alfred Clevenger

Lars W Liebmann

Takeshi Nogami

Injo Ok

Koichi Motoyama

Kevin W Brew

Nicole A Saulnier

Viraj Yashawant Sardesai

Vimal Kumar Kamineni

Adra Carr

Iqbal Rashid Saraf

James Jay McMahon

Samuel Sung Shik Choi

Steven Michael McDermott

Nicholas V LiCausi

Sugirtha Krishnamurthy

Raghuveer Patiolla

A semiconductor includes a semiconductor substrate having a bottom source/drain region and a vertical semiconductor fin having a bottom end that contacts the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a top source/drain region on a top end of the vertical semiconductor. The top source/drain region is separated from the semiconductor substrate by the vertical semiconductor fin. The semiconductor device further includes an electrically conductive cap on an outer surface of the top source/drain region.

Low-resistance top contact on VTFET

A method for forming a phase-change memory cell includes depositing a metal layer over a wafer such that the metal layer covers connection structures of the wafer. The method further includes removing a portion of the metal layer such that the connection structures of the wafer remain covered by a remaining portion of the metal layer. The method further includes forming a phase-change memory stack on a stack area of the remaining portion of the metal layer. The method further includes removing the remaining portion of the metal layer except in the stack area.

Phase change memory cell galvanic corrosion prevention

Embodiments of the invention include a method of forming a multi-layer integrated circuit (IC) structure that includes forming a first dielectric layer from a first dielectric material. A first conductive interconnect is formed having a first conductive interconnect surface. The first conductive interconnect is positioned in a first portion of the first dielectric layer, and the first conductive interconnect surface has a first conductive interconnect surface area. A second conductive interconnect is formed having a second conductive interconnect surface. The second conductive interconnect is above the first conductive interconnect and positioned in a second portion of the first dielectric layer. The second conductive interconnect surface has a second conductive interconnect surface area that is less than a first conductive interconnect surface area of the first conductive interconnect. A planarization stop region is formed above the second conductive interconnect and in a third portion of the first dielectric layer.

Planarization stop region for use with low pattern density interconnects

A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes forming a first portion of a source/drain contact over a source/drain region of a fin-type field-effect transistor (FinFET), the source/drain region being formed over a fin providing a channel region of the FinFET and being adjacent a gate spacer surrounding a gate region of the FinFET. The method also includes forming a first interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer over the first portion of the source/drain contact, the gate spacer and the gate region, and forming a second ILD layer over the first ILD layer. The method further includes forming a second portion of the source/drain contact over the first portion of the source/drain contact in a first opening in the first ILD layer, and forming a third portion of the source/drain contact over the second portion of the source/drain contact in a second opening in the second ILD layer. The second opening is larger than the first opening.

Middle-of-line contacts with varying contact area providing reduced contact resistance

Techniques are provided to fabricate metallic interconnect structures in a single metallization level, wherein different width metallic interconnect structures are formed of different metallic materials to eliminate or minimize void formation in the metallic interconnect structures. For example, a semiconductor device includes an insulating layer disposed on a substrate, and a first metallic line and a second metallic line formed in the insulating layer. The first metallic line has a first width, and the second metallic line has a second width which is greater than the first width. The first metallic line is formed of a first metallic material, and the second metallic line is formed of a second metallic material, which is different from the first metallic material. For example, the first metallic material is cobalt or ruthenium, and the second metallic material is copper.

Forming dual metallization interconnect structures in single metallization level

Techniques for planarization of dielectric topography that stop in dielectric are provided. In one aspect, a method for planarization includes: depositing a first dielectric onto a wafer having a surface topography with peaks and valleys; depositing a second, different dielectric onto the first dielectric; and polishing the second dielectric down to the first dielectric to form a planar surface at an interface between the first dielectric and the second dielectric. Optionally, a follow-up CMP or etch can be performed using a &#x2dc;1:1 selective polish or etch to completely remove the second dielectric and an equivalent amount of the first dielectric to form a planar surface devoid of the peaks and valleys in the first dielectric. A device structure formed by the present techniques is also provided.

Planarization of dielectric topography and stopping in dielectric

Techniques regarding non-SAC semiconductor devices are provided. For example, one or more embodiments described herein can comprise an apparatus, which can further comprise a gate positioned adjacent a channel region of a semiconductor body for a field effect transistor. The gate can comprise a metal liner, and wherein the metal liner is an interface between a first metal layer of the gate and a second metal layer of the gate.

Non-self aligned contact semiconductor devices

Semiconductor devices including skip via structures and methods of forming the skip via structure include interconnection between two interconnect levels that are separated by at least one other interconnect level, i.e., skip via to connect Mx and Mx+2 interconnect levels, wherein the intervening metallization level (MX+1) is electrically isolated from the skip via. Cap layers in the metallization levels are pre-patterned to provide openings therein generally corresponding to locations of the skip via structure prior to high aspect ratio etching to form the skip via structure.

Skip via for metal interconnects

Embodiments of the invention describe a method of forming an integrated circuit. The method includes forming an active semiconductor device region over a substrate. A first contact structure is formed over the active semiconductor device region, wherein the first contact structure includes a first contact liner material and a first contact body material. A conductive gate structure is formed over the active semiconductor device region, and a first gate cap material is formed on the conductive gate structure. The first contact liner material includes a first etch selectivity responsive to a first etch composition, the first contact body material includes a second etch selectivity responsive to the first etch composition, and the first gate cap material includes a third etch selectivity responsive to the first etch composition. The first etch selectivity is greater than each of the second and third etch selectivies.

Robust gate cap for protecting a gate from downstream metallization etch operations

A substantially flat bottom electrode embedded in a dielectric for magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) devices includes pre-filling the contact via prior to filling the trench with tantalum nitride in a via/trench structure. The top surface of the substantially flat bottom electrode is coplanar to the top surface of the dielectric.

Bottom electrode and dielectric structure for MRAM applications

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a method that includes forming a dielectric region having a dielectric region top surface, wherein the dielectric top surface is substantially planar. A first interconnect structure having a substantially planar interconnect structure top surface with unintended non-planar regions is formed in the dielectric region. A reinforced planarization process is applied that includes recessing the first interconnect structure top surface to a level that is below the dielectric region top surface and the unintended non-planar region, thereby removing the unintended non-planar region and forming a second interconnect structure having a second interconnect structure top surface that is substantially planar; forming a protective cap on the second interconnect structure top surface, wherein the protective cap has a sustantially planer protective cap top surface; and recessing the dielectric region top surface to a level that is substantially planar with the protective cap top surface.

Recessed interconnet line having a low-oxygen cap for facilitating a robust planarization process and protecting the interconnect line from downstream etch operations

BEOL and MOL interconnect structures with a self-forming sidewall barrier layer are provided. In one aspect, a method of forming an interconnect structure includes: patterning a feature(s) in a dielectric; selectively forming a metal layer at a bottom of the at least one feature; depositing a liner layer lining the feature(s), wherein the conformal liner layer includes a metal alloy AB; depositing a metal onto the liner layer to form the interconnect structure; and annealing the interconnect structure under conditions sufficient to form a barrier layer including the component B along vertical sidewalls of the feature(s). A method of forming an interconnect structure including a via and a trench on top of the via is also provided, as is an interconnect structure.

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Guilderland, NY, United States of America

Hari Prasad Amanapu