Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Hui OuYang

Matt Yeh

Ming-Huan Tsai

Chun-Fai Cheng

Yen-Ming Chen

Da-Yuan Lee

Yuan-Hung Chiu

Shun Wu Lin

Fan-Yi Hsu

Hun-Jan Tao

Chi-Ming Yang

Li-Te S Lin

Kuang-Yuan Hsu

Xiong-Fei Yu

Ya Hui Chang

Wei-Han Fan

Rita Vos

Jean-Luc Everaert

Laura Nyns

Meng Jun Wang

Ming-Hsi Yeh

Shu-Yuan Ku

Hsien-Hsin Lin

Ming-Jie Huang

Yi-Chen Huang

Shin Hsien Liao

Kuang Yuan Hsu

The present disclosure relates to methods for forming a high-k gate dielectric, the methods comprising the steps of providing a semiconductor substrate, cleaning the substrate, performing a thermal treatment, and performing a high-k dielectric material deposition, wherein said thermal treatment step is performed in a non-oxidizing ambient, leading to the formation of a thin interfacial layer between said semiconductor substrate and said high-k dielectric material and wherein the thickness of said thin interfacial layer is less than 10 &#x212b;.

Methods of forming a semiconductor device by thermally treating a cleaned surface of a semiconductor substrate in a non-oxidizing ambient

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method includes forming at least one material layer over a substrate; performing an end-cut patterning process to form an end-cut pattern overlying the at least one material layer; transferring the end-cut pattern to the at least one material layer; performing a line-cut patterning process after the end-cut patterning process to form a line-cut pattern overlying the at least one material layer; and transferring the line-cut pattern to the at least one material layer.

End-cut first approach for critical dimension control

Methods of forming a semiconductor device

An integrated circuit device and method for manufacturing the integrated circuit device is disclosed. The disclosed method provides improved control over a surface proximity and tip depth of integrated circuit device. In an embodiment, the method achieves improved control by forming a doped region and a lightly doped source and drain (LDD) region in a source and drain region of the device. The doped region is implanted with a dopant type opposite the LDD region.

Integrated circuit device with well controlled surface proximity and method of manufacturing same

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method may include providing a substrate; forming a gate structure including a first dummy gate over the substrate; removing the first dummy gate from the gate structure to form a trench; forming an interfacial layer, high-k dielectric layer, and capping layer to partially fill in the trench; forming a second dummy gate over the capping layer, wherein the second dummy gate fills the trench; and replacing the second dummy gate with a metal gate. In one embodiment, the method may include providing a substrate; forming an interfacial layer over the substrate; forming a high-k dielectric layer over the interfacial layer; forming an etch stop layer over the high-k dielectric layer; forming a capping layer including a low thermal budget silicon over the etch stop layer; forming a dummy gate layer over the capping layer; forming a gate structure; and performing a gate replacement process.

Methods for a gate replacement process

An integrated circuit device is disclosed. The disclosed device provides improved control over a surface proximity and tip depth of integrated circuit devices. An exemplary integrated circuit device disclosed herein has a surface proximity of about 1 nm to about 3 nm and a tip depth of about 5 nm to about 10 nm. The integrated circuit device having such surface proximity and tip depth includes an epi source feature and an epi drain feature defined by a first facet and a second facet of a substrate in a first direction, such as a {111} crystallographic plane of the substrate, and a third facet of the substrate in a second direction, such as a {100} crystallographic plane of the substrate.

Source and drain feature profile for improving device performance

A method is provided for fabricating a semiconductor device. The method includes removing a silicon material from a gate structure located on a substrate through a cycle including: etching the silicon material to remove a portion thereof, where the substrate is spun at a spin rate, applying a cleaning agent to the substrate, and drying the substrate; and repeating the cycle, where a subsequent cycle includes a subsequent spin rate for spinning the substrate during the etching and where the subsequent spin rate does not exceed the spin rate of the previous cycle.

Method for removing dummy poly in a gate last process

A method for fabricating an integrated device is disclosed. The disclosed method provides improved formation selectivity of epitaxial films over a pre-determined region designed for forming an epi film and a protective layer preferred not to form an epi, polycrystalline, or amorphous film thereon during an epi film formation process. In an embodiment, the improved formation selectivity is achieved by providing a nitrogen-rich protective layer to decrease the amount of growth epi, polycrystalline, or amorphous film thereon.

Method of fabricating epitaxial structures

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device is illustrated. A modified profile opening is formed on a substrate. The modified profile opening includes a first width proximate a surface of the substrate and a second width opposing the substrate. The second width is greater than the first width. A metal gate electrode is formed by filling the modified profile opening with a conductive material. A semiconductor device is also described, the device having a metal gate structure with a first width and a second, differing, width.

Modified profile gate structure for semiconductor device and methods of forming thereof

A method for cleaning a diffusion barrier over a gate dielectric of a metal-gate transistor over a substrate is provided. The method includes cleaning the diffusion barrier with a first solution including at least one surfactant. The amount of the surfactant of the first solution is about a critical micelle concentration (CMC) or more. The diffusion barrier is cleaned with a second solution. The second solution has a physical force to remove particles over the diffusion barrier. The second solution is substantially free from interacting with the diffusion barrier.

Methods for forming metal gate transistors

Source and drain feature profile for improving device performance and method of manufacturing same

An integrated circuit device and method for manufacturing the integrated circuit device is disclosed. The disclosed method provides improved control over a surface proximity and tip depth of integrated circuit device. In an embodiment, the method achieves improved control by forming a lightly doped source and drain (LDD) region that acts as an etch stop. The LDD region may act as an etch stop during an etching process implemented to form a recess in the substrate that defines a source and drain region of the device.

Method of manufacturing integrated circuit device with well controlled surface proximity

Growing community of inventors

Chubei, Taiwan

Hui OuYang