Globalfoundries Inc.

Hui Zhan

Hong Yu

Haiting Wang

Yi Qi

Jianwei Peng

Hsien-Ching Lo

Jinping Liu

Zhenyu Hu

Yanping Shen

Wei Hong

Ruilong Xie

Hui Zang

John H Zhang

Laertis Economikos

Huang Liu

Xusheng Kevin Wu

Jiehui Shu

Haigou Huang

Kwan-Yong Lim

Suraj Kumar Patil

Huy Cao

Zhao Lun

Bharat V Krishnan

Xinyuan Dou

Tao Han

Bongki Lee

Xing Zhang

Ashish Kumar Jha

Edward Reis

Yong Jun Shi

Charles Vanleuvan

Structures that include a single diffusion break and methods of forming a single diffusion break. A source/drain region is arranged inside a first cavity in a semiconductor fin, and a dielectric layer is arranged inside a second cavity in the semiconductor fin. A liner, which is composed of a dielectric material, includes a section that is arranged inside the second cavity laterally between the dielectric layer and the source/drain region.

Single diffusion breaks formed with liner protection for source and drain regions

One illustrative FinFET device disclosed herein includes a source/drain structure that, when viewed in a cross-section taken through the fin in a direction corresponding to the gate width (GW) direction of the device, comprises a perimeter and a bottom surface. The source/drain structure also has an axial length that extends in a direction corresponding to the gate length (GL) direction of the device. The device also includes a metal silicide material positioned on at least a portion of the perimeter of the source/drain structure for at least a portion of the axial length of the source/drain structure and on at least a portion of the bottom surface of the source/drain structure for at least a portion of the axial length of the source/drain structure.

FinFET device with a wrap-around silicide source/drain contact structure

In conjunction with a replacement metal gate (RMG) process for forming a fin field effect transistor (FinFET), gate isolation methods and associated structures leverage the formation of distinct narrow and wide gate cut regions in a sacrificial gate. The formation of a narrow gate cut between closely-spaced fins can decrease the extent of etch damage to interlayer dielectric layers located adjacent to the narrow gate cut by delaying the deposition of such dielectric layers until after formation of the narrow gate cut opening. The methods and resulting structures also decrease the propensity for short circuits between later-formed, adjacent gates.

Method of manufacturing finfet devices using narrow and wide gate cut openings in conjunction with a replacement metal gate process

A shallow trench isolation (STI) structure is formed from a conventional STI trench structure formed of first dielectric material extending into the substrate. The conventional STI structure undergoes further processing, including removing a first portion of the dielectric material and adjacent portions of the semiconductor substrate to create a first recess, and then removing another portion of the dielectric material to create a second recess in just the dielectric material. A nitride layer is formed above remaining dielectric material and on the sidewalls of the substrate. A second dielectric material is formed on the spacer layer and fills the remainder of first and second recesses. The nitride layer provides an 'inner spacer' between the first insulating material and the second insulating material and also separates the substrate from the second insulating material. An isotropic Fin reveal process is performed and the STI structure assists in equalizing fin heights and increasing active S/D region area/volume.

STI inner spacer to mitigate SDB loading

One illustrative method disclosed includes, among other things, forming a gate around an initial fin structure and above a layer of insulating material, and performing a fin trimming process on an exposed portion of the initial fin structure in the source/drain region so as to produce a reduced-size fin portion positioned above a surface of a layer of insulating material in the source/drain region of the device, wherein the the reduced-size fin portion has a second size that is less than the first size. In this example, the method also includes forming a conformal epi semiconductor material on the reduced-size fin portion and forming a conductive source/drain contact structure that is conductively coupled to and wrapped around the conformal epi semiconductor material.

Methods of forming epi semiconductor material on a thinned fin in the source/drain regions of a FinFET device

The disclosure relates to forming single diffusion break (SDB) and end isolation regions in an integrated circuit (IC) structure, and resulting structures. An IC structure according to the disclosure includes: a plurality of fins positioned on a substrate; a plurality of gate structures each positioned on the plurality of fins and extending transversely across the plurality of fins; an insulator region positioned on and extending transversely across the plurality of fins between a pair of the plurality of gate structures; at least one single diffusion break (SDB) region positioned within the insulator region and one of the plurality of fins, the at least one SDB extending from an upper surface of the substrate to an upper surface of the insulator region; and an end isolation region positioned laterally adjacent to a lateral end of one of the plurality of gate structures.

Integrated circuit structure including single diffusion break and end isolation region, and methods of forming same

One illustrative method disclosed includes, among other things, forming a fin spacer adjacent a lower portion of a fin that is comprised of a fin spacer material, forming a conformal layer of a second spacer material on the exposed sidewalls and the upper surface of the fin, on the fin spacer and adjacent a gate structure of the FinFET device, wherein the second spacer material is a different material than the fin spacer material, performing an etching process to remove the second conformal layer from above the fin spacer to thereby re-expose the sidewalls of the fin above the fin spacer and the upper surface of the fin while forming a gate spacer comprising the second spacer material adjacent the gate structure, and forming an epi semiconductor material on the exposed sidewalls and upper surface of the fins above the first fin spacer.

Methods of forming EPI semiconductor material on the source/drain regions of a FinFET device

Methods of facilitating fabrication of circuit structures are provided which include, for instance: providing a structure with a film layer; modifying an etch property of the film layer by implanting at least one species of element or molecule into the upper portion of the film layer, the etch property of the film layer remaining unmodified beneath the upper portion; and subjecting the structure and film layer with the modified etch property to an etching process, the modified etch property of the film layer facilitating the etching process. Modifying the etch property of the upper portion of the film layer may include making the upper portion of the film layer preferentially susceptible or preferentially resistant to the etching process depending on the circuit fabrication approach being facilitated.

Facilitating etch processing of a thin film via partial implantation thereof

A semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate, an active region and a dummy gate structure disposed over the active region. A sacrificial conformal layer, including a bottom oxide layer and a top nitride layer are provided over the dummy gate structure and active region to protect the dummy gate during source and drain implantation. The active region is implanted using dopants such as, a n-type dopant or a p-type dopant to create a source region and a drain region in the active region, after which the sacrificial conformal layer is removed.

Reducing gate expansion after source and drain implant in gate last process

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Clifton Park, NY, United States of America

Hui Zhan