Imec Vzw

Globalfoundries Inc.

Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Globalfoundries U.S. Inc.

Juergen Boemmels

Julien Ryckaert

Ralf Richter

Christopher Wilson

Robert Seidel

Pieter Weckx

Basoene Briggs

Guillaume Bouche

Francky Catthoor

Frank Feustel

Boon Teik Chan

Naoto Horiguchi

Zsolt Tokei

Eugenio Dentoni Litta

Edouard Giacomin

Kai Frohberg

Matthias Lehr

Thomas Werner

Matthias Schaller

Axel Preusse

Carsten Peters

Praveen Raghavan

Thomas Foltyn

Holger S Schuehrer

Markus Nopper

Frederic Lazzarino

Sven Mueller

Anshul Gupta

Thomas Ortleb

Syed Muhammad Yasser Sherazi

Katia Devriendt

Peter Debacker

Yong Kong Siew

Farid Sebaai

According to an aspect of the present inventive concept there is provided a method for forming a first and a second transistor structure, wherein the first and second transistor structures are spaced apart by an insulating wall, and the method comprising:

Method for forming transistor structures

According to an aspect of the present inventive concept there is provided 3D IC, comprising:

3D integrated count

In one aspect, a method of forming a semiconductor device can comprise forming a first transistor structure and a second transistor structure separated by a first trench which comprises a first dielectric wall protruding above a top surface of the transistor structures. The first and the second transistor structures each can comprise a plurality of stacked nanosheets forming a channel structure, and a source portion and a drain portion horizontally separated by the channel structure. The method further can comprise depositing a contact material over the transistor structures and the first dielectric wall, thereby filling the first trench and contacting a first source/drain portion of the first transistor structure and a first source/drain portion of the second transistor structure. Further, the method can comprise etching back the contact material layer below a top surface of the first dielectric wall, thereby forming a first contact contacting the first source/drain portion of the first transistor structure, and a second contact contacting the first source/drain portion of the second transistor structure.

Self-aligned contacts for walled nanosheet and forksheet field effect transistor devices

In one aspect, a method can include forming, by self-aligned multiple patterning, a first pattern of regularly spaced mandrels on a layer to be patterned; forming hard mask spacers on sidewalls of the mandrels, thereby forming a second pattern formed of assemblies comprising a mandrel and hard mask spacers on sidewalls thereof; and etching the second pattern in the layer to be patterned.

Self-aligned layer patterning

In one aspect, a method of forming a semiconductor device, can comprise forming a first transistor structure and a second transistor structure separated by a trench. The first and the second transistor structures can comprise a plurality of stacked nanosheets forming a channel structure, and a source portion and a drain portion horizontally separated by the channel structure. A first and a second spacer can beformed in the trench at sidewalls of the transistor structures, both protruding above a top surface of the transistor structures. The method can comprise applying a first mask layer including an opening exposing the first spacer at a first source/drain portion of the first transistor structure and covering the second spacer, partially etching the exposed first spacer through the opening, exposing at least parts of a sidewall of the first source/drain portion of the first transistor structure, and removing the mask layer. The method can further comprise depositing a contact material over the transistor structures and the first and second spacer, filling the trench and contacting the first source/drain portion of the first transistor structure, and etching back the contact material layer below a top surface of the second spacer.

Self-aligned contacts for nanosheet field effect transistor devices

3D integrated circuit

A method of forming an interconnect structure for a standard cell semiconductor device is disclosed. In one aspect, the method includes forming metal lines along respective routing tracks, wherein forming the metal lines includes depositing, on a first dielectric layer covering the active regions of the cell, a metal layer and a capping layer on the metal layer; patterning the capping layer and the metal layer to form first and second capped off-center metal lines extending along first and second off-center tracks, respectively; forming spacer lines on sidewalls of the capped off-center metal lines; and embedding the spacer-provided capped off-center metal lines in a second dielectric layer. The method further includes patterning a set of trenches in the second dielectric layer. The set of trenches includes a center trench extending along a center track between the spacer-provided capped off-center lines, and a first and a second edge trench extending along first and second edge tracks, respectively, on mutually opposite outer sides of the spacer-provided capped off-center metal lines. The method further includes forming a center metal line in the center trench, and a first and a second edge metal line in the first and second edge trenches, respectively.

Standard cell device and method of forming an interconnect structure for a standard cell device

The disclosed technology generally relates to semiconductor devices, and more particularly to a static random access memory (SRAM) having vertical channel transistors and methods of forming the same. In an aspect, a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate and a semiconductor bottom electrode region formed on the substrate and including a first region, a second region and a third region arranged side-by-side. The second region is arranged between the first and the third regions. A first vertical channel transistor, a second vertical channel transistor and a third vertical channel transistor are arranged on the first region, the second region and the third region, respectively. The first, second and third regions are doped such that a first p-n junction is formed between the first and the second regions and a second p-n junction is formed between the second and third regions. A connection region is formed in the bottom electrode region underneath the first, second and third regions, wherein the connection region and the first and third regions are doped with a dopant of a same type. A resistance of a path extending between the first and the third regions through the connection region is lower than a resistance of a path extending between the first and the third regions through the second region. A second aspect is a method of forming the semiconductor device of the first aspect.

Semiconductor device having vertical transistors and method of forming same

The disclosed technology generally relates to semiconductor devices and more particularly to a semiconductor device comprising stacked complementary transistor pairs. In one aspect, a semiconductor device comprises first and second sets of transistors comprising a pass transistor and a stacked complementary transistor pair of a lower transistor and an upper transistor, wherein first transistor comprises a semiconductor channel extending along a horizontal first fin track, and each second transistor comprises a semiconductor channel extending along a second fin track parallel to the first fin track, and wherein the semiconductor channels of the pass transistors and of the lower transistors are arranged at a first level and the semiconductor channels of said upper transistors are arranged at a second level, a first tall gate electrode forming a common gate for the first complementary transistor pair and arranged along a horizontal first gate track, and a first short gate electrode forming a gate for the first pass transistor and arranged along a second gate track, a second tall gate electrode forming a common gate for the second complementary transistor pair and arranged along the second gate track, a second short gate electrode forming a gate for the second pass transistor and arranged along the first gate track, first and second contact arrangements forming a common drain contact for the transistors of the first set and the second set, respectively, and first and second cross-couple contacts extending horizontally between and interconnecting the first tall gate electrode and the second contact arrangement, and the second tall gate electrode and the first contact arrangement, respectively.

Semiconductor device having stacked transistor pairs and method of forming same

A method for forming an interconnection structure for a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes: (i) forming a conductive layer on an insulating layer; (ii) forming above the conductive layer a first set of mandrel lines of a first material; (iii) forming a set of spacer lines of a second material different from the first material, wherein the spacer lines of the second material are formed on sidewalls of the first set of mandrel lines; (iv) forming a second set of mandrel lines of a third material different from the first and second materials, wherein the second set of mandrel lines fill gaps between spacer lines of the set of spacer lines; (v) cutting at least a first mandrel line of the second set of mandrel lines into two line segments separated by a gap by etching said first mandrel line of the second set of mandrel lines selectively to the set of spacer lines and the first set of mandrel lines, cutting at least a first mandrel line of the first set of mandrel lines into two line segments separated by a gap by etching said first mandrel line of the first set of mandrel lines selectively to the set of spacer lines and the second set of mandrel lines; (vi) removing the set of spacer lines, selectively to the first and second sets of mandrel lines, thereby forming an alternating pattern of mandrel lines of the first set of mandrel lines and mandrel lines of the second set of mandrel lines; and (vii) patterning the conductive layer to form a set of conductive lines, wherein the patterning comprises etching while using the alternating pattern of mandrel lines of the first and second sets of mandrel lines as an etch mask.

Method for forming an interconnection structure

The disclosed technology generally relates to semiconductor devices, and more specifically to electrical contacts to a transistor device, and a method of making such electrical contacts. In one aspect, a method of forming one or more self-aligned gate contacts in a semiconductor device includes providing a substrate having formed thereon at least one gate stack, where the gate stack includes a gate dielectric and a gate electrode formed over an active region in or on the substrate, and where the substrate further has formed thereon a spacer material coating lateral sides of the at least one gate stack. The method additionally includes selectively recessing the gate electrode of the at least one gate stack against the spacer material, thereby creating a first set of recess cavities. The method additionally includes filling the first set of recess cavities with a dielectric material gate cap. The method additionally includes etching at least one via above the at least one gate stack and through the dielectric material gate cap, where etching the at least one via comprises selectively etching against the spacer material, thereby exposing the gate electrode. The method further includes forming, in the at least one via, a gate contact electrically connecting the gate electrode.

Self-aligned gate contact

A semiconductor device includes: (i) a substrate; (ii) a first elongated semiconductor structure extending in a first horizontal direction along the substrate and protruding vertically above the substrate, wherein a first set of source/drain regions are formed on the first semiconductor structure; (iii) a second elongated semiconductor structure extending along the substrate in parallel to the first semiconductor structure and protruding vertically above the substrate, wherein a second set of source/drain regions are formed on the second semiconductor structure; and (iv) a first set of source/drain contacts formed on the first set of source/drain regions, wherein a first source/drain contact of the first set of source/drain contacts includes: (a) a vertically extending contact portion formed directly above a first source/drain region of the first set of source/drain regions, and (b) a via landing portion protruding horizontally from the vertically extending contact portion in a direction towards the second semiconductor structure.

Semiconductor device and method

A method is provided for forming a multi-level interconnect structure on a semiconductor substrate, e.g., for use in an integrated circuit, comprising forming on the substrate a first interconnection level comprising a first dielectric layer and a first set of conductive structures arranged in the first dielectric layer, forming on the first interconnection level a second interconnection level comprising a second dielectric layer and a second set of conductive structures arranged in the second dielectric layer, and forming on the second interconnection level a third interconnection level.

Method for forming a multi-level interconnect structure

The present disclosure relates to three dimensional (3D) transistor structures and methods of forming the same. In an aspect, a method comprises providing a vertical stack of alternating layers of channel material and dummy material, forming a first set of fins on the stack, and forming a second fin above the first set of fins, the second fin extending orthogonal to the first set of fins. Further, the first set of fins is cut into a set of fin portions, using the second fin and a first sidewall spacers as an etch mask, and second sidewall spacers are formed on the second fin. These structures are used to form a 3D structure of channel regions and source/drain regions forming transistor structures. Advantageously, the 3D semiconductor structure is manufactured using a relatively low number of mask layers per transistor which decreases manufacturing costs.

Three-dimensional semiconductor device and method of manufacturing same

The disclosed technology generally relates semiconductor devices and more particularly to vertical channel devices and methods of forming the vertical channel devices. According to one aspect, a method of forming a vertical channel device includes forming on a semiconductor substrate a plurality of vertical channel structures. The method additionally includes forming gates, where each of the gates wraps around one of the vertical channel structures. The method additionally includes embedding the gates in a first dielectric layer and exposing top portions of the vertical channel structures. The method additionally includes forming top electrodes on corresponding top portions of the vertical channel structures. The method additionally includes forming sidewall etch barriers on sidewalls of each of the top electrodes. The method additionally includes forming a second dielectric layer covering the first dielectric layer and the top electrodes. The method additionally includes etching a set of vertically extending gate contact holes through the first and second dielectric layers and selectively against the sidewall etch barriers, where each of the gate contact holes exposes one of the gates adjacent to one of the top electrodes. The method further includes filling the set of gate contact holes with a conductive material. A vertical channel device fabricated using the method is also disclosed according another aspect.

Growing community of inventors

Heverlee, Belgium

Juergen Boemmels