Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Kuei-Yu Kao

Chih-Han Lin

Shih-Yao Lin

Chao-Cheng Chen

Ming-Ching Chang

Chen-Ping Chen

Chih-Chung Chiu

Chi-Sheng Lai

Wei-Chung Sun

Li-Ting Chen

Syun-Ming Jang Jang

Hsiao Wen Lee

Ke-Chia Tseng

Chan-Lon Yang

Yuan-Ching Peng

Pei-Yi Liu

Yu-Bey Wu

Yu-Shan Lu

Hsien-Chung Huang

Wei-Liang Lu

Yu-Fan Peng

Chen-Yui Yang

Jing Yi Yan

Ming-Ching Chiang

A method includes etching a semiconductor substrate to form a trench, with the semiconductor substrate having a sidewall facing the trench, and depositing a first semiconductor layer extending into the trench. The first semiconductor layer includes a first bottom portion at a bottom of the trench, and a first sidewall portion on the sidewall of the semiconductor substrate. The first sidewall portion is removed to reveal the sidewall of the semiconductor substrate. The method further includes depositing a second semiconductor layer extending into the trench, with the second semiconductor layer having a second bottom portion over the first bottom portion, and a second sidewall portion contacting the sidewall of the semiconductor substrate. The second sidewall portion is removed to reveal the sidewall of the semiconductor substrate.

Methods for forming stacked layers and devices formed thereof

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes forming a fin structure extending along a first lateral direction; forming a dummy gate structure that is over a portion of the fin structure and extends along a second direction perpendicular to the first lateral direction; growing source/drain structures that are respectively coupled to ends of the portion of the fin structure; removing the dummy gate structure to form a gate trench; lining inner sidewalls of the gate trench with a gate spacer; and forming an active gate structure in the gate trench.

Gate structures and spacers in semiconductor devices and methods of manufacturing thereof

In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, a fin structure in which first semiconductor layers and second semiconductor layers are alternately stacked over a bottom fin structure protruding from a substrate, is formed. A sacrificial gate structure is formed over the fin structure. A source/drain region of the fin structure is etched, thereby forming a source/drain space. The first semiconductor layers are laterally etched through the source/drain space. An inner spacer is formed on an end of each of the etched first semiconductor layers. One or more epitaxial layers are formed in the source/drain space, and the sacrificial gate structure is replaced with a metal gate structure. A width of the source/drain space at a bottommost one of the first semiconductor layers is greater than a width of the source/drain space at one of the first semiconductor layers above the bottommost one of the first semiconductor layers.

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device and a semiconductor device

A device includes a plurality of fin structures that each protrude vertically upwards out of a substrate and each extend in a first direction in a top view. A gate structure is disposed over the fin structures. The gate structure extends in a second direction in the top view. The second direction is different from the first direction. The fin structures have a fin pitch equal to a sum of: a dimension of one of the fin structures in the second direction and a distance between an adjacent pair of the fin structures in the second direction. An end segment of the gate structure extends beyond an edge of a closest one of the fin structures in the second direction. The end segment has a tapered profile in the top view or is at least 4 times as long as the fin pitch in the second direction.

Transistor gate profile optimization

An alignment structure for a semiconductor device and a method of forming same are provided. A method includes forming an isolation region over a substrate and forming an alignment structure over the isolation region. Forming the alignment structure includes forming a sacrificial gate electrode layer over the substrate and the isolation region. The sacrificial gate electrode layer is patterned to form a plurality of first sacrificial gates over the isolation region. At least one of the plurality of first sacrificial gates is reshaped. The at least one of the plurality of first sacrificial gates is disposed at an edge of the alignment structure in a plan view. A sidewall of the at least one of the plurality of first sacrificial gates comprises a notch at an interface between the at least one of the plurality of first sacrificial gates and the isolation region.

Alignment structure for semiconductor device and method of forming same

A semiconductor device includes a substrate. The semiconductor device includes a fin that is formed over the substrate and extends along a first direction. The semiconductor device includes a gate structure that straddles the fin and extends along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The semiconductor device includes a first source/drain structure coupled to a first end of the fin along the first direction. The gate structure includes a first portion protruding toward the first source/drain structure along the first direction. A tip edge of the first protruded portion is vertically above a bottom surface of the gate structure.

Semiconductor devices and methods of manufacturing thereof

A method of forming a semiconductor device includes: forming a fin protruding above a substrate; forming isolation regions on opposing sides of the fin; forming a dummy gate electrode over the fin; removing lower portions of the dummy gate electrode proximate to the isolation regions, where after removing the lower portions, there is a gap between the isolation regions and a lower surface of the dummy gate electrode facing the isolation regions; filling the gap with a gate fill material; after filling the gap, forming gate spacers along sidewalls of the dummy gate electrode and along sidewalls of the gate fill material; and replacing the dummy gate electrode and the gate fill material with a metal.

Fin field-effect transistor device and method of forming the same

A device includes a fin protruding from a semiconductor substrate; a gate stack over and along a sidewall of the fin; a gate spacer along a sidewall of the gate stack and along the sidewall of the fin; an epitaxial source/drain region in the fin and adjacent the gate spacer; and a corner spacer between the gate stack and the gate spacer, wherein the corner spacer extends along the sidewall of the fin, wherein a first region between the gate stack and the sidewall of the fin is free of the corner spacer, wherein a second region between the gate stack and the gate spacer is free of the corner spacer.

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having corner spacers adjacent a fin sidewall

A cyclic process including an etching process, a passivation process, and a pumping out process is provided to prevent over etching of the sacrificial gate electrode, particularly when near a high-k dielectric feature. The cyclic process solves the problems of failed gate electrode layer at an end of channel region and enlarges filling windows for replacement gate structures, thus improving channel control. Compared to state-of-art solutions, embodiments of the present disclosure also enlarge volume of source/drain regions, thus improving device performance.

Semiconductor devices and methods of fabrication thereof

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method includes forming semiconductor fins on a substrate. A first dummy gate is formed over the semiconductor fins. A recess is formed in the first dummy gate, and the recess is disposed between the semiconductor fins. A dummy fin material is formed in the recess. A portion of the dummy fin material is removed to expose an upper surface of the first dummy gate and to form a dummy fin. A second dummy gate is formed on the exposed upper surface of the first dummy gate.

A method includes simultaneously forming a first dummy gate stack and a second dummy gate stack on a first portion and a second portion of a protruding fin, simultaneously removing a first gate electrode of the first dummy gate stack and a second gate electrode of the second dummy gate stack to form a first trench and a second trench, respectively, forming an etching mask, wherein the etching mask fills the first trench and the second trench, patterning the etching mask to remove the etching mask from the first trench, removing a first dummy gate dielectric of the first dummy gate stack, with the etching mask protecting a second dummy gate dielectric of the second dummy gate stack from being removed, and forming a first replacement gate stack and a second replacement gate stack in the first trench and the second trench, respectively.

Fin-end gate structures and method forming same

A method of forming a semiconductor device includes: forming a fin protruding above a substrate; forming isolation regions on opposing sides of the fin; forming a dummy gate over the fin; reducing a thickness of a lower portion of the dummy gate proximate to the isolation regions, where after reducing the thickness, a distance between opposing sidewalls of the lower portion of the dummy gate decreases as the dummy gate extends toward the isolation regions; after reducing the thickness, forming a gate fill material along at least the opposing sidewalls of the lower portion of the dummy gate; forming gate spacers along sidewalls of the dummy gate and along sidewalls of the gate fill material; and replacing the dummy gate with a metal gate.

FinFET device having a gate with a tapering bottom portion and a gate fill material with a widening bottom portion

A semiconductor device includes a plurality of channel layers vertically separated from one another. The semiconductor device also includes an active gate structure comprising a lower portion and an upper portion. The lower portion wraps around each of the plurality of channel layers. The semiconductor device further includes a gate spacer extending along a sidewall of the upper portion of the active gate structure. The gate spacer has a bottom surface. Moreover, a dummy gate dielectric layer is disposed between the gate spacer and a topmost channel layer of plurality of channel layers. The dummy gate dielectric layer is in contact with a top surface of the topmost channel layer, the bottom surface of the gate spacer, and the sidewall of the gate structure.

Semiconductor devices including dummy gate dielectric layer and methods of manufacturing thereof

A method of fabricating a semiconductor structure includes selective use of a cladding layer during the fabrication process to provide critical dimension uniformity. The cladding layer can be formed before forming a recess in an active channel structure or can be formed after filling a recess in an active channel structure with dielectric material. These techniques can be used in semiconductor structures such as gate-all-around (GAA) transistor structures implemented in an integrated circuit.

Process window control for gate formation in semiconductor devices

A semiconductor device includes a plurality of semiconductor layers vertically separated from one another. The semiconductor device includes a gate structure that comprises a lower portion and an upper portion, wherein the lower portion wraps around each of the plurality of semiconductor layers. The semiconductor device includes a gate spacer that extends along a sidewall of the upper portion of the gate structure and has a bottom surface. A portion of the bottom surface of the gate spacer and a top surface of a topmost one of the plurality of semiconductor layers form an angle that is less than 90 degrees.

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Kuei-Yu Kao