International Business Machines Corporation

Globalfoundries Inc.

Maryjane Brodsky

Kangguo Cheng

Michael Patrick Chudzik

Min Dai

Chengwen Pei

Shreesh Narasimha

Siddarth A Krishnan

Roger Allen Booth, Jr

Shahab Siddiqui

Yanfeng Wang

Herbert Lei Ho

Jinping Liu

Paul Christian Parries

Joseph Francis Shepard, Jr

Kevin R Winstel

Colin J Brodsky

Murshed Mahmud Chowdhury

Takashi Ando

Chun-chen Yeh

Dechao Guo

William K Henson

Yue Liang

Oliver Desmond Patterson

Ming Cai

Liyang Song

Kourosh Nafisi

Embodiments include methods of forming an nFET-tuned gate dielectric and a pFET-tuned gate dielectric. Methods may include forming a high-k layer above a substrate having a pFET region and an nFET region, forming a first sacrificial layer, a pFET work-function metal layer, and a second sacrificial layer above the first high-k layer in the pFET region, and an nFET work-function metal layer above the first high-k layer in the nFET region and above the second sacrificial layer in the pFET region. The first high-k layer then may be annealed to form an nFET gate dielectric layer in the nFET region and a pFET gate dielectric layer in the pFET region. The first high-k layer may be annealed in the presence of a nitrogen source to cause atoms from the nitrogen source to diffuse into the first high-k layer in the nFET region.

Concurrently forming nFET and pFET gate dielectric layers

A structure includes a substrate; a transistor disposed over the substrate, the transistor comprising a fin comprised of Silicon that is implanted with Carbon; and a gate dielectric layer and gate metal layer overlying a portion of the fin that defines a channel of the transistor. In the structure a concentration of Carbon within the fin is selected to establish a desired voltage threshold of the transistor. Methods to fabricate a FinFET transistor are also disclosed. Also disclosed is a planar transistor having a Carbon-implanted well where the concentration of the Carbon within the well is selected to establish a desired voltage threshold of the transistor.

Threshold voltage adjustment for thin body MOSFETs

A composite high dielectric constant (high-k) gate dielectric includes a stack of a doped high-k gate dielectric and an undoped high-k gate dielectric. The doped high-k gate dielectric can be formed by providing a stack of a first high-k dielectric material layer and a dopant metal layer and annealing the stack to induce the diffusion of the dopant metal into the first high-k dielectric material layer. The undoped high-k gate dielectric is formed by subsequently depositing a second high-k dielectric material layer. The composite high-k gate dielectric can provide an increased gate-leakage oxide thickness without increasing inversion oxide thickness.

Composite high-k gate dielectric stack for reducing gate leakage

A semiconductor device including a germanium containing substrate including a gate structure on a channel region of the semiconductor substrate. The gate structure may include a silicon oxide layer that is in direct contact with an upper surface of the germanium containing substrate, at least one high-k gate dielectric layer in direct contact with the silicon oxide layer, and at least one gate conductor in direct contact with the high-k gate dielectric layer. The interface between the silicon oxide layer and the upper surface of the germanium containing substrate is substantially free of germanium oxide. A source region and a drain region may be present on opposing sides of the channel region.

Germanium oxide free atomic layer deposition of silicon oxide and high-k gate dielectric on germanium containing channel for CMOS devices

A deep trench is formed to a depth midway into a buried insulator layer of a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. A top semiconductor layer is laterally recessed by an isotropic etch that is selective to the buried insulator layer. The deep trench is then etched below a bottom surface of the buried insulator layer. Ion implantation is performed at an angle into the deep trench to dope the sidewalls of the deep trench beneath the buried insulator layer, while the laterally recessed sidewalls of the top semiconductor layer are not implanted with dopant ions. A node dielectric and trench fill materials are deposited into the deep trench. A buried strap has an upper buried strap sidewall that is offset from a lower buried strap sidewall and a deep trench sidewall.

Deep trench capacitor in a SOI substrate having a laterally protruding buried strap

Forming a shallow trench capacitor in conjunction with an FET by forming a plurality of STI trenches; for the FET, implanting a first cell well having a first polarity between a first and a second of the STI trenches; for the capacitor, implanting a second cell well having a second polarity in an area of a third of the STI trenches; removing dielectric material from the third STI trench; forming a gate stack having a first portion located between the first and the second of the STI trenches and a second portion located over and extending into the third trench; and performing a source/drain implant of the same polarity as the second cell well, thereby forming a FET in the first cell well, and a capacitor in the second cell well. The second polarity may be opposite from the first polarity. An additional implant may reduce ESR in the second cell well.

Shallow trench capacitor compatible with high-K / metal gate

A thin semiconductor layer is formed and patterned on a semiconductor substrate to form a thin semiconductor fuselink on shallow trench isolation and between an anode semiconductor region and a cathode semiconductor region. During metallization, the semiconductor fuselink is converted to a thin metal semiconductor alloy fuselink as all of the semiconductor material in the semiconductor fuselink reacts with a metal to form a metal semiconductor alloy. The inventive electrical fuse comprises the thin metal semiconductor alloy fuselink, a metal semiconductor alloy anode, and a metal semiconductor alloy cathode. The thin metal semiconductor alloy fuselink has a smaller cross-sectional area compared with prior art electrical fuses. Current density within the fuselink and the divergence of current at the interface between the fuselink and the cathode or anode comparable to prior art electrical fuses are obtained with less programming current than prior art electrical fuses.

Electrical fuse having a thin fuselink

A deep trench is formed in a semiconductor substrate and a pad layer thereupon, and filled with a dummy node dielectric and a dummy trench fill. A shallow trench isolation structure is formed in the semiconductor substrate. A dummy gate structure is formed in a device region after removal of the pad layer. A first dielectric layer is formed over the dummy gate structure and a protruding portion of the dummy trench fill and then planarized. The dummy structures are removed. The deep trench and a cavity formed by removal of the dummy gate structure are filled with a high dielectric constant material layer and a metallic layer, which form a high-k node dielectric and a metallic inner electrode of a deep trench capacitor in the deep trench and a high-k gate dielectric and a metal gate in the device region.

Embedded trench capacitor having a high-k node dielectric and a metallic inner electrode

A method, system and a computer program product for inspecting integrated circuit chips during fabrication. The method including: selecting an integrated circuit chip at a selected level of fabrication; determining coordinates of potential failures of the integrated circuit chip based on one or more risk of failure analyses performed ancillary to fabrication of the integrated circuit chip; automatically generating one or more enhanced defect inspection regions for inspecting the integrated circuit chip based on the coordinates; automatically selecting one or more enhanced defect inspection parameters for each of the enhanced defect inspection regions based on the one or more risk of failure analyses; and generating an enhanced defect inspection recipe, the enhanced defect inspection recipe including a location on the integrated circuit chip, an enhanced defect inspection parameter and a value for the enhanced defect inspection parameter for each of the one or more enhanced defect inspection regions.

Method of inspecting integrated circuits during fabrication

A method, apparatus, and computer program product for implementing inspection recipe services are provided. The apparatus includes a test structure including a semiconductor substrate and a number of arrays disposed on the semiconductor substrate. The arrays are linearly arranged and spaced equidistant. Each of the arrays corresponds to a reticle field and includes a number of cells. The test structure also includes a defect programmed into every third array. The defect is programmed in the same location on each third array. The test structure further includes an alignment site defined on the test structure for providing a point of reference upon inspection. The alignment site, in conjunction with a modified reticle pitch extending the distance of one reticle field plus a portion of an adjacent reticle field, are used to perform a random mode inspection of selected arrays in the test structure.

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for optimizing inspection recipes using programmed defects

A method and system for inspecting integrated circuit chips during fabrication. The method including: selecting an integrated circuit chip at a selected level of fabrication; determining coordinates of potential failures of the integrated circuit chip based on one or more risk of failure analyses performed ancillary to fabrication of the integrated circuit chip; automatically generating one or more enhanced defect inspection regions for inspecting the integrated circuit chip based on the coordinates; automatically selecting one or more enhanced defect inspection parameters for each of the one or more enhanced defect inspection regions based on the one or more risk of failure analyses; and generating an enhanced defect inspection recipe, the enhanced defect inspection recipe including a location on the integrated circuit chip, an enhanced defect inspection parameter and a value for the enhanced defect inspection parameter for each of the one or more enhanced defect inspection regions.

Growing community of inventors

Salt Point, NY, United States of America

Maryjane Brodsky