Intel Corporation

Michael Harper

Leonard P Guler

Tahir Ghani

Willy Rachmady

Biswajeet Guha

William Hsu

Mohit K Haran

Reken Patel

Charles Henry Wallace

Richard E Schenker

Michael L Hattendorf

Oleg Golonzka

Swaminathan Sivakumar

Paul Anton Nyhus

Subhash M Joshi

Elliot Tan

Urusa Alaan

Curtis W Ward

Justin S Sandford

Mohammad Hasan

Pragyansri Pathi

Suzanne S Rich

Benjamin Kriegel

Jeffrey Miles Tan

Niels Zussblatt

Stephen D Snyder

Marko Radosavljevic

Nicole K Thomas

Nadia M Rahhal-Orabi

Stephanie A Bojarski

Sam Sivakumar

James Jeong

Martin Weiss

Ralph Thomas Troeger

Shu Zhou

Vivek Thirtha

Nitesh Kumar

Thoe Michaelos

Apratim Dhar

Shakuntala Sundararajan

William T Blanton

James F Bondi

John H Irby, Iv

Benedict A Samuel

Stefan Dickert

Brian McIntrye

Brian McIntyre

Achala Bhuwalka

Gate-all-around integrated circuit structures having pre-spacer-deposition cut gates are described. For example, an integrated circuit structure includes a first vertical arrangement of horizontal nanowires and a second vertical arrangement of horizontal nanowires. A first gate stack is over the first vertical arrangement of horizontal nanowires, and a second gate stack is over the second vertical arrangement of horizontal nanowires. An end of the second gate stack is spaced apart from an end of the first gate stack by a gap. The integrated circuit structure also includes a dielectric structure having a first portion forming a gate spacer along sidewalls of the first gate stack, a second portion forming a gate spacer along sidewalls of the second gate stack, and a third portion completely filling the gap, the third portion continuous with the first and second portions.

Fabrication of gate-all-around integrated circuit structures having pre-spacer deposition cut gates

Gate-all-around integrated circuit structures having adjacent island structures are described. For example, an integrated circuit structure includes a semiconductor island on a semiconductor substrate. A first vertical arrangement of horizontal nanowires is above a first fin protruding from the semiconductor substrate. A channel region of the first vertical arrangement of horizontal nanowires is electrically isolated from the fin. A second vertical arrangement of horizontal nanowires is above a second fin protruding from the semiconductor substrate. A channel region of the second vertical arrangement of horizontal nanowires is electrically isolated from the second fin. The semiconductor island is between the first vertical arrangement of horizontal nanowires and the second vertical arrangement of horizontal nanowires.

Fabrication of gate-all-around integrated circuit structures having adjacent island structures

Embodiments disclosed herein include semiconductor devices and methods of making such devices. In an embodiment, the semiconductor device comprises a plurality of stacked semiconductor channels comprising first semiconductor channels and second semiconductor channels over the first semiconductor channels. In an embodiment a spacing is between the first semiconductor channels and the second semiconductor channels. The semiconductor device further comprises a gate dielectric surrounding individual ones of the semiconductor channels of the plurality of stacked semiconductor channels. In an embodiment, a first workfunction metal surrounds the first semiconductor channels, and a second workfunction metal surrounds the second semiconductor channels.

Plug and recess process for dual metal gate on stacked nanoribbon devices

Embodiments disclosed herein include semiconductor devices and methods of forming such devices. In an embodiment a semiconductor device comprises a first interlayer dielectric (ILD), a plurality of source/drain (S/D) contacts in the first ILD, a plurality of gate contacts in the first ILD, wherein the gate contacts and the S/D contacts are arranged in an alternating pattern, and wherein top surfaces of the gate contacts are below top surfaces of the S/D contacts so that a channel defined by sidewall surfaces of the first ILD is positioned over each of the gate contacts, mask layer partially filling a first channel over a first gate contact, and a fill metal filling a second channel over a second gate contact that is adjacent to the first gate contact.

1D vertical edge blocking (VEB) via and plug

Gate-all-around integrated circuit structures having fin stack isolation, and methods of fabricating gate-all-around integrated circuit structures having fin stack isolation, are described. For example, an integrated circuit structure includes a sub-fin structure on a substrate, the sub-fin structure having a top and sidewalls. An isolation structure is on the top and along the sidewalls of the sub-fin structure. The isolation structure includes a first dielectric material surrounding regions of a second dielectric material. A vertical arrangement of horizontal nanowires is on a portion of the isolation structure on the top surface of the sub-fin structure.

Gate-all-around integrated circuit structures having fin stack isolation

Techniques are disclosed for non-planar transistors having varying channel widths (Wsi). In some instances, the resulting structure has a fin (or nanowires, nanoribbons, or nanosheets) comprising a first channel region and a second channel region, with a source or drain region between the first channel region and the second channel region. The widths of the respective channel regions are independent of each other, e.g., a first width of the first channel region is different from a second width of the second channel region. The variation in width of a given fin structure may vary in a symmetric fashion or an asymmetric fashion. In an embodiment, a spacer-based forming approach is utilized that allows for abrupt changes in width along a given fin. Sub-resolution fin dimensions are achievable as well.

Non-planar transistors with channel regions having varying widths

Techniques and structures for protecting etched features during etch mask removal. In embodiments, a mask is patterned and a substrate layer etched to transfer the pattern. Subsequent to etching the substrate layer, features patterned into the substrate are covered with a sacrificial material backfilling the etch mask. At least a top portion of the mask is removed with the substrate features protected by the sacrificial material. The sacrificial material and any remaining portion of the mask are then removed. In further embodiments, a gate contact opening etched into a substrate layer is protected with a sacrificial material having the same composition as a first material layer of a multi-layered etch mask. A second material layer of the etch mask having a similar composition as the substrate layer is removed before subsequently removing the sacrificial material concurrently with the first mask material layer.

Sacrificial material for stripping masking layers

Techniques related to integrated circuits having MOSFETs with an unrecessed field insulator and thinner electrodes over the field insulator of ICs, systems incorporating such integrated circuits, and methods for forming them are discussed.

Trigate transistor structure with unrecessed field insulator and thinner electrodes over the field insulator

A device includes a number of fins. Some of the fins have greater heights than other fins. This allows the selection of different drive currents and/or transistor areas.

Substrate fins with different heights

A transistor gate comprises a substrate having a pair of spacers disposed on a surface, a high-k dielectric conformally deposited on the substrate between the spacers, a recessed workfunction metal conformally deposited on the high-k dielectric and along a portion of the spacer sidewalls, a second workfunction metal conformally deposited on the recessed workfunction metal, and an electrode metal deposited on the second workfunction metal. The transistor gate may be formed by conformally depositing the high-k dielectric into a trench between the spacers on the substrate, conformally depositing a workfunction metal atop the high-k dielectric, depositing a sacrificial mask atop the workfunction metal, etching a portion of the sacrificial mask to expose a portion of the workfunction metal, and etching the exposed portion of the workfunction metal to form the recessed workfunction metal. The second workfunction metal and the electrode metal may be deposited atop the recessed workfunction metal.

Recessed workfunction metal in CMOS transistor gates

Methods for semiconductor device fabrication are provided. Features are created using spacers. Methods include creating a pattern comprised of at least two first features on the substrate surface, depositing a first conformal layer on the at least two first features, depositing a second conformal layer on the first conformal layer, partially removing the second conformal layer to partially expose the first conformal layer, and partially removing the first conformal layer from between the first features and the second conformal layer thereby creating at least two second features. Optionally the first conformal film is partially etched back before the second conformal film is deposited.

Feature size reduction

Growing community of inventors

Hillsboro, OR, United States of America

Michael Harper