Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Peng-Soon Lim

Kuang-Yuan Hsu

Da-Yuan Lee

Zi-Wei Fang

Cheng-Ming Lin

Weng Chang

Mao-Lin Huang

Cheng-Lung Hung

Chia-Pin Lin

Xiong-Fei Yu

Jian-Hao Chen

Cheng-Hao Hou

Chun-Yuan Chou

Fan-Yi Hsu

Chung-Liang Cheng

Hun-Jan Tao

Huang-Lin Chao

Tsai-Jung Ho

Yong-Tian Hou

Jin Ying

Meng-Hsuan Chan

Ziwei Fang

Chien-Hao Chen

Chi-Chun Chen

Shyh-Horng Yang

Vincent Chang

Matt Yeh

Shun Wu Lin

Yuri Masuoka

Fong-Yu Yen

Ouyang Hui

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a first gate structure over the substrate, a second gate structure over the substrate, first gate spacers, second gate spacers, first and second metal layers spanning over the first and second gate structures, first and second contact plugs extending through the first and second metal layers, respectively. The first gate structure includes a first gate dielectric, and a first work function metal layer over the first gate dielectric. The second gate structure is wider than the first gate structure, wherein the second gate structure includes a second gate dielectric, a second work function metal layer over the second gate dielectric, and a filling conductor over the second work function metal layer. The first contact plug is in contact with the first work function metal layer, and the second contact plug is in contact with the filling conductor.

Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof

A method includes forming a semiconductor fin; forming a gate dielectric layer over the semiconductor fin; depositing a first work function metal layer over the gate dielectric layer, the first work function metal layer having a first concentration of a work function material; depositing a second work function metal layer over the first work function metal layer, the second work function metal layer having a second concentration of the work function material, wherein the first concentration is higher than the second concentration; and forming a gate electrode over the second work function metal layer.

FinFET having a work function material gradient

A device includes a semiconductor channel region and a gate structure. The semiconductor channel region is on a substrate. The gate structure is over the semiconductor channel region and comprises a gate dielectric layer, a first gate conductor layer, and a second gate conductor layer. The first gate conductor layer is over the gate dielectric layer. The first gate conductor layer includes oxygen. The second gate conductor layer is over the first gate conductor layer.

Semiconductor device and fabrication method thereof

A method includes forming a dummy gate stack, forming a dielectric layer, with the dummy gate stack located in the dielectric layer, removing the dummy gate stack to form a opening in the dielectric layer, forming a metal layer extending into the opening, and etching back the metal layer. The remaining portions of the metal layer in the opening have edges lower than a top surface of the dielectric layer. A conductive layer is selectively deposited in the opening. The conductive layer is over the metal layer, and the metal layer and the conductive layer in combination form a replacement gate.

Etching back and selective deposition of metal gate

A semiconductor device with liner-free contact structures and a method of fabricating the same are disclosed. The method includes forming first and second source/drain (S/D) regions on first and second fin structures, forming a first dielectric layer between the first and second S/D regions, forming first and second gate-all-around (GAA) structures on the first and second fin structures, forming a second dielectric layer on the first and second GAA structures and the first dielectric layer, forming a tapered trench opening in the second dielectric layer and on the first and second GAA structures and the first dielectric layer, selectively forming a seed layer on top surfaces of the first and second GAA structures and the first dielectric layer that are exposed in the tapered trench opening, and selectively depositing a conductive layer on the seed layer to fill the tapered trench opening.

Contact structures in semiconductor devices

A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a semiconductor fin extending from the substrate, a gate dielectric layer over the semiconductor fin, a metal nitride layer comprising a first portion over the gate dielectric layer and a second portion over the first portion, and a fill layer over the metal nitride layer. The second portion has an aluminum concentration greater than an aluminum concentration of the first portion.

The present disclosure describes a semiconductor device that includes a substrate and a first transistor on the substrate. The first transistor includes a first gate structure and the first gate structure includes a gate dielectric layer and a first work function layer on the gate dielectric layer. The first gate structure also includes a capping layer on the first work function layer. The semiconductor device also includes a second transistor on the substrate, in which the second transistor includes a second gate structure. The second gate structure includes the gate dielectric layer and a second work function layer on the gate dielectric layer. The second gate structure also includes the first work function layer on the second work function layer and the silicon capping layer on the first work function layer.

Semiconductor device with multi-threshold gate structure

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, first gate structure, a first metal layer, a first protective layer, and a first contact plug. The first gate structure includes a plurality of first U-shaped layers stacked one another between the first gate spacers in a cross-sectional view and first gate spacers on opposite sides of the first U-shaped layers. The first metal layer is over the first U-shaped layers and has a different shape than the first U-shaped layers in the cross-sectional view. The first protective layer is over the first metal layer and between the first gate spacers. The first contact plug extends through the first protective layer and the first metal layer, and is in contact with the first gate structure.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having a channel region. A gate dielectric layer is over the channel region of the semiconductor substrate. A work function metal layer is over the gate dielectric layer. The work function metal layer has a bottom portion, an upper portion, and a work function material. The bottom portion is between the gate dielectric layer and the upper portion. The bottom portion has a first concentration of the work function material, the upper portion has a second concentration of the work function material, and the first concentration is higher than the second concentration. A gate electrode is over the upper portion of the work function metal layer.

A method includes forming a trench over a substrate, wherein the trench is surrounded by gate spacers and an inter-layer dielectric layer, depositing a dielectric layer on a bottom and along sidewalls of the trench, depositing a metal layer over the dielectric layer, depositing a protection layer over the metal layer, wherein the protection layer has an uneven thickness, applying an etch-back process to the protection layer and the metal layer, wherein as a result of applying the etch-back process, a portion of the metal layer has been removed and at least a portion of the protection layer remains at the bottom of the trench and removing the protection layer from the trench.

Metal gate structure

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a pair of source/drain regions, and a gate stack. The pair of source/drain regions is on the semiconductor substrate. The gate stack is laterally between the source/drain regions and includes a gate dielectric layer over the semiconductor fin, a metal element-containing layer over the gate dielectric layer, and a fill metal layer over the metal element-containing layer. The metal element-containing layer has a dopant, and a concentration of the dopant in an upper portion of the metal element-containing layer is higher than a concentration of the dopant in a bottom portion of the metal element-containing layer.

A method includes forming in sequence a metallic capping layer and a dummy gate electrode layer over a semiconductor substrate; patterning the metallic capping layer and the dummy gate electrode layer to form a first stacked structure including a first portion of the metallic capping layer and a first portion of the dummy gate electrode layer; forming a plurality of first gate spacers on opposite sides of the first stacked structure; removing the first portion of the dummy gate electrode layer to expose the first portion of the metallic capping layer; and forming a first work function metal layer on the first portion of the metallic capping layer.

Growing community of inventors

Johor, Malaysia

Peng-Soon Lim