Intel Corporation

Pratik A Patel

Szuya S Liao

Rishabh Mehandru

Tahir Ghani

Mark Y Liu

Anupama Bowonder

Paul A Packan

Jami A Wiedemer

Anand S Murthy

James W Tschanz

Sriram R Vangal

Carlos Alfonso Tokunaga

Ralph Thomas Troeger

Patrick Koeberl

Thomas T Troeger

Miguel Bautista Gabriel

Rahul Pandey

Muhammad M Khellah

Stephen M Cea

Biswajeet Guha

Charles Henry Wallace

Leonard P Guler

Karthik Jambunathan

William Hsu

Cory C Bomberger

Mohit K Haran

Ritesh Jhaveri

Suyoung Bang

Suresh Vishwanath

Sukru Yemenicioglu

Conor P Puls

Scott J Maddox

Makram Abd El Qader

Yulia Tolstova

Miguel Mario Bautista Gabriel

Integrated circuit structures having recessed self-aligned deep boundary vias are described. For example, an integrated circuit structure includes a plurality of gate lines. A plurality of trench contacts extends over a plurality of source or drain structures, individual ones of the plurality of trench contacts alternating with individual ones of the plurality of gate lines. A backside metal routing layer is extending beneath one or more of the plurality of gate lines and beneath one or more of the plurality of trench contacts. A conductive structure couples the backside metal routing layer to one of the one or more of the plurality of trench contacts. The conductive structure includes a pillar portion in contact with the one of the one or more of the plurality of trench contacts, the pillar portion on a line portion, the line portion in contact with and extending along the backside metal routing layer.

Integrated circuit structure with recessed self-aligned deep boundary via

Fin shaping, and integrated circuit structures resulting therefrom, are described. For example, an integrated circuit structure includes a semiconductor fin having a protruding fin portion above an isolation structure above a substrate. The protruding fin portion has substantially vertical upper sidewalls and outwardly tapered lower sidewalls. A gate stack is over and conformal with the protruding fin portion of the semiconductor fin. A first source or drain region is at a first side of the gate stack, and a second source or drain region is at a second side of the gate stack opposite the first side of the gate stack.

Fin shaping and integrated circuit structures resulting therefrom

A detection circuit includes a tunable delay circuit that generates a delayed signal and that receives a supply voltage. The detection circuit includes a control circuit that adjusts a delay provided by the tunable delay circuit to the delayed signal. The detection circuit includes a time-to-digital converter circuit that converts the delay provided by the tunable delay circuit to the delayed signal to a digital code and adjusts the digital code based on changes in the supply voltage. The control circuit causes the tunable delay circuit to maintain the delay provided to the delayed signal constant in response to the digital code reaching an alignment value. The detection circuit may continuously monitor timing margin of a data signal relative to a clock signal and update the digital code in every clock cycle. The detection circuit may be a security sensor that detects changes in the supply voltage.

Circuits and methods for supply voltage detection and timing monitoring

Solid assemblies having a composite dielectric spacer and processes for fabricating the solid assemblies are provided. The composite dielectric spacer can include, in some embodiments, a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer having a mutual interface. The composite dielectric spacer can separate a contact member from a conductive interconnect member, thus reducing the capacitance between such members with respect to solid assemblies that include one of first dielectric layer or the second dielectric layer. The composite dielectric spacer can permit maintaining the real estate of an interface between the conductive interconnect and a trench contact member that has an interface with a carrier-doped epitaxial layer embodying or constituting a source contact region or a drain contact region of a field effect transistor. The trench contact member can form another interface with the conductive interconnect member, providing a satisfactory contact resistance therebetween.

Contact architecture for capacitance reduction and satisfactory contact resistance

Integrated circuit structures having source or drain structures with a high germanium concentration capping layer are described. In an example, an integrated circuit structure includes source or drain structures including an epitaxial structure embedded in a fin at a side of a gate stack. The epitaxial structure has a lower semiconductor layer and a capping semiconductor layer on the lower semiconductor layer with an abrupt interface between the capping semiconductor layer and the lower semiconductor layer. The lower semiconductor layer includes silicon, germanium and boron, the germanium having an atomic concentration of less than 40% at the abrupt interface. The capping semiconductor layer includes silicon, germanium and boron, the germanium having an atomic concentration of greater than 50% at the abrupt interface and throughout the capping semiconductor layer.

Source or drain structures with high germanium concentration capping layer

A FET including a hybrid gate spacer separating a gate electrode from at least one of a source, a drain, or source/drain contact metallization. The hybrid spacer may include a low-k dielectric material for a reduction in parasitic capacitance. The hybrid spacer may further include one or more other dielectric materials of greater relative permittivity that may protect one or more surfaces of the low-k dielectric material from damage by subsequent transistor fabrication operations. The hybrid spacer may include a low-k dielectric material separating a lower portion of a gate electrode sidewall from the source/drain terminal, and a dielectric spacer cap separating to an upper portion of the gate electrode sidewall from the source/drain terminal. The hybrid spacer may have a lower total capacitance than conventional spacers while still remaining robust to downstream fabrication processes. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Field effect transistor with a hybrid gate spacer including a low-k dielectric material

A voltage detection circuit includes a tunable delay circuit that receives a supply voltage and that generates a delayed signal in response to an input signal. A control circuit causes a first adjustment in a delay provided by the tunable delay circuit to the delayed signal. An error detection circuit generates an error indication in an error signal in response to a change in a timing of the delayed signal relative to a clock signal caused by the first adjustment in the delay provided to the delayed signal. The control circuit causes a second adjustment in the delay provided by the tunable delay circuit to the delayed signal in response to the error indication. The error detection circuit causes the error signal to be indicative of the supply voltage reaching a threshold voltage after the second adjustment in the delay.

Circuits and methods for voltage detection in integrated circuits

A method including forming an opening in a junction region of a fin on and extending from a substrate; introducing a doped semiconductor material in the opening; and thermal processing the doped semiconductor material. A method including forming a gate electrode on a fin extending from a substrate; forming openings in the fin adjacent opposite sides of the gate electrode; introducing a doped semiconductor material in the openings; and thermally processing the doped semiconductor material sufficient to induce the diffusion of a dopant in the doped semiconductor material. An apparatus including a gate electrode transversing a fin extending from a substrate; and semiconductor material filled openings in junction regions of the fin adjacent opposite sides of the gate electrode, wherein the semiconductor material comprises a dopant.

Diffused tip extension transistor

A semiconductor device is described that includes a first semiconductor layer conformally disposed on at least a portion of a source region and a second semiconductor layer conformally disposed on at least a portion of a drain region between the source/drain regions and corresponding gate spacers. The semiconductor layer can prevent diffusion and/or segregation of dopants from the source and drain regions into the gate spacers of the gate stack. Maintaining the intended location of dopant atoms in the source region and drain region improves the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor device including the external resistance ('R') of the semiconductor device.

Semiconductor layer between source/drain regions and gate spacers

Techniques are disclosed for forming transistors employing non-selective deposition of source and drain (S/D) material. Non-selectively depositing S/D material provides a multitude of benefits over only selectively depositing the S/D material, such as being able to attain relatively higher dopant activation, steeper dopant profiles, and better channel strain, for example. To achieve selectively retaining non-selectively deposited S/D material only in the S/D regions of a transistor (and not in other locations that would lead to electrically shorting the device, and thus, device failure), the techniques described herein use a combination of dielectric isolation structures, etchable hardmask material, and selective etching processes (based on differential etch rates between monocrystalline semiconductor material, amorphous semiconductor material, and the hardmask material) to selectively remove the non-selectively deposited S/D material and then selectively remove the hardmask material, thereby achieving selective retention of non-selectively deposited monocrystalline semiconductor material in the S/D regions.

Transistors employing non-selective deposition of source/drain material

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Portland, OR, United States of America

Pratik A Patel