Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Scott Luning

Emi Ishida

Thorsten E Kammler

David W Wu

Timothy J Thurgate

Dong-Hyuk Ju

Ralf Van Bentum

Bin Yu

Sameer S Haddad

Daniel Kadosh

Mark W Randolph

Karsten Wieczorek

Nicholas H Tripsas

James F Buller

Daniel Sobek

Vei-Han Chan

David Donggang Wu

Khanh Q Tran

Akif Sultan

Philip A Fisher

Andrew Michael Waite

Janet S Wang

Karla Romero

Don Draper

Hans Van Meer

By providing a hard mask layer stack including at least three different layers for patterning a gate electrode structure, constraints demanded by sophisticated lithography, as well as cap layer integrity, in a subsequent selective epitaxial growth process may be accomplished, thereby providing the potential for further device scaling of transistor devices requiring raised drain and source regions.

Technique for forming a transistor having raised drain and source regions with a tri-layer hard mask for gate patterning

A method and arrangement for reducing the series resistance of the source and drain in a MOSFET device provides for epitaxially grown regions on top of the source and drain extensions to cover portions of the top surfaces of the silicide regions formed on the substrate. The epitaxial material provides an extra flow path for current to flow through to the silicide from the extension, as well as increasing the surface area between the source/drain and the silicide to reduce the contact resistance between the source/drain and the silicide.

Method and arrangement for reducing source/drain resistance with epitaxial growth

The height of epitaxially grown semiconductor regions in extremely scaled semiconductor devices may be adjusted individually for different device regions in that two or more epitaxial growth steps may be carried out, wherein an epitaxial growth mask selectively suppresses the formation of a semiconductor region in a specified device region. In other embodiments, a common epitaxial growth process may be used for two or more different device regions and subsequently a selective oxidation process may be performed on selected device regions so as to precisely reduce the height of the previously epitaxially grown semiconductor regions in the selected areas.

Technique for forming transistors having raised drain and source regions with different heights

By using sidewall spacers adjacent to a gate electrode structure both as an epitaxial growth mask and an implantation mask, the complexity of a conventional process flow for forming raised drain and source regions may be significantly reduced, thereby reducing production costs and enhancing yield by lowering the defect rate.

Technique for forming a transistor having raised drain and source regions with a reduced number of process steps

Methods of manufacturing are provided. In one aspect, a method of manufacturing is provided that includes forming first and second gate stacks on a substrate and forming an insulating layer on the substrate. The insulating layer has portions adjacent to the first stack and portions adjacent to the second gate stack. A first pair of insulating structures is formed adjacent to the first gate stack and a second pair of insulating structures is formed adjacent to the second gate stack. The first pair of insulating structures is removed. The portions of the insulating layer adjacent to the first gate stack are thickened while the second pair of insulating structures prevents thickening of the portions of the insulating film adjacent to the second gate stack. Differential insulating layer thickness for different gate devices is permitted to enable reduction in leakage currents for selected devices without harming speed performance for others.

Differential implant oxide process

An insulated gate semiconductor device ( ) having reduced gate resistance and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device ( ). A gate structure ( ) is formed on a major surface ( ) of a semiconductor substrate ( ). Successive nitride spacers ( ) are formed adjacent the sidewalls of the gate structure ( ). The nitride spacers ( ) are etched and recessed using a single etch to expose the upper portions ( A, A) of the gate structure ( ). Source ( ) and drain ( ) regions are formed in the semiconductor substrate ( ). Silicide regions ( ) are formed on the top surface ( ) and the exposed upper portions ( A, A) of the gate structure ( ) and the source region ( ) and the drain region (134). Electrodes ( ) are formed in contact with the silicide ( ) of the respective gate structure ( ), source region ( ), and the drain region ( ).

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor component

Maintaining LDD series resistance of MOS transistors by retarding dopant segregation

A semiconductor device is provided with semiconducting sidewall spacers used in the formation of source/drain regions. The semiconducting sidewall spacers also reduce the possibility of suicide shorting through shallow source/drain junctions. Embodiments include doping the semiconducting sidewall spacers so that they serve as a source of impurities for forming source/drain extensions during activation annealing.

Semiconductor processing employing a semiconductor spacer

A local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) process directed to forming differential field oxide thickness on a single wafer with minimized process steps and optimized planarity. When patterning the masking layer, at least two window widths are formed in the masking layer, exposing the underlying substrate and pad oxide. When one of the window widths is sufficiently small, oxidation of the substrate will be inhibited causing reduced growth and thus a reduced field oxide thickness in that window as compared to other larger windows formed in the same masking layer, creating differential field oxide thicknesses in one growth step. To optimize planarity, prior to oxidation variable depth trenches are formed in alignment with the windows so that the resulting field oxide regions are substantially planar with the substantial surface.

Method for differential trenching in conjunction with differential fieldox growth

A system and method for providing a memory cell on a semiconductor is disclosed. In one aspect, the method and system include providing at least one gate stack on the semiconductor, depositing at least one spacer, and providing at least one source implant in the semiconductor. The at least one gate stack has an edge. A portion of the at least one spacer is disposed along the edge of the at least one gate stack. In another aspect, the method and system include providing at least one gate stack on the semiconductor, providing a first junction implant in the semiconductor, depositing at least one spacer, and providing a second junction implant in the semiconductor after the at least one spacer is deposited. The at least one gate stack has an edge. A portion of the at least one spacer is disposed at the edge of the at least one gate stack. In a third aspect, the method and system include providing at least one gate stack on the semiconductor, providing at least one source implant in the semiconductor, depositing at least one spacer after the at least one source implant is provided, and providing at least one drain implant in the semiconductor after the spacer is deposited. The at least one gate has an edge. A portion of the at least one spacer is disposed along the edge of the at least one gate.

Method and system for using a spacer to offset implant damage and reduce lateral diffusion in flash memory devices

A system and method for providing a memory cell on a semiconductor is disclosed. The method and system include providing an oxide layer on the semiconductor and providing at least one gate stack disposed above the oxide layer. The at least one gate stack has a corner contacting the oxide layer. The method and system further include exposing at least the corner of the at least one gate stack and rounding at least the corner of the at least one gate stack.

Method and system for providing localized gate edge rounding with minimal encroachment and gate edge lifting

The capacitance between the gate electrode and the source/drain regions of a semiconductor device is reduced by forming sub-spacers of a low dielectric constant (K) material at the corners of the gate electrode above the source/drain regions. Subsequently, insulating sidewall spacers are formed over the sub-spacers to shield-shallow source/drain regions from subsequent impurity implantations. The resulting semiconductor device exhibits reduced capacitance between the gate electrode and the source/drain regions, while maintaining circuit reliability.

Low-K sub spacer pocket formation for gate capacitance reduction

Halo implant regions are formed in a P-channel semiconductor device employing a zero degree tilt angle. N-type impurities are ion implanted to the desired depth in the semiconductor substrate prior to forming P-channel lightly doped source/drain areas. Subsequently, moderately or heavily doped source/drain regions are formed, followed by activation annealing. The halo implants diffuse to form halo structures at the desired location, thereby reducing short channel effects, such as subsurface punchthrough. Other embodiments enable independent control of the junction depths and channel lengths of N- and P-channel transistors, while maintaining high manufacturing throughput.

CMOS processing employing zero degree halo implant for P-channel transistor

An ultra-low thermal budget process is provided for channel implant by using a reverse process sequence where a conventional MOS transistor is formed without the channel implant. The originally deposited polysilicon gate is removed, a nitride film deposition and etch is used to form a nitride spacer with a predetermined configuration, and a self-aligned channel implant is performed. After the channel implantation, anneal and super-retrograded doping, the nitride spacer and the gate oxide are removed for subsequent regrowth of a second gate oxide and a polysilicon deposition to form a second polysilicon gate.

Very low thermal budget channel implant process for semiconductors

Impurities are formed in the active region of a semiconductor substrate by diffusion from a gate electrode sidewall spacer. A gate electrode is formed on a semiconductor substrate with a gate dielectric layer therebetween. Sidewall spacers are formed on the side surfaces of the gate electrode. Dopant atoms are subsequently introduce to transform the spacers into solid dopant sources. Dopant atoms are diffused from the spacers into the semiconductor substrate to form first doped regions.

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Dresden, Germany

Scott Luning