Globalfoundries Inc.

Globalfoundries U.S. Inc.

Wei Ma

Abu Naser M Zainuddin

Haiting Wang

Daniel J Jaeger

Christopher D Sheraw

Kai Zhao

Jae Gon Lee

Bala S Haran

Tao Chu

Joseph Versaggi

Rongtao Lu

Ayse M Ozbek

Thomas Kauerauf

Sangameshwar Rao Saudari

A method includes forming a first region including a pair of first FinFETs and a second region including a pair of second FinFETs on a substrate. Each FinFET includes a metal gate having a first spacer adjacent thereto, and each first FinFET has a gate dielectric that is thicker than a gate dielectric of each second FinFET, such that the first FinFETs can be higher voltage input/output devices. The method forms a first contact between the metal gates of the pair of first FinFETs with a second spacer thereabout, the second spacer contacting a portion of each first spacer. The second spacer thus has a portion extending parallel to the metal gates, and a portion extending perpendicular to the metal gates. A second contact is formed between the metal gates of the pair of second FinFETs, and the second contact devoid of the second spacer.

Additional spacer for self-aligned contact for only high voltage FinFETs

Disclosed is a metal gate (e.g., a replacement metal gate (RMG) for a field effect transistor (FET) and a method of forming the metal gate. The method includes depositing a conformal dielectric layer to line a gate opening and performing a series of unclustered and clustered conformal metal deposition and chamfer processes to selectively adjust the heights of conformal metal layers within the gate opening. By selectively controlling the heights of the conformal metal layers, the method provides improved overall gate height control and gate quality particularly when the metal gate has a small critical dimension (CD) and/or a high aspect ratio (AR). The method can also include using different etch techniques during the different chamfer processes and, particularly, when different materials and/or different material interfaces are exposed to an etchant in order to ensure an essentially uniform etch rate of the conformal metal layer(s) at issue in a direction that is essentially vertical.

Metal gate for a field effect transistor and method

One illustrative method disclosed herein includes forming 1st and 2nd sacrificial gate structures for, respectively, 1st and 2nd devices, removing 1st and 2nd sacrificial gate electrodes from the 1st and 2nd sacrificial gate structures so as to at least partially define, respectively, 1st and 2nd replacement gate (RMG) cavities, and removing the 2nd sacrificial gate insulation layer from the 2nd RMG cavity while leaving the 1st sacrificial gate insulation layer in position in the 1st RMG cavity. The method also includes forming a conformal gate insulation layer in both the 1st and 2nd RMG cavities, removing the conformal gate insulation layer and the 1st sacrificial gate insulation layer from the 1st RMG cavity while leaving the conformal gate insulation layer in the 2nd RMG cavity, and performing an oxidation process to form an interfacial gate insulation layer only in the 1st RMG cavity.

Methods of forming gate structures for transistor devices on an IC product

Growing community of inventors

Clifton Park, NY, United States of America

Wei Ma