Infineon Technologies Ag

Qimonda Ag

Globalfoundries Inc.

Werner Graf

Lars Heineck

Hans-Peter Moll

Martin Popp

Albrecht Kieslich

Peter Baars

Mirko Vogt

Henning Haffner

Wolfgang Roesner

Gerhard Enders

Klaus Muemmler

Clemens Fitz

Stefan Jakschik

Peter Lahnor

Kristin Schupke

Oliver Genz

Bernd Hintze

Matthias Kroenke

Marco Lepper

Arnd Scholz

Ulrike Bewersdorff-Sarlette

Momtchil Stavrev

Klaus Feldner

Hermann Sachse

Alexander Reb

Stefan Gruss

Andrei Josiek

Percy Heger

Johannes Kowalewski

Hans-Georg Fröhlich

Matthias Handke

Antje Laessig

Gouri Sankar Kar

Jana Horst

Thomas Dittkrist

When forming metallization layers of advanced semiconductor devices, one often has to fill apertures with a high aspect ratio with a metal, such as copper. The present disclosure provides a convenient method for forming apertures with a high aspect ratio in an insulating layer. This insulating layer may have been deposited on the surface of a semiconductor device. The proposed method relies on an ion implantation step performed on the insulating layer, followed by an etch, which is preferably a wet etch.

Top corner rounding by implant-enhanced wet etching

One embodiment relates to an integrated circuit formed on a semiconductor body having interconnect between source/drain regions of a first and second transistor. The interconnect includes a metal body arranged underneath the surface of the semiconductor body. A contact element establishes electrical contact between the metal body and the source/drain regions of the first and second transistor. The contact element extends along a connecting path between the source/drain regions of the first and second transistors. Other methods, devices, and systems are also disclosed.

Interconnect structure for semiconductor devices

An integrated circuit includes a contact structure with a buried first and a protruding second portion. The buried first portion is arranged in a cavity formed in a semiconductor structure and is in direct contact with the semiconductor structure. The protruding second portion is arranged above the main surface of the semiconductor structure and in direct contact with a conductive structure that is spaced apart from or separated from the main surface of the semiconductor structure. An insulator structure is arranged below and in direct contact with the contact structure.

Integrated circuit with a contact structure including a portion arranged in a cavity of a semiconductor structure

In one embodiment, a memory cell includes a bit line arranged in a semiconductor substrate and a bit line contact region arranged adjacent the bit line. A word line is arranged above the bit line contact region in a trench formed in the semiconductor substrate. A generally U-shaped insulating layer is arranged in a bottom region of the trench and separates the bit line and the bit line contact region from the word line.

Word line to bit line spacing method and apparatus

The present invention provides a manufacturing method for an integrated semiconductor structure comprising the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of gate stacks in a first region and at least one gate stack in a second region; forming a sacrificial plug made of a first material surrounded by an isolation layer between two adjacent gate stacks in the first region; depositing a planarisation layer over said plurality of gate stacks in said first region and said at least one gate stack in said second region; backpolishing said planarisation layer such that the upper surface of said sacrificial plug is exposed; forming a structured hardmask layer made of said first material on said backpolished planarisation layer which structured hardmask layer adjoins said sacrificial plug and has at least one opening in said second region; forming at least one contact hole in said second region under said at least one opening in said second region, said at least one contact hole exposing a substrate contact area adjacent to said gate stack in said second region or a contact area in said gate stack; selectively removing said hardmask layer and said sacrificial plug in a single etch step, whereby another contact hole is formed between two adjacent gate stacks in said first region; removing said isolation layer on the bottom of said another contact hole such that the substrate is exposed; and filling said contact hole and said another contact hole with a respective contact plug.

Manufacturing method for an integrated semiconductor structure

In a method for producing a semiconductor structure a semiconductor a substrate with a top surface is provided. A gate dielectric layer is provided on the top surface and on the gate dielectric layer is provided a memory cell array region with a first plurality of gate stacks and a peripheral element region with a second plurality of gate stacks. A dielectric layer is provided over the memory cell array region and the peripheral element region. A first source/drain implantation over the memory cell array region and the peripheral element region is carried out, a blocking mask over the memory cell array region is formed, the dielectric layer is removed using the blocking mask, and a second source/drain implantation over the memory cell array region and the peripheral element region is carried out, wherein the memory cell array region is protected by a mask.

Method for producing a semiconductor structure

A method for the integration of field-effect transistors for memory and logic applications in a semiconductor substrate is disclosed. The gate dielectric and a semiconductor layer are deposited over the whole area both in the logic region and in the memory region. From these layers, the gate electrodes in the memory region are formed, the source and drain regions are implanted and the memory region is covered in a planarizing manner with an insulation material. Afterward, the gate electrodes are formed from the semiconductor layer and the gate dielectric in the logic region.

Method for fabricating a semiconductor product with a memory area and a logic area

The invention provides a simple method of treating a structured surface comprising a higher surface in a first region and a lower surface in the second region. A plurality of layers is deposited on said surface wherein a lower layer exhibits a higher polishing rate than an upper layer and wherein the thickness of the plurality of layers exceeds the step height. Afterwards the plurality of layers is chemically mechanically polished such that the lower layer is at least partly removed in the first region. By this method achieves a better planarization. Additionally, smaller top contact openings after a wet clean step are achievable and a deformation of contact openings due to annealing steps is reduced.

Method of treating a structured surface

The invention relates to a method for production of contacts on a wafer, preferably with the aid of a lithographic process. The preferred embodiment provides a method which overcomes the disadvantages of the complex point/hole lithography process, and which avoids any increase in the process complexity. This method is achieved in that a strip structure extending over two layers is used to structure the contacts. The strip structure in the first layer is rotated at a predetermined angle with respect to the strip structure in the second layer, and the contacts are formed in the mutually overlapping areas of the strip structures in the two layers.

Method for production of contacts on a wafer

Disclosed is a method for fabricating a contract hole plane in a memory module with an arrangement of memory cells each having a selection transistor. The methods can be utilized during the production of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) modules.

Method for fabricating a contact hole plane in a memory module

A gate structure of a transistor is fabricated with an additional barrier formed on a metal layer of the gate structure before the deposition of a silicon oxide layer. Applying this barrier layer on the metal layer before the deposition of the silicon oxide layer prevents an oxidation of the metal during the deposition of the silicon oxide layer. A lowering of the conductivity of the metal layer or a loss of metal through sublimating metal oxide is thereby prevented. As a result, in particular the performance of the gate structure or of the transistor is improved further. In addition, disturbing coupling effects in the circuit are significantly reduced by the use of the silicon oxide cap.

Method for fabricating a transistor with a gate structure

A method for planarizing the surface of an isolating layer that is deposited on a semiconductor body is described. Zones where the isolating layer has a low level are covered with a block mask in order to be able to selectively etch zones of the isolating layer with a higher level.

Method for planarizing an isolating layer

Integrated semiconductor circuits have MOS transistors whose gate electrodes are provided with dopings in order to set the electrical potential of the channel area by changing the ionization energy (work function) of the electrons. Transistors in semiconductor circuits, which have both a memory area and a logic area, are produced either using different dopings for pMOS and NMOS transistors in the logic area (dual work function) or using common source/drain electrodes in the memory area (borderless contact), with all the transistors in the semiconductor circuit receiving the same gate doping in the latter case. A method is proposed by which a dual work function and a borderless contact can be produced at the same time. Furthermore, the method results without any additional effort in a trench between the gate layer stacks of the memory area and of the logic area, which prevents lateral ion diffusion.

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Dresden, Germany

Werner Graf