International Business Machines Corporation

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

William C Wille

Hussein Ibrahim Hanafi

Diane Catherine Boyd

Stuart M Burns

Donald Francis Canaperi

Matthew J Sendelbach

Yuan Taur

Dureseti Chidambarrao

Kern Rim

Kevin Shawn Petrarca

Richard Stephan Wise

Richard Paul Volant

William K Henson

David M Dobuzinsky

Kenneth Jay Stein

Max Gerald Levy

Michael D Armacost

Michael L Passow

Joseph Thomas Kocis

David Angell

Daniel C Edelstein

Haining S Yang

Dominic Joseph Schepis

Thomas W Dyer

Richard Anthony Conti

Paul Christian Parries

Mahadevaiyer Krishnan

William J Cote

Xian Jay Ning

Rangarajan Jagannathan

Zhao Lun

Johnny Widodo

George R Goth

Willard E Conley

Tina Jane Wagner

James Anthony Tornello

Waldemar Walter Kocon

Ronald Anthony DellaGuardia

Peter E Biolsi

Joachim Nuetzel

Allan Ward Upham

Joo-chan Kim

Jae-eon Park

Wolfgang Bergner

Juergen Wittmann

Jun-jung Kim

Bernhard Fiegl

John Fritche

Uma Satyendra

Tinghao T Wang

Tina J Cotler-Wagner

Biao Zuo

Allan Ibm United Kingdom Limited Upham

Methods of forming integrated circuit devices include forming a trench in a surface of semiconductor substrate and filling the trench with an electrically insulating region having a seam therein. The trench may be filled by depositing a sufficiently thick electrically insulating layer on sidewalls and a bottom of the trench. Curing ions are then implanted into the electrically insulating region at a sufficient energy and dose to reduce a degree of atomic order therein. The curing ions may be ones selected from a group consisting of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), boron (B), arsenic (As), carbon (C), argon (Ar), germanium (Ge), helium (He), neon (Ne) and xenon (Xe). These curing ions may be implanted at an energy of at least about 80 KeV and a dose of at least about 5&#xd7;10ions/cm. The electrically insulating region is then annealed at a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient duration to increase a degree of atomic order within the electrically insulating region.

Methods of forming integrated circuit devices having ion-cured electrically insulating layers therein

A method is disclosed for forming an STI (shallow trench isolation) in a substrate during CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) semiconductor fabrication which includes providing at least two wells including dopants. A pad layer may be formed on a top surface of the substrate and a partial STI trench is etched in the upper portion of the substrate followed by etching to form a full STI trench. Boron is implanted in a lower area of the full STI trench forming an implant area which is anodized to form a porous silicon region, which is then oxidized to form a oxidized region. A dielectric layer is formed over the silicon nitride layer filling the full STI trench to provide, after etching, at least two electrical component areas on the top surface of the substrate having the full STI trench therebetween.

Structure and method to form improved isolation in a semiconductor device

A method for engineering stress in the channels of MOS transistors of different conductivity using highly stressed nitride films in combination with selective semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) device architecture is described. A method of using compressive and tensile nitride films in the shallow trench isolation (STI) process is described. High values of stress are achieved when the method is applied to a selective SOI architecture.

Stress engineering using dual pad nitride with selective SOI device architecture

A device structure and method for forming an interconnect structure in a magnetic random access memory (MRAM) device. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes defining a magnetic stack layer on a lower metallization level, the magnetic stack layer including a non-ferromagnetic layer disposed between a pair of ferromagnetic layers. A conductive hardmask is defined over the magnetic stack layer, and selected portions of the hardmask and the magnetic stack layer, are then removed, thereby creating an array of magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stacks. The MTJ stacks include remaining portions of the magnetic stack layer and the hardmask, wherein the hardmask forms a self aligning contact between the magnetic stack layer and an upper metallization level subsequently formed above the MTJ stacks.

Magnetic random access memory and method of fabricating thereof

This invention relates to the manufacture of dual damascene interconnect structures in integrated circuit devices. Specifically, a method is disclosed for forming a single or dual damascene structure in a low-k dielectric thin film utilizing a planarizing material and a diffusion barrier material. In a preferred dual damascene embodiment of this method, the vias are formed first in the dielectric material, then the planarizing material is deposited in the vias and on the dielectric material, and the barrier material is deposited on the planarizing material. The trenches are then formed lithographically in the imaging material, etched through the barrier material into the planarizing material, and the trench pattern is transferred to the dielectric material. During and following the course of these etch steps, the imaging, barrier and planarizing materials are removed. The resultant dual damascene structure may then be metallized. With this method, the problem of photoresist poisoning by the interlevel dielectric material is alleviated.

Method for forming damascene structure utilizing planarizing material coupled with diffusion barrier material

A method of fabricating and the structure of a micro-electromechanical switch (MEMS) device provided with self-aligned spacers or bumps is described. The spacers are designed to have an optimum size and to be positioned such that they act as a detent mechanism for the switch to minimize problems caused by stiction. The spacers are fabricated using standard semiconductor techniques typically used for the manufacture of CMOS devices. The present method of fabricating these spacers requires no added depositions, no extra lithography steps, and no additional etching.

Micro electromechanical switch having self-aligned spacers

Field effect transistors with vertical gate side walls and method for making such transistors

A process and etchant gas composition for anisotropically etching a trench in a silicon nitride layer of a multilayer structure. The etchant gas composition has an etchant gas including a polymerizing agent, a hydrogen source, an oxidant, and a noble gas diluent. The oxidant preferably includes a carbon-containing oxidant component and an oxidant-noble gas component. The fluorocarbon gas is selected from CF , C F , and C F ; the hydrogen source is selected from CHF , CH F , CH F, and H ; the oxidant is selected from CO, CO , and O ; and the noble gas diluent is selected from He, Ar, and Ne. The constituents are added in amounts to achieve an etchant gas having a high nitride selectivity to silicon oxide and photoresist. A power source, such as an RF power source, is applied to the structure to control the directionality of the high density plasma formed by exciting the etchant gas. The power source that controls the directionality of the plasma is decoupled from the power source used to excite the etchant gas. The etchant gas can be used during a nitride etch step in a process for making a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor.

Anisotropic nitride etch process with high selectivity to oxide and photoresist layers in a damascene etch scheme

Method for planarizing photoresist

A resist formulation minimizes blistering during reactive ion etching processes resulting in an increased amount of polymer by-product deposition. Such processes involve exciting a gaseous fluorocarbon etchant with sufficient energy to form a high-density plasma, and the use of an etchant having a carbon-to-fluorine ratio of at least 0.33. In addition to a conventional photoactive component, resists which minimize blistering under these conditions include a resin binder which is a terpolymer having: (a) units that contain acid-labile groups; (b) units that are free of reactive groups and hydroxyl groups; and (c) units that contribute to aqueous developability of the photoresist. After the photoresist is patterned on the silicon oxide layer and the high-density plasma is formed, the high-density plasma is introduced to the silicon oxide layer to etch at least one opening in the silicon oxide layer. Preferably, the terpolymer is made up of about 70% 4-hydroxystyrene, about 20% styrene, and about 10% t-butylacrylate.

Resist formulation which minimizes blistering during etching

Metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) including a drain region and a source region adjacent to a channel region. A gate oxide is situated on the channel region and a gate conductor with vertical side walls is placed on the gate oxide. The MOSFET further includes a threshold adjust implant region and/or punch through implant region being aligned with respect to the gate conductor and limited to an area underneath the gate conductor. Such a MOSFET can be made using the following method: forming a dielectric stack on a semiconductor structure; defining an etch window on the dielectric stack having the lateral size and shape of a gate hole to be formed; defining the gate hole in the dielectric stack by transferring the etch window into the dielectric stack using a reactive ion etching (RIE) process; implanting threshold adjust dopants and/or punch through dopants through the gate hole; depositing a gate conductor such that it fills the gate hole; removing the gate conductor covering portions of the semiconductor structure surrounding the gate hole; and removing at least part of the dielectric stack.

Field effect transistors with improved implants and method for making

A baffle plate for semiconductor processing apparatus. The baffle plate includes a plurality of slits. A plurality of fins are located between adjacent slits. The fins have varying heights and a supporting portion interconnects the fins.

Baffle plate design for decreasing conductance lost during precipitation

A method for the formation of field effect transistors (FETs), and more particularly metal oxide field effect transistors (MOSFETs), comprising the steps of: forming a dielectric stack on a semiconductor structure; defining an etch window on the dielectric stack; defining a gate hole in the dielectric stack by transferring the etch window into the dielectric stack using a reactive ion etching (RIE) process; depositing a side wall layer; removing the side wall layer from horizontal surfaces of the dielectric stack and gate hole such that side wall spacers remain which reduce the lateral size of the gate hole; depositing a gate conductor such that it fills the gate hole; removing the gate conductor covering the portions of the semiconductor structure surrounding the gate hole; removing at least part of the dielectric stack; and removing the side wall spacers.

Method for making field effect transistors having sub-lithographic gates

Growing community of inventors

Red Hook, NY, United States of America

William C Wille