Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Ya-Ling Lee

Tsann Lin

Victor Y Lu

Han-Jong Chia

Wen-Cheng Yang

Wei-Gang Chiu

Chung-Te Lin

Keng-Chu Lin

Han-Ting Tsai

Shing-Chyang Pan

Chih-Tsung Lee

Yu-Ming Lin

Ming-Hsing Tsai

Yen-Chieh Huang

Lin-Jung Wu

A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a gate electrode, a gate dielectric layer, a channel layer, a source electrode and a drain electrode. The gate electrode is disposed over the substrate. The gate dielectric layer is disposed over the gate electrode. The channel layer is disposed over the gate dielectric layer. The source electrode and the drain electrode are disposed over the channel layer and beside the gate electrode. In some embodiments, each of the source electrode and the drain electrode includes a glue layer and a metal pattern, and a thickness of the glue layer adjacent to a sidewall of the metal pattern is greater than a thickness of the glue layer adjacent to a bottom of the metal pattern.

Thin film transistor featuring variable thickness glue layer with tapered end

An integrated circuit device includes a ferroelectric layer that is formed with chlorine-free precursors. A ferroelectric layer formed according to the present teaching may be chlorine-free. Structures adjacent the ferroelectric layer are also formed with chlorine-free precursors. The absence of chlorine in the adjacent structures prevents diffusion of chlorine into the ferroelectric layer and prevents the formation of chlorine complexes at interfaces with the ferroelectric layer. The ferroelectric layer may be used in a memory device such as a ferroelectric field effect transistor (FeFET). The absence of chlorine ameliorates time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) and Bias Temperature Instability (BTI).

Memory device and method for fabricating the same

A magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element is provided. The MTJ element includes a hard bias layer, a reference layer disposed over the hard bias layer, a tunnel barrier layer disposed over the reference layer, a free layer disposed over the tunnel barrier layer, and a diffusion barrier layer disposed over the free layer wherein the diffusion barrier layer comprises an amorphous and nonmagnetic film of a form X-Z, where X is Fe or Co and Z is Hf, Y, or Zr. The MTJ element in accordance with the present disclosure exhibits a low resistance desired for a low-power write operation, and a high TMR coefficient desired for a low bit-error-rate (BER) read operation.

Magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element and its fabrication process

One or more semiconductor processing tools may deposit one or more tantalum nitride layers on an upper surface of a copper interconnect and within a via. The one or more semiconductor processing tools may deposit an adhesion layer on an upper surface of the one or more tantalum nitride layers and within the via. The one or more semiconductor processing tools may deposit tungsten on an upper surface of the adhesion layer and within the via for via interconnection of the magnetic tunnel junction to the copper interconnect.

Tungsten via for a magnetic tunnel junction interconnect

A magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element is provided. The MTJ element includes a reference layer, a tunnel barrier layer disposed over the reference layer, a free layer disposed over the tunnel barrier layer, and a diffusion barrier layer disposed over the free layer. The MTJ element in accordance with the present disclosure exhibits a low resistance desired for a low-power write operation, and a high TMR coefficient desired for a low bit-error-rate (BER) read operation.

A magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element is provided. The MTJ element includes a buffer layer, a seed layer disposed over the buffer layer, a reference layer disposed over the seed layer, a tunnel barrier layer disposed over the reference layer and a free layer disposed over the tunnel barrier layer. The seed layer includes a Cobalt (Co)-based film. The MTJ element in accordance with the present disclosure exhibits a low resistance desired for a low-power write operation, and a high TMR coefficient desired for a low bit-error-rate (BER) read operation.

A magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element is provided. The MTJ element includes a reference layer, a tunnel barrier layer disposed over the reference layer, a free layer disposed over the tunnel barrier layer, and a diffusion barrier layer disposed over the free layer. The MU element in accordance with the present disclosure exhibits a low resistance desired for a low-power write operation, and a high TIM coefficient desired for a low bit-error-rate (BER) read operation.

A method for forming a semiconductor device structure is provided. The method includes disposing a semiconductor substrate in a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber and introducing a plasma-forming gas into the PVD chamber. The plasma-forming gas is an oxygen-containing gas. The method also includes applying a radio frequency (RF) power by a power source to a metal target in the PVD chamber to excite the plasma-forming gas to generate plasma. The metal target is directly electrically coupled to the power source. The method further includes directing the plasma towards the metal target positioned in the PVD chamber such that an etch stop layer is formed over the semiconductor substrate.

Method for forming semiconductor device structure with etch stop layer

A method for forming a semiconductor device structure is provided. The method includes disposing a semiconductor substrate in a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber. The method also includes introducing a plasma-forming gas into the PVD chamber, and the plasma-forming gas contains an oxygen-containing gas. The method further includes applying a radio frequency (RF) power to a metal target in the PVD chamber to excite the plasma-forming gas to generate plasma. In addition, the method includes directing the plasma towards the metal target positioned in the PVD chamber such that an etch stop layer is formed over the semiconductor substrate.

The present disclosure relates to an improved method of forming interconnection layers to reduce voids and improve reliability, and an associated device. In some embodiments, a dielectric layer is formed over a semiconductor substrate having an opening arranged within the dielectric layer. A metal seed layer is formed on the surfaces of the opening using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Then a metal layer is plated onto the metal seed layer to fill the opening. Forming the metal seed layer using a CVD process provides the seed layer with a good uniformity, which allows for high aspect ratio openings in the dielectric layer to be filled without voids or pinch off.

CVD metal seed layer

Some embodiments relate to a method of manufacturing an integrated circuit device. In this method a dielectric layer is formed over a substrate. The dielectric layer comprises an opening arranged within the dielectric layer. A first cobalt liner is formed along bottom and sidewall surfaces of the opening. A barrier liner is formed on exposed surfaces of the first cobalt liner. A bulk cobalt layer is formed in the opening and over the barrier liner to fill a remaining space of the opening.

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Hsinchu, Taiwan

Ya-Ling Lee