Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Yu-Shiuan Wang

Chih-Wei Chang

Wei-Jung Lin

Sheng-Hsuan Lin

Wei-Yip Loh

Hung-Hsu Chen

Hong-Mao Lee

Yan-Ming Tsai

Yu-Wen Cheng

Chun-Hsien Huang

Ming-Hsing Tsai

Cheng-Tung Lin

Ya-Yi Cheng

Yu-Hung Lin

Li-Wei Chu

Yu-Kai Chen

Chih-wei Chang

Hung-Chang Hsu

Yu-Ming Huang

Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to forming an effective metal diffusion barrier in sidewalls of epitaxy source/drain regions. In an embodiment, a structure includes an active area having a source/drain region on a substrate, a dielectric layer over the active area and having a sidewall aligned with the sidewall of the source/drain region, and a conductive feature along the sidewall of the dielectric layer to the source/drain region. The source/drain region has a sidewall and a lateral surface extending laterally from the sidewall of the source/drain region, and the source/drain region further includes a nitrided region extending laterally from the sidewall of the source/drain region into the source/drain region. The conductive feature includes a silicide region along the lateral surface of the source/drain region and along at least a portion of the sidewall of the source/drain region.

Contact with a silicide region

Generally, examples are provided relating to conductive features that include a barrier layer, and to methods thereof. In an embodiment, a metal layer is deposited in an opening through a dielectric layer(s) to a source/drain region. The metal layer is along the source/drain region and along a sidewall of the dielectric layer(s) that at least partially defines the opening. The metal layer is nitrided, which includes performing a multiple plasma process that includes at least one directional-dependent plasma process. A portion of the metal layer remains un-nitrided by the multiple plasma process. A silicide region is formed, which includes reacting the un-nitrided portion of the metal layer with a portion of the source/drain region. A conductive material is disposed in the opening on the nitrided portions of the metal layer.

Conductive feature formation and structure

Method of forming a contact with a silicide region

A method includes etching a dielectric layer to form an opening, with an underlying region underlying the dielectric layer exposed to the opening, and performing a bombardment to bombard a surface region of the underlying region through the opening. After the bombardment, the surface region is reacted with a process gas to form a reaction layer. An anneal is then performed to remove the reaction layer.

Directional pre-clean in silicide and contact formation

Growing community of inventors

Taipei, Taiwan

Yu-Shiuan Wang