Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Yu-Ting Wen

Ming-Hsing Tsai

Wei-Jung Lin

Chih-wei Chang

Min-Hsiu Hung

Ya-Yi Cheng

Kai-Chieh Yang

Yu-Chen Ko

Chun-Hsien Huang

Chang-Ting Chung

Pin-Wen Chen

Yi-Hsiang Chao

Peng-Hao Hsu

Shih-Wei Yeh

Methods of forming a semiconductor device structure are described. In some embodiments, the method includes forming a contact opening in an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer disposed over an epitaxy source/drain region and forming a metal layer in the contact opening. The metal layer includes top portions, side portions, and a bottom portion, and a space is defined between the top portions of the metal layer. The method further includes performing a gradient metal removal process on the metal layer to enlarge the space, forming a sacrificial layer in the contact opening, recessing the sacrificial layer in the contact opening to expose a portion of the sidewall portions, removing the top portions and the exposed portion of the sidewall portions, removing the sacrificial layer, and forming a bulk metal layer on the bottom portion of the metal layer.

Methods of forming semiconductor device structures

A method includes forming a dielectric layer over an epitaxial source/drain region. An opening is formed in the dielectric layer. The opening exposes a portion of the epitaxial source/drain region. A barrier layer is formed on a sidewall and a bottom of the opening. An oxidation process is performing on the sidewall and the bottom of the opening. The oxidation process transforms a portion of the barrier layer into an oxidized barrier layer and transforms a portion of the dielectric layer adjacent to the oxidized barrier layer into a liner layer. The oxidized barrier layer is removed. The opening is filled with a conductive material in a bottom-up manner. The conductive material is in physical contact with the liner layer.

Contact features of semiconductor device and method of forming same

A method of fabricating a contact structure includes the following steps. An opening is formed in a dielectric layer. A conductive material layer is formed within the opening and on the dielectric layer, wherein the conductive material layer includes a bottom section having a first thickness and a top section having a second thickness, the second thickness is greater than the first thickness. A first treatment is performed on the conductive material layer to form a first oxide layer on the bottom section and on the top section of the conductive material layer. A second treatment is performed to remove at least portions of the first oxide layer and at least portions of the conductive material layer, wherein after performing the second treatment, the bottom section and the top section of the conductive material layer have substantially equal thickness.

Method of fabricating contact structure

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Taichung, Taiwan

Yu-Ting Wen