Reduction of the aspect ratio of deep contact holes for embedded dram devices

Abstract

A process for reducing the aspect ratio, for narrow diameter contact holes, formed in thick insulator layers, used to integrate logic and DRAM memory devices, on the same semiconductor chip, has been developed. The process of reducing the aspect ratio, of these contact holes, features initially forming, via patterning procedures, lower, narrow diameter contact holes, to active device regions, in the logic area, while also forming self-aligned contact openings to source/drain regions in the DRAM memory region. After forming tungsten structures, in the lower, narrow diameter contact holes, polycide bitline, and polysilicon capacitor structures, are formed in the DRAM memory region, via deposition, and patterning, of upper level insulator layers, and polysilicon and polycide conductive layers. Upper, narrow diameter openings, are then formed in the upper level insulator layers, exposing the top surface of tungsten structures, located in the lower, narrow diameter contact holes. The formation of upper tungsten structures, in the upper, narrow diameter contact openings completes the process of forming metal structures, in narrow diameter openings, with reduced aspect ratios, achieved via a two stage contact hole opening, and a two stage metal filling procedure.