Semiconductor device with fully self-aligned local interconnects, and method for fabricating the device

Abstract

A semiconductor device and a method for making it involve the semiconductor device ( ) having a substrate ( ) with spaced source and drain regions ( ). A gate section ( ) projects upwardly from between an adjacent pair of these regions, into an insulating layer ( ). In order to create local interconnects to the source and drain regions through the insulating layer, a patterned etch is carried out using an etch region ( ), which extends over one of the gate sections from a location above one of the regions to a location above another of the regions. Etching in this etch region produces recesses ( ) on opposite sides of and immediately adjacent the gate section. A conductive layer ( ) is deposited to fill the recesses, and then is planarized back to the upper ends of the gate sections. The portion of the conductive material remaining in each recess is self-aligned to be immediately adjacent at least one gate section, and serves as a local interconnect for a respective source or drain region.