Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080203487 | FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR HAVING AN INTERLAYER DIELECTRIC MATERIAL HAVING INCREASED INTRINSIC STRESS - By providing a highly stressed interlayer dielectric material, the performance of at least one type of transistor may be increased due to an enhanced strain-inducing mechanism. For instance, by providing a highly compressive silicon dioxide of approximately 400 Mega Pascal and more as an interlayer dielectric material, the drive current of the P-channel transistors may be increased by 2% and more while not unduly affecting the performance of the N-channel transistors. | 08-28-2008 |
20080206905 | TECHNIQUE FOR PATTERNING DIFFERENTLY STRESSED LAYERS FORMED ABOVE TRANSISTORS BY ENHANCED ETCH CONTROL STRATEGIES - During the patterning of stressed layers having different types of intrinsic stress, the effects of the deposition of a silicon dioxide based etch indicator material between the first and second dielectric layers may be significantly reduced by a controlled etch on the basis of optical measurement data indicating the etch rate and, thus, the performance of the respective etch process. In other cases, highly efficient etch indicator species may be incorporated into the stressed dielectric layers or may be formed on a surface portion thereof with reduced layer thickness, thereby providing an enhanced endpoint detection signal without creating the negative effects of silicon dioxide based indicator layers. In one illustrative embodiment, a stressed silicon, nitrogen and carbon-containing layer may be combined with a stressed silicon and nitrogen-containing layer, wherein the carbon species provides a prominent endpoint detection signal. | 08-28-2008 |
20080265330 | TECHNIQUE FOR ENHANCING TRANSISTOR PERFORMANCE BY TRANSISTOR SPECIFIC CONTACT DESIGN - By locally adapting the size and/or density of a contact structure, for instance, within individual transistors or in a more global manner, the overall performance of advanced semiconductor devices may be increased. Hence, the mutual interaction between the contact structure and local device characteristics may be taken into consideration. On the other hand, a high degree of compatibility with conventional process strategies may be maintained. | 10-30-2008 |
20080265426 | SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE COMPRISING AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTION AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME - A method of forming a semiconductor structure comprises providing a substrate comprising a layer of a first material. A protection layer is formed over the layer of first material. At least one opening is formed in the layer of first material and the protection layer. A layer of a second material is formed over the layer of first material and the protection layer to fill the opening with the second material. A planarization process is performed to remove portions of the layer of second material outside the opening. At least a portion of the protection layer is not removed during the planarization process. An etching process is performed to remove the portions of the protection layer which were not removed during the planarization process. | 10-30-2008 |
20080296693 | ENHANCED TRANSISTOR PERFORMANCE OF N-CHANNEL TRANSISTORS BY USING AN ADDITIONAL LAYER ABOVE A DUAL STRESS LINER IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - By forming an additional dielectric material, such as silicon nitride, after patterning dielectric liners of different intrinsic stress, a significant increase of performance of N-channel transistors may be obtained while substantially not contributing to a performance loss of the P-channel transistor. | 12-04-2008 |
20090001453 | METHOD OF FORMING A SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE COMPRISING A FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR HAVING A STRESSED CHANNEL REGION - A method of forming a semiconductor structure comprises providing a semiconductor substrate comprising at least one transistor element. An etch stop layer is formed over the transistor element. A stressed first dielectric layer is formed over the etch stop layer. A protective layer adapted to reduce an intrusion of moisture into the first dielectric layer is formed over the first dielectric layer. At least one electrical connection to the transistor element is formed. At least a portion of the protective layer remains over the first dielectric layer after completion of the formation of the at least one electrical connection. | 01-01-2009 |
20090035936 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING A GRAIN ORIENTATION LAYER - A manufacturing process of a semiconductor device includes generating a less random grain orientation distribution in metal features of a semiconductor device by employing a grain orientation layer. The less random grain orientation, e.g., a grain orientation distribution which has a higher percentage of grains that have a predetermined grain orientation, may lead to improved reliability of the metal features. The grain orientation layer may be deposited on the metal features wherein the desired grain structure of the metal features may be obtained by a subsequent annealing process, during which the metal feature is in contact with the grain orientation layer. | 02-05-2009 |
20090057809 | STRESS TRANSFER IN AN INTERLAYER DIELECTRIC BY PROVIDING A STRESSED DIELECTRIC LAYER ABOVE A STRESS-NEUTRAL DIELECTRIC MATERIAL IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - By forming a stressed dielectric layer on different transistors and subsequently relaxing a portion thereof, the overall process efficiency in an approach for creating strain in channel regions of transistors by stressed overlayers may be enhanced while nevertheless transistor performance gain may be obtained for each type of transistor, since a highly stressed material positioned above the previously relaxed portion may also efficiently affect the underlying transistor. | 03-05-2009 |
20090061645 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTORS LATERALLY ENCLOSED BY INTERLAYER DIELECTRIC MATERIAL HAVING INCREASED INTRINSIC STRESS - By appropriately treating an interlayer dielectric material above P-channel transistors, the compressive stress may be significantly enhanced, which may be accomplished by expanding the interlayer dielectric material, for instance, by providing a certain amount of oxidizable species and performing an oxidation process. | 03-05-2009 |
20090085030 | INCREASED RELIABILITY FOR A CONTACT STRUCTURE TO CONNECT AN ACTIVE REGION WITH A POLYSILICON LINE - By forming a direct contact structure connecting, for instance, a polysilicon line with an active region on the basis of an increased amount of metal silicide by removing the sidewall spacers prior to the silicidation process, a significantly increased etch selectivity may be achieved during the contact etch stop layer opening. Hence, undue etching of the highly doped silicon material of the active region would be suppressed. Additionally or alternatively, an appropriately designed test structure is disclosed, which may enable the detection of electrical characteristics of contact structures formed in accordance with a specified manufacturing sequence and on the basis of specific design criteria. | 04-02-2009 |
20090085173 | SIDEWALL PROTECTION LAYER - The present disclosure generally relates to forming a metallization layer in a semiconductor device. In particular, this disclosure concerns the damascene inlay technique in low-k dielectric layers. Etching trenches and vias in low-k dielectric materials leads to uneven and porous sidewalls of the trenches and vias due to the porous nature of the low-k dielectric materials. Thus, smooth and dense sidewalls cannot be achieved, which is a prerequisite for an effective barrier layer, which prevents copper from being diffused into the low-k dielectric material. As a consequence, process tolerances are high and the reliability of the semiconductor device is reduced. The present disclosure overcomes these drawbacks by a surface treatment of the sidewalls of trenches and vias in order to densify the surface such that the following barrier layer may more effectively prevent copper from diffusing into the low-k or ultra high-k dielectric material. | 04-02-2009 |
20090087999 | TECHNIQUE FOR COMPENSATING FOR A DIFFERENCE IN DEPOSITION BEHAVIOR IN AN INTERLAYER DIELECTRIC MATERIAL - By selectively providing a buffer layer having an appropriate thickness, height differences occurring during the deposition of an SACVD silicon dioxide may be reduced during the formation of an interlayer dielectric stack of advanced semiconductor devices. The buffer material may be selectively provided after the deposition of contact etch stop layers of both types of internal stress or may be provided after the deposition of one type of dielectric material and may be used during the subsequent patterning of the other type of dielectric stop material as an efficient etch stop layer. | 04-02-2009 |
20090108335 | STRESS TRANSFER BY SEQUENTIALLY PROVIDING A HIGHLY STRESSED ETCH STOP MATERIAL AND AN INTERLAYER DIELECTRIC IN A CONTACT LAYER STACK OF A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - By forming two or more individual dielectric layers of high intrinsic stress levels with intermediate interlayer dielectric material, the limitations of respective deposition techniques, such as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, may be respected while nevertheless providing an increased amount of stressed material above a transistor element, even for highly scaled semiconductor devices. | 04-30-2009 |
20090108466 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PATTERNING VERTICAL CONTACTS AND METAL LINES IN A COMMON ETCH PROCESS - Interlayer connections, i.e., vertical connections, may be formed on the basis of a hard mask material, which may be positioned below, within or above an interlayer dielectric material, wherein one lateral dimension is defined by a trench mask, thereby obtaining a desired interlayer connection in a common patterning process. Furthermore, the thickness of at least certain portions of the metal lines may be adjusted with a high degree of flexibility, thereby providing the possibility of significantly reducing the overall resistivity of metal lines in metal levels, in which device performance may significantly depend on resistivity rather than parasitic capacitance. | 04-30-2009 |
20090140396 | STRESSED INTERLAYER DIELECTRIC WITH REDUCED PROBABILITY FOR VOID GENERATION IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE BY USING AN INTERMEDIATE ETCH CONTROL LAYER OF INCREASED THICKNESS - By forming an etch control material with increased thickness on a first stressed dielectric layer in a dual stress liner approach, the surface topography may be smoothed prior to the deposition of the second stressed dielectric material, thereby allowing the deposition of an increased amount of stressed material while not contributing to yield loss caused by deposition-related defects. | 06-04-2009 |
20090166800 | INTERLAYER DIELECTRIC MATERIAL IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING A DOUBLET STRUCTURE OF STRESSED MATERIALS - By forming a buffer material above differently stressed contact etch stop layers followed by the deposition of a further stress-inducing material, enhanced overall device performance may be accomplished, wherein an undesired influence of the additional stress-inducing layer may be reduced in device regions, for instance, by removing the additional material or by performing a relaxation implantation process. Furthermore, process uniformity during a patterning sequence for forming contact openings may be enhanced by partially removing the additional stress-inducing layer at an area at which a contact opening is to be formed. | 07-02-2009 |
20090166814 | INTERLAYER DIELECTRIC MATERIAL IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING STRESSED LAYERS WITH AN INTERMEDIATE BUFFER MATERIAL - A highly stressed dielectric material, such as a tensile stressed material, may be deposited in a conformal manner so as to respect any deposition constraints caused by pronounced surface topography of highly scaled semiconductor devices, followed by the deposition of a buffer material having enhanced gap-filling capabilities. Thereafter, a further stress-inducing layer is deposited to form a doublet structure, which acts on the transistor elements, thereby enhancing overall performance, without increasing the probability of creating deposition-related irregularities. Hence, production yield as well as performance of highly scaled semiconductor devices may be increased. | 07-02-2009 |
20090170319 | METHOD OF FORMING AN INTERLAYER DIELECTRIC MATERIAL HAVING DIFFERENT REMOVAL RATES DURING CMP - By providing an interlayer dielectric material with different removal rates, a desired minimum material height above gate electrode structures of sophisticated transistor devices of the 65 nm technology or 45 nm technology may be obtained. The reduced removal rate above the gate electrode may thus provide enhanced process robustness during the planarization of the interlayer dielectric layer stack prior to the formation of contact elements. | 07-02-2009 |
20090194844 | SUBSTRATE CONTACT FOR ADVANCED SOI DEVICES BASED ON A DEEP TRENCH CAPACITOR CONFIGURATION - By forming a first portion of a substrate contact in an SOI device on the basis of a trench capacitor process, the overall manufacturing process for patterning contact elements may be enhanced since the contacts may only have to extend down to the level of the semiconductor layer. Since the lower portion of the substrate contact may be formed concurrently with the fabrication of trench capacitors, complex patterning steps may be avoided which may otherwise have to be introduced when the substrate contacts are to be formed separately from contact elements connecting to the device level. | 08-06-2009 |
20090275200 | TECHNIQUE FOR REDUCING TOPOGRAPHY-RELATED IRREGULARITIES DURING THE PATTERNING OF A DIELECTRIC MATERIAL IN A CONTACT LEVEL OF CLOSELY SPACED TRANSISTORS - In a dual stress liner approach, the surface conditions after the patterning of a first stress-inducing layer may be enhanced by appropriately designing an etch sequence for substantially completely removing an etch stop material, which may be used for the patterning of the second stress-inducing dielectric material, while, in other cases, the etch stop material may be selectively formed after the patterning of the first stress-inducing dielectric material. Hence, the dual stress liner approach may be efficiently applied to semiconductor devices of the 45 nm technology and beyond. | 11-05-2009 |
20090295457 | COLD TEMPERATURE CONTROL IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - Operation of complex integrated circuits at low temperatures may be enhanced by providing active heating elements within the integrated circuit so as to raise the temperature of at least critical circuit portions at respective operational phases, such as upon power-up. Consequently, enhanced cold temperature performance may be obtained on the basis of existing process elements in order to provide design stability without requiring extensive circuit simulation or redesign of well-established circuit architectures. | 12-03-2009 |
20100052110 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING A CARBON-BASED MATERIAL FOR THROUGH HOLE VIAS - In a semiconductor device, a through hole via extending through the substrate of the device may be formed on the basis of a carbon-containing material, thereby providing excellent compatibility with high temperature processes, while also providing superior electrical performance compared to doped semiconductor materials and the like. Thus, in some illustrative embodiments, the through hole vias may be formed prior to any process steps used for forming critical circuit elements, thereby substantially avoiding any interference of the through hole via structure with a device level of the corresponding semiconductor device. Consequently, highly efficient three-dimensional integration schemes may be realized. | 03-04-2010 |
20100052175 | REDUCING LEAKAGE AND DIELECTRIC BREAKDOWN IN DIELECTRIC MATERIALS OF METALLIZATION SYSTEMS OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES BY FORMING RECESSES - By recessing metal lines and/or the dielectric material of a metallization layer of sophisticated semiconductor devices, the time to dielectric breakdown may be increased due to reducing electrical fields and diffusion paths at the top of the metal lines. | 03-04-2010 |
20100133620 | REDUCED TOPOGRAPHY-RELATED IRREGULARITIES DURING THE PATTERNING OF TWO DIFFERENT STRESS-INDUCING LAYERS IN THE CONTACT LEVEL OF A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - In sophisticated semiconductor devices, stress-inducing materials may be provided above the basic transistor devices without any etch control or etch stop materials, thereby enabling an efficient de-escalation of the surface topography, in particular above field regions including closely spaced polysilicon lines. Furthermore, an additional stress-inducing material may be provided on the basis of the superior surface topography, thereby providing a highly efficient strain-inducing mechanism in performance-driven transistor elements. | 06-03-2010 |
20100193963 | VOID SEALING IN A DIELECTRIC MATERIAL OF A CONTACT LEVEL OF A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING CLOSELY SPACED TRANSISTORS - In sophisticated semiconductor devices, a contact structure may be formed on the basis of a void positioned between closely spaced transistor elements wherein disadvantageous metal migration along the void may be suppressed by sealing the voids after etching a contact opening and prior to filling in the contact metal. Consequently, significant yield losses may be avoided in well-established dual stress liner approaches while, at the same time, superior device performance may be achieved. | 08-05-2010 |
20100276790 | INTERLAYER DIELECTRIC MATERIAL IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING STRESSED LAYERS WITH AN INTERMEDIATE BUFFER MATERIAL - A highly stressed dielectric material, such as a tensile stressed material, may be deposited in a conformal manner so as to respect any deposition constraints caused by pronounced surface topography of highly scaled semiconductor devices, followed by the deposition of a buffer material having enhanced gap-filling capabilities. Thereafter, a further stress-inducing layer is deposited to form a doublet structure, which acts on the transistor elements, thereby enhancing overall performance, without increasing the probability of creating deposition-related irregularities. Hence, production yield as well as performance of highly scaled semiconductor devices may be increased. | 11-04-2010 |
20100285668 | TECHNIQUE FOR COMPENSATING FOR A DIFFERENCE IN DEPOSITION BEHAVIOR IN AN INTERLAYER DIELECTRIC MATERIAL - By selectively providing a buffer layer having an appropriate thickness, height differences occurring during the deposition of an SACVD silicon dioxide may be reduced during the formation of an interlayer dielectric stack of advanced semiconductor devices. The buffer material may be selectively provided after the deposition of contact etch stop layers of both types of internal stress or may be provided after the deposition of one type of dielectric material and may be used during the subsequent patterning of the other type of dielectric stop material as an efficient etch stop layer. | 11-11-2010 |
20100327362 | NON-INSULATING STRESSED MATERIAL LAYERS IN A CONTACT LEVEL OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES - In sophisticated semiconductor devices, non-insulating materials with extremely high internal stress level may be used in the contact level in order to enhance performance of circuit elements, such as field effect transistors, wherein the non-insulating material may be appropriately “encapsulated” by dielectric material. Consequently, a desired high strain level may be obtained on the basis of a reduced layer thickness, while still providing the insulating characteristics required in the contact level. | 12-30-2010 |
20100327367 | CONTACT OPTIMIZATION FOR ENHANCING STRESS TRANSFER IN CLOSELY SPACED TRANSISTORS - By appropriately designing the geometric configuration of a contact level of a sophisticated semiconductor device, the tensile stress level of contact elements in N-channel transistors may be increased, while the tensile strain component of contact elements caused in the P-channel transistor may be reduced. | 12-30-2010 |
20100330808 | CAP LAYER REMOVAL IN A HIGH-K METAL GATE STACK BY USING AN ETCH PROCESS - In a replacement gate approach, the dielectric cap layers of the gate electrode structures are removed in a separate removal process, such as a plasma assisted etch process, in order to provide superior process conditions during the subsequent planarization of the interlayer dielectric material for exposing the sacrificial gate material. Due to the superior process conditions, the selective removal of the sacrificial gate material may be accomplished with enhanced uniformity, thereby also contributing to superior stability of transistor characteristics. | 12-30-2010 |
20110024805 | USING HIGH-K DIELECTRICS AS HIGHLY SELECTIVE ETCH STOP MATERIALS IN SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES - A spacer structure in sophisticated semiconductor devices is formed on the basis of a high-k dielectric material, which provides superior etch resistivity compared to conventionally used silicon dioxide liners. Consequently, a reduced thickness of the etch stop material may nevertheless provide superior etch resistivity, thereby reducing negative effects, such as dopant loss in the drain and source extension regions, creating a pronounced surface topography and the like, as are typically associated with conventional spacer material systems. | 02-03-2011 |
20110024912 | CMOS DEVICE INCLUDING MOLECULAR STORAGE ELEMENTS IN A VIA LEVEL - Memory cells in integrated circuit devices may be formed on the basis of functional molecules which may be positioned within via openings on the basis of appropriate patterning techniques, which may also be used for forming semiconductor-based integrated circuits. Consequently, memory cells may be formed on a “molecular” level without requiring extremely sophisticated patterning regimes, such as electron beam lithography and the like. | 02-03-2011 |
20110024914 | THREE-DIMENSIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING AN INTER-DIE CONNECTION ON THE BASIS OF FUNCTIONAL MOLECULES - In a stacked chip configuration, the “inter chip” connection is established on the basis of functional molecules, thereby providing a fast and space-efficient communication between the different semiconductor chips. | 02-03-2011 |
20110073956 | FORMING SEMICONDUCTOR RESISTORS IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING METAL GATES BY INCREASING ETCH RESISTIVITY OF THE RESISTORS - In a replacement gate approach, the polysilicon material may be efficiently removed during a wet chemical etch process, while the semiconductor material in the resistive structures may be substantially preserved. For this purpose, a species such as xenon may be incorporated into the semiconductor material of the resistive structure, thereby imparting a significantly increased etch resistivity to the semiconductor material. The xenon may be incorporated at any appropriate manufacturing stage. | 03-31-2011 |
20110101460 | SEMICONDUCTOR FUSES IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING METAL GATES - In a replacement gate approach, the semiconductor material of the gate electrode structures may be efficiently removed during a wet chemical etch process, while this material may be substantially preserved in electronic fuses. Consequently, well-established semiconductor-based electronic fuses may be used instead of requiring sophisticated metal-based fuse structures. The etch selectivity of the semiconductor material may be modified on the basis of ion implantation or electron bombardment. | 05-05-2011 |
20110129980 | CAP REMOVAL IN A HIGH-K METAL GATE ELECTRODE STRUCTURE BY USING A SACRIFICIAL FILL MATERIAL - Dielectric cap layers of sophisticated high-k metal gate electrode structures may be efficiently removed on the basis of a sacrificial fill material, thereby reliably preserving integrity of a protective sidewall spacer structure, which in turn may result in superior uniformity of the threshold voltage of the transistors. The sacrificial fill material may be provided in the form of an organic material that may be reduced in thickness on the basis of a wet developing process, thereby enabling a high degree of process controllability. | 06-02-2011 |
20110156162 | SEMICONDUCTOR RESISTORS FORMED AT A LOWER HEIGHT LEVEL IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING METAL GATES - In sophisticated semiconductor devices comprising high-k metal gate electrode structures formed on the basis of a replacement gate approach, semiconductor-based resistors may be provided without contributing to undue process complexity in that the resistor region is recessed prior to depositing the semiconductor material of the gate electrode structure. Due to the difference in height level, a reliable protective dielectric material layer is preserved above the resistor structure upon exposing the semiconductor material of the gate electrode structure and removing the same on the basis of selective etch recipes. Consequently, well-established semiconductor materials, such as polysilicon, may be used for the resistive structures in complex semiconductor devices, substantially without affecting the overall process sequence for forming the sophisticated replacement gate electrode structures. | 06-30-2011 |
20110201135 | Method of Reducing Contamination by Providing a Removable Polymer Protection Film During Microstructure Processing - By providing a protective layer in an intermediate manufacturing stage, an increased surface protection with respect to particle contamination and surface corrosion may be achieved. In some illustrative embodiments, the protective layer may be used during an electrical test procedure, in which respective contact portions are contacted through the protective layer, thereby significantly reducing particle contamination during a respective measurement process. | 08-18-2011 |
20110215415 | Technique for Enhancing Transistor Performance by Transistor Specific Contact Design - By locally adapting the size and/or density of a contact structure, for instance, within individual transistors or in a more global manner, the overall performance of advanced semiconductor devices may be increased. Hence, the mutual interaction between the contact structure and local device characteristics may be taken into consideration. On the other hand, a high degree of compatibility with conventional process strategies may be maintained. | 09-08-2011 |
20110241117 | Semiconductor Device Comprising Metal Gate Structures Formed by a Replacement Gate Approach and eFuses Including a Silicide - In a replacement gate approach for forming high-k metal gate electrode structures, electronic fuses may be provided on the basis of a semiconductor material in combination with a metal silicide by using a recessed surface topography and/or a superior selectivity of the metal silicide material during the replacement gate process. For example, in some illustrative embodiments, electronic fuses may be provided in a recessed portion of an isolation region, thereby avoiding the removal of the semiconductor material when replacing the semiconductor material of the gate electrode structures with a metal-containing electrode material. Consequently, the concept of well-established semiconductor-based electronic fuses may be applied together with sophisticated replacement gate structures of transistors. | 10-06-2011 |
20110244670 | Replacement Gate Approach for High-K Metal Gate Stacks by Avoiding a Polishing Process for Exposing the Placeholder Material - In a replacement gate approach, the exposure of the placeholder material of the gate electrode structures may be accomplished on the basis of an etch process, thereby avoiding the introduction of process-related non-uniformities, which are typically associated with a complex polishing process for exposing the top surface of the placeholder material. In some illustrative embodiments, the placeholder material may be exposed by an etch process based on a sacrificial mask material. | 10-06-2011 |
20110291292 | Selective Shrinkage of Contact Elements in a Semiconductor Device - In sophisticated semiconductor devices, the contact elements connecting to active semiconductor regions having formed thereabove closely spaced gate electrode structures may be provided on the basis of a liner material so as to reduce the lateral width of the contact opening, while, on the other hand, non-critical contact elements may be formed on the basis of non-reduced lateral dimensions. To this end, at least a first portion of the critical contact element is formed and provided with a liner material prior to forming the non-critical contact element. | 12-01-2011 |
20120001263 | Replacement Gate Approach for High-K Metal Gate Stacks Based on a Non-Conformal Interlayer Dielectric - In replacement gate approaches for forming sophisticated high-k metal gate electrode structures in a late manufacturing stage, the exposing of the placeholder material may be accomplished on the basis of a substantially uniform interlayer dielectric material, for instance in the form of a silicon nitride material, which may have a similar removal rate compared to the dielectric cap material, the spacer elements and the like of the gate electrode structures. Consequently, a pronounced degree of recessing of the interlayer dielectric material may be avoided, thereby reducing the risk of forming metal residues upon removing any excess material of the gate metal. | 01-05-2012 |
20120025318 | Reduced Topography in Isolation Regions of a Semiconductor Device by Applying a Deposition/Etch Sequence Prior to Forming the Interlayer Dielectric - Contact failures in sophisticated semiconductor devices may be reduced by relaxing the pronounced surface topography in isolation regions prior to depositing the interlayer dielectric material system. To this end, a deposition/etch sequence may be applied in which a fill material may be removed from the active region, while the recesses in the isolation regions may at least be partially filled. | 02-02-2012 |
20120028470 | Increasing Robustness of a Dual Stress Liner Approach in a Semiconductor Device by Applying a Wet Chemistry - In a dual stress liner approach, unwanted material provided between closely spaced gate electrode structures may be removed to a significant degree on the basis of a wet chemical etch process, thereby reducing the risk of creating patterning-related irregularities. Consequently, the probability of contact failures in sophisticated interlayer dielectric material systems formed on the basis of a dual stress liner approach may be reduced. | 02-02-2012 |
20120146106 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING THROUGH-CONTACTS AND RELATED FABRICATION METHODS - Apparatus for semiconductor device structures and related fabrication methods are provided. One method for fabricating a semiconductor device structure involves forming a layer of dielectric material overlying a doped region formed in a semiconductor substrate adjacent to a gate structure and forming a conductive contact in the layer of dielectric material. The conductive contact overlies and electrically connects to the doped region. The method continues by forming a second layer of dielectric material overlying the conductive contact, forming a voided region in the second layer overlying the conductive contact, forming a third layer of dielectric material overlying the voided region, and forming another voided region in the third layer overlying at least a portion of the voided region in the second layer. The method continues by forming a conductive material that fills both voided regions to contact the conductive contact. | 06-14-2012 |
20120161242 | ENHANCEMENT OF ULTRAVIOLET CURING OF TENSILE STRESS LINER USING REFLECTIVE MATERIALS - A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device begins by fabricating an n-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor structure on a semiconductor wafer. The method continues by forming an optically reflective layer overlying the NMOS transistor structure, forming a layer of tensile stress inducing material overlying the optically reflective layer, and curing the layer of tensile stress inducing material by applying ultraviolet radiation. Some of the ultraviolet radiation directly radiates the layer of tensile stress inducing material and some of the ultraviolet radiation radiates the layer of tensile stress inducing material by reflecting from the optically reflective layer. | 06-28-2012 |
20120181692 | HYBRID CONTACT STRUCTURE WITH LOW ASPECT RATIO CONTACTS IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - In sophisticated semiconductor devices, superior contact resistivity may be accomplished for a given contact configuration by providing hybrid contact elements, at least a portion of which may be comprised of a highly conductive material, such as copper. To this end, a well-established contact material, such as tungsten, may be used as buffer material in order to preserve integrity of sensitive device areas upon depositing the highly conductive metal. | 07-19-2012 |
20120190195 | METHODS FOR FABRICATING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING LOCAL CONTACTS - Fabrication methods for semiconductor device structures are provided. One method for fabricating a semiconductor device structure that includes a gate structure overlying a semiconductor substrate and a doped region formed in the semiconductor substrate adjacent to the gate structure involves the steps of forming a first layer of dielectric material overlying the gate structure and the doped region, isotropically etching the first layer of dielectric material, forming a second layer of dielectric material overlying the first layer of dielectric material after isotropically etching the first layer, and forming a conductive contact that is electrically connected to the doped region within the first layer and the second layer. | 07-26-2012 |
20120220119 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PATTERNING VERTICAL CONTACTS AND METAL LINES IN A COMMON ETCH PROCESS - Interlayer connections, i.e., vertical connections, may be formed on the basis of a hard mask material, which may be positioned below, within or above an interlayer dielectric material, wherein one lateral dimension is defined by a trench mask, thereby obtaining a desired interlayer connection in a common patterning process. Furthermore, the thickness of at least certain portions of the metal lines may be adjusted with a high degree of flexibility, thereby providing the possibility of significantly reducing the overall resistivity of metal lines in metal levels, in which device performance may significantly depend on resistivity rather than parasitic capacitance. | 08-30-2012 |
20120223437 | Semiconductor Device Comprising Metallization Layers of Reduced Interlayer Capacitance by Reducing the Amount of Etch Stop Materials - Upon forming a complex metallization system, the parasitic capacitance between metal lines of adjacent metallization layers may be reduced by providing a patterned etch stop material. In this manner, the patterning process for forming the via openings may be controlled in a highly reliable manner, while, on the other hand, the resulting overall dielectric constant of the metallization system may be reduced, thereby also significantly reducing the parasitic capacitance between stacked metal lines. | 09-06-2012 |
20120235304 | ULTRAVIOLET (UV)-REFLECTING FILM FOR BEOL PROCESSING - Semiconductor devices are formed with a dielectric stack by forming an UV reflecting layer between cured and uncured ULK layers during BEOL processing. Embodiments include forming a first ultra low-k (ULK) layer on a semiconductor element, curing the first ULK layer, forming an ultraviolet (UV) reflecting layer on the first ULK layer, forming a second ULK layer on the UV reflecting layer, and irradiating the second ULK layer with UV light. | 09-20-2012 |
20120282765 | Method of Forming Metal Gates and Metal Contacts in a Common Fill Process - The method described herein involves a method of forming metal gates and metal contacts in a common fill process. The method may involve forming a gate structure comprising a sacrificial gate electrode material, forming at least one conductive contact opening in a layer of insulating material positioned adjacent the gate structure, removing the sacrificial gate electrode material to thereby define a gate electrode opening, and performing a common deposition process to fill the conductive contact opening and the gate electrode opening with a conductive fill material. | 11-08-2012 |
20130089985 | Enhancing Transistor Performance by Reducing Exposure to Oxygen Plasma in a Dual Stress Liner Approach - When forming strain-inducing dielectric material layers above transistors of different conductivity type, the patterning of at least one strain-inducing dielectric material may be accomplished on the basis of a process sequence in which a negative influence of a fluorine species in an oxygen plasma upon removing the resist mask is avoided or at least significantly suppressed. For example, a substantially oxygen-free plasma process may be applied for removing the resist material. | 04-11-2013 |
20130095648 | TECHNIQUE FOR REDUCING TOPOGRAPHY-RELATED IRREGULARITIES DURING THE PATTERNING OF A DIELECTRIC MATERIAL IN A CONTACT LEVEL OF CLOSELY SPACED TRANSISTORS - In a dual stress liner approach, the surface conditions after the patterning of a first stress-inducing layer may be enhanced by appropriately designing an etch sequence for substantially completely removing an etch stop material, which may be used for the patterning of the second stress-inducing dielectric material, while, in other cases, the etch stop material may be selectively formed after the patterning of the first stress-inducing dielectric material. Hence, the dual stress liner approach may be efficiently applied to semiconductor devices of the 45 nm technology and beyond. | 04-18-2013 |
20130164901 | Method of Making Capacitor With a Sealing Liner and Semiconductor Device Comprising Same - Generally, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to various methods of making a capacitor with a sealing liner and a semiconductor device including such a capacitor. In one example, the method includes forming a layer of insulating material, forming a capacitor opening in the layer of insulating material, forming a sealing liner on the sidewalls of the capacitor opening and forming a first metal layer in the capacitor opening and on the sealing liner by performing a process using a precursor having a minimum particle size, wherein the sealing liner is made of a material having an opening size that is less than the minimum particle size of the precursor. | 06-27-2013 |
20130221540 | THREE-DIMENSIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING AN INTER-DIE CONNECTION ON THE BASIS OF FUNCTIONAL MOLECULES - In a stacked chip configuration, the “inter chip” connection is established on the basis of functional molecules, thereby providing a fast and space-efficient communication between the different semiconductor chips. | 08-29-2013 |
20130224948 | METHODS FOR DEPOSITION OF TUNGSTEN IN THE FABRICATION OF AN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - A method for fabricating an integrated circuit includes providing a semiconductor wafer comprising a hole etched therein, depositing a first layer comprising tungsten onto the semiconductor wafer and into the hole therein, thereby filling the hole with the first layer, and etching the first layer from the semiconductor wafer, wherein etching the first layer results in the formation of a divot above the first layer within the hole. The method may further include depositing a second layer comprising tungsten onto the semiconductor wafer and into the divot formed above the first layer within the hole and polishing the second layer from the semiconductor wafer, wherein polishing the second layer does not remove the second layer deposited into the divot. | 08-29-2013 |
20130234336 | PROCESSES FOR FORMING INTEGRATED CIRCUITS AND INTEGRATED CIRCUITS FORMED THEREBY - Processes for forming integrated circuits and integrated circuits formed thereby are provided in which a first dielectric layer including a first dielectric material is formed on an underlying substrate. A first etch mask having at least two patterned recesses is patterned over the first dielectric layer. At least one first-level via is etched in the first dielectric layer through one patterned recess in the first etch mask with a first etchant, and the first-level via is filled with electrically-conductive material. A second dielectric layer including a second dielectric material is formed over the first dielectric layer. A second etch mask having patterned recesses corresponding to the patterned recesses of the first etch mask is patterned over the second dielectric layer. Second-level vias are etched in the second dielectric layer through the patterned recesses in the second etch mask with a second etchant and exposed to the first etchant. | 09-12-2013 |
20140197544 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING METALLIZATION LAYERS OF REDUCED INTERLAYER CAPACITANCE BY REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF ETCH STOP MATERIALS - Upon forming a complex metallization system, the parasitic capacitance between metal lines of adjacent metallization layers may be reduced by providing a patterned etch stop material. In this manner, the patterning process for forming the via openings may be controlled in a highly reliable manner, while, on the other hand, the resulting overall dielectric constant of the metallization system may be reduced, thereby also significantly reducing the parasitic capacitance between stacked metal lines. | 07-17-2014 |
20140231907 | METHODS OF INDUCING A DESIRED STRESS IN THE CHANNEL REGION OF A TRANSISTOR BY PERFORMING ION IMPLANTATION/ANNEAL PROCESSES ON THE GATE ELECTRODE - One method herein includes forming a gate structure above an active area of a semiconductor substrate, forming sidewall spacer structures adjacent the gate structure, forming a masking layer that allows implantation of ions into the gate electrode but not into areas of the active region where source/drain regions for the transistor will be formed, performing a gate ion implantation process to form a gate ion implant region in the gate electrode and performing an anneal process. An N-type transistor including sidewall spacer structures positioned adjacent a gate structure, a plurality of source/drain regions for the transistor and a gate implant region positioned in a gate electrode, wherein the gate implant region is comprised of ions of phosphorous, arsenic or an implant material with an atomic size that is equal to or greater than the atomic size of phosphorous at a concentration level that falls within the range of 5e | 08-21-2014 |
20140256135 | METHODS OF REMOVING GATE CAP LAYERS IN CMOS APPLICATIONS - One illustrative method disclosed herein includes the steps of forming a masking layer that covers a P-type transistor and exposes at least a gate cap layer of an N-type transistor, performing a first etching process through the masking layer to remove a portion of the gate cap of the N-type transistor so as to thereby define a reduced thickness gate cap layer for the N-type transistor, removing the masking layer, and performing a common second etching process on the P-type transistor and the N-type transistor that removes a gate cap layer of the P-type transistor and the reduced thickness gate cap of the N-type transistor. | 09-11-2014 |
20140319620 | METHODS FOR FABRICATING INTEGRATED CIRCUITS WITH POLYCRYSTALLINE SILICON RESISTOR STRUCTURES USING A REPLACMENT GATE PROCESS FLOW, AND THE INTEGRATED CIRCUITS FABRICATED THEREBY - Integrated circuits and methods for fabricating integrated circuits are provided. In an embodiment, an integrated circuit includes a first transistor structure that includes an etch-stop material layer, a first workfunction material layer disposed over the etch-stop material layer, a second workfunction material layer disposed over the first workfunction material layer, and a metal fill material disposed over the second workfunction material layer. The integrated circuit further includes a second transistor structure that includes a layer of the etch-stop material, a layer of the second workfunction material disposed over the etch-stop material layer, and a layer of the metal fill material disposed over the second workfunction material layer. Still further, the integrated circuit includes a resistor structure that includes a layer of the etch-stop material, a layer of the metal fill material disposed over the etch-stop material layer, and a silicon material layer disposed over the metal fill material layer. | 10-30-2014 |