| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 20080224182 | TRENCH-EDGE-DEFECT-FREE RECRYSTALLIZATION BY EDGE-ANGLE-OPTIMIZED SOLID PHASE EPITAXY: METHOD AND APPLICATIONS TO HYBRID ORIENTATION SUBSTRATES - The present invention discloses the use of edge-angle-optimized solid phase epitaxy for forming hybrid orientation substrates comprising changed-orientation Si device regions free of the trench-edge defects typically seen when trench-isolated regions of Si are recrystallized to the orientation of an underlying single-crystal Si template after an amorphization step. For the case of amorphized Si regions recrystallizing to (100) surface orientation, the trench-edge-defect-free recrystallization of edge-angle-optimized solid phase epitaxy may be achieved in rectilinear Si device regions whose edges align with the (100) crystal's in-plane <100> directions. | 09-18-2008 |
| 20080248626 | SHALLOW TRENCH ISOLATION SELF-ALIGNED TO TEMPLATED RECRYSTALLIZATION BOUNDARY - A hybrid orientation direct-semiconductor-bond (DSB) substrate with shallow trench isolation (STI) that is self-aligned to recrystallization boundaries is formed by patterning a hard mask layer for STI, a first amorphization implantation into openings in the hard mask layer, lithographic patterning of portions of a top semiconductor layer, a second amorphization implantation into exposed portions of the DSB substrate, recrystallization of the portions of the top semiconductor layer, and formation of STI utilizing the pattern in the hard mask layer. The edges of patterned photoresist for the second amorphization implantation are located within the openings in the patterned hard mask layer. Defective boundary regions formed underneath the openings in the hard mask layer are removed during the formation of STI to provide a leakage path free substrate. Due to elimination of a requirement for increased STI width, device density is increased compared to non-self-aligning process integration schemes. | 10-09-2008 |
| 20080272398 | CONDUCTIVE SPACERS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES AND METHODS OF FORMING - A method of forming a conductive spacer on a semiconductor device. The method includes depositing a polysilicon layer on the semiconductor device, selectively implanting dopant ions in the polysilicon layer on a first side of a transistor region of the semiconductor device to define a conductive spacer area, and removing the polysilicon layer except for the conductive spacer area. Optionally, a silicidation process can be performed on the conductive spacer area so that the conductive spacer is made up of metal silicide. | 11-06-2008 |
| 20080286917 | LASER PROCESSING METHOD FOR TRENCH-EDGE-DEFECT-FREE SOLID PHASE EPITAXY IN CONFINED GEOMETRICS - The present invention provides an improved amorphization/templated recrystallization (ATR) method for fabricating low-defect-density hybrid orientation substrates. ATR methods for hybrid orientation substrate fabrication generally start with a Si layer having a first orientation bonded to a second Si layer or substrate having a second orientation. Selected regions of the first Si layer are amorphized and then recrystallized into the orientation of the second Si layer by using the second Si layer as a template. In particular, this invention provides a melt-recrystallization ATR method, for use alone or in combination with non-melt-recrystallization ATR methods, in which selected Si regions bounded by dielectric-filled trenches are induced to undergo an orientation change by the steps of preamorphization, laser-induced melting, and corner-defect-free templated recrystallization from the melt. | 11-20-2008 |
| 20080303101 | DUAL STRESS MEMORIZATION TECHNIQUE FOR CMOS APPLICATION - A stress-transmitting dielectric layer is formed on the at least one PFET and the at least one NFET. A tensile stress generating film, such as a silicon nitride, is formed on the at least one NFET by blanket deposition and patterning. A compressive stress generating film, which may be a refractive metal nitride film, is formed on the at least one PFET by a blanket deposition and patterning. An encapsulating dielectric film is deposited over the compress stress generating film. The stress is transferred from both the tensile stress generating film and the compressive stress generating film into the underlying semiconductor structures. The magnitude of the transferred compressive stress from the refractory metal nitride film may be from about 5 GPa to about 20 GPa. The stress is memorized during an anneal and remains in the semiconductor devices after the stress generating films are removed, | 12-11-2008 |
| 20090065867 | ORIENTATION-OPTIMIZED PFETS IN CMOS DEVICES EMPLOYING DUAL STRESS LINERS - A PFET is provided on a silicon layer having a (110) surface orientation and located in a substrate. A compressive stress liner disposed on the gate and source/drain regions of the PFET generates a primary longitudinal compressive strain along the direction of the PFET channel. A tensile stress liner disposed on at least one NFET located transversely adjacent to the PFET generates a primary longitudinal tensile strain along the direction of the NFET channel. A secondary stress field from the at least one NFET tensile liner generates a beneficial transverse tensile stress in the PFET channel. The net benefits of the primary compressive longitudinal strain and the secondary tensile transverse stress are maximized when the azimuthal angle between the direction of the PFET channel and an in-plane [1 | 03-12-2009 |
| 20090108301 | HYBRID ORIENTATION SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE WITH REDUCED BOUNDARY DEFECTS AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME - The present invention provides an improved amorphization/templated recrystallization (ATR) method for forming hybrid orientation substrates and semiconductor device structures. A direct-silicon-bonded (DSB) silicon layer having a (011) surface crystal orientation is bonded to a base silicon substrate having a (001) surface crystal orientation to form a DSB wafer in which the in-plane <110> direction of the (011) DSB layer is aligned with an in-plane <110> direction of the (001) base substrate. Selected regions of the DSB layer are amorphized down to the base substrate to form amorphized regions aligned with the mutually orthogonal in-plane <100> directions of the (001) base substrate, followed by recrystallization using the base substrate as a template. This optimal arrangement of DSB layer, base substrate, and amorphized region orientation provides a near-vertical, essentially defect-free boundary between original-orientation and changed-orientation silicon regions, thus enabling complete boundary region removal with smaller footprint shallow trench isolation than possible with ATR methods not so optimized. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090173967 | STRAINED-CHANNEL FET COMPRISING TWIST-BONDED SEMICONDUCTOR LAYER - This invention provides a strained-channel field effect transistor (FET) in which the semiconductor of the channel of the FET is formed in a compliant substrate layer disposed over a twist-bonded semiconductor interface. This FET geometry increases the efficacy of local stress elements such as stress liners and embedded lattice-mismatched source/drain regions by mechanically decoupling the semiconductor of the channel region from the underlying rigid substrate. These strained-channel FETs may be incorporated into complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuits in various combinations. In one embodiment of this invention, both pFETs and nFETs are in a twist-bonded (001) silicon layer on a (001) silicon base layer. In another embodiment, pFETs are in a twist-bonded (011) silicon layer on a (001) silicon base layer and nFETs are in a conventional, non-twist-bonded (001) silicon base layer. This invention also provides a twist-bonded semiconductor layer on a polycrystalline base layer, as well as methods for fabricating the aforementioned FETs. | 07-09-2009 |
| 20090242942 | ASYMMETRIC SOURCE AND DRAIN FIELD EFFECT STRUCTURE AND METHOD - A semiconductor structure, such as a CMOS semiconductor structure, includes a field effect device that includes a plurality of source and drain regions that are asymmetric. Such a source region and drain region asymmetry is induced by fabricating the semiconductor structure using a semiconductor substrate that includes a horizontal plateau region contiguous with and adjoining a sloped incline region. Within the context of a CMOS semiconductor structure, such a semiconductor substrate allows for fabrication of a pFET and an nFET upon different crystallographic orientation semiconductor regions, while one of the pFET and the nFET (i.e., typically the pFET) has asymmetric source and drain regions. | 10-01-2009 |
| 20090298297 | DUAL STRESS MEMORIZATION TECHNIQUE FOR CMOS APPLICATION - A stress-transmitting dielectric layer is formed on the at least one PFET and the at least one NFET. A tensile stress generating film, such as a silicon nitride, is formed on the at least one NFET by blanket deposition and patterning. A compressive stress generating film, which may be a refractive metal nitride film, is formed on the at least one PFET by a blanket deposition and patterning. An encapsulating dielectric film is deposited over the compress stress generating film. The stress is transferred from both the tensile stress generating film and the compressive stress generating film into the underlying semiconductor structures. The magnitude of the transferred compressive stress from the refractory metal nitride film may be from about 5 GPa to about 20 GPa. The stress is memorized during an anneal and remains in the semiconductor devices after the stress generating films are removed. | 12-03-2009 |
| 20100200896 | EMBEDDED STRESS ELEMENTS ON SURFACE THIN DIRECT SILICON BOND SUBSTRATES - A method for growing an epitaxial layer on a substrate wherein the substrate includes a surface having a Miller index of (110) for the beneficial properties. The method comprises using a direct silicon bonded wafer with a substrate having a first Miller index and a surface having a second Miller index. An element such as a gate for a PFET may be deposited onto the surface. The area not under the gate may then be etched away to expose the substrate. An epitaxial layer may then be grown on the surface providing optimal growth patterns. The Miller index of the substrate may be (100). In an alternative embodiment the surface may have a Miller index of (100) and the surface is etched where an element such as a gate for a PFET may be placed. | 08-12-2010 |
| 20110062502 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - The present invention proposes a method of forming a dual contact hole, comprising steps of: forming a source/drain region and a replacement gate structure on a semiconductor substrate, the replacement gate structure including a replacement gate; depositing a first inter-layer dielectric layer; planarizing the first inter-layer dielectric layer to expose the replacement gate in the replacement gate structure; removing the replacement gate and depositing to form a metal gate; etching to form a first source/drain contact opening in the first inter-layer dielectric layer; sequentially depositing a liner and filling conductive metal in the first source/drain contact opening to form a first source/drain contact hole; depositing a second inter-layer dielectric layer on the first inter-layer dielectric layer; etching to form a second source/drain contact opening and a gate contact opening in the second inter-layer dielectric layer; and sequentially depositing a liner and filling conductive metal in the second source/drain contact opening and the gate contact opening to form a second source/drain contact hole and a gate contact hole. The present invention also proposes a semiconductor device manufactured by the above process. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110062518 | finFETS AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME - A method of fabricating and a structure of a merged multi-fin finFET. The method includes forming single-crystal silicon fins from the silicon layer of an SOI substrate having a very thin buried oxide layer and merging the end regions of the fins by growing vertical epitaxial silicon from the substrate and horizontal epitaxial silicon from ends of the fins such that vertical epitaxial silicon growth predominates. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110086473 | HYBRID ORIENTATION SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE WITH REDUCED BOUNDARY DEFECTS AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME - The present invention provides an improved amorphization/templated recrystallization (ATR) method for forming hybrid orientation substrates and semiconductor device structures. A direct-silicon-bonded (DSB) silicon layer having a (011) surface crystal orientation is bonded to a base silicon substrate having a (001) surface crystal orientation to form a DSB wafer in which the in-plane <110> direction of the (011) DSB layer is aligned with an in-plane <110> direction of the (001) base substrate. Selected regions of the DSB layer are amorphized down to the base substrate to form amorphized regions aligned with the mutually orthogonal in-plane <100> directions of the (001) base substrate, followed by recrystallization using the base substrate as a template. This optimal arrangement of DSB layer, base substrate, and amorphized region orientation provides a near-vertical, essentially defect-free boundary between original-orientation and changed-orientation silicon regions, thus enabling complete boundary region removal with smaller footprint shallow trench isolation than possible with ATR methods not so optimized. | 04-14-2011 |
| 20110089495 | APPLICATION OF CLUSTER BEAM IMPLANTATION FOR FABRICATING THRESHOLD VOLTAGE ADJUSTED FETS - Semiconductor structures including a high k gate dielectric material that has at least one surface threshold voltage adjusting region located within 3 nm or less from an upper surface of the high k gate dielectric are provided. The at least one surface threshold voltage adjusting region is formed by a cluster beam implant step in which at least one threshold voltage adjusting impurity is formed directly within the high k gate dielectric or driven in from an overlying threshold voltage adjusting material which is subsequently removed from the structure following the cluster beam implant step. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110108918 | ASYMMETRIC EPITAXY AND APPLICATION THEREOF - The present invention provides a method of forming asymmetric field-effect-transistors. The method includes forming a gate structure on top of a semiconductor substrate, the gate structure including a gate stack and spacers adjacent to sidewalls of the gate stack, and having a first side and a second side opposite to the first side; performing angled ion-implantation from the first side of the gate structure in the substrate, thereby forming an ion-implanted region adjacent to the first side, wherein the gate structure prevents the angled ion-implantation from reaching the substrate adjacent to the second side of the gate structure; and performing epitaxial growth on the substrate at the first and second sides of the gate structure. As a result, epitaxial growth on the ion-implanted region is much slower than a region experiencing no ion-implantation. A source region formed to the second side of the gate structure by the epitaxial growth has a height higher than a drain region formed to the first side of the gate structure by the epitaxial growth. A semiconductor structure formed thereby is also provided. | 05-12-2011 |
