The present disclosure relates to a method of fabricating the semiconductor structure.
With the rapid growth of electronic industry, the development of semiconductor devices has achieved high performance and miniaturization. As the size of semiconductor devices shrinks, the gate channel length decreases correspondingly. Consequently, a short channel effect may occur. To deal with such problem, recessed channel array transistor (RCAT) utilized for dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device has been developed to suppressing the short channel effect by increasing the gate channel length without an increase in a lateral area of a gate electrode.
However, in a conventional RCAT device, a leakage problem (e.g., gate induced drain leakage) may occur. The leakage problem adversely affects the refresh or date retention characteristic of the DRAM device.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a method of fabricating a semiconductive structure includes the following steps. A semiconductor layer is formed on a semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor layer is patterned to form a semiconductive structure on the semiconductor substrate. Each of widths of two ends of the semiconductive structure is wider than a width of a middle of the semiconductive structure. The semiconductive structure is doped to form a doped semiconductor structure. An isolation structure is formed to surround the doped semiconductor structure. A recessing process is performed such that two trenches are formed on the doped semiconductor structure, and a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion of an active region are formed on the semiconductor substrate. A first gate structure and a second gate structure are formed in the trenches such that the first portion and the third portion are partially spaced apart by the first gate structure, and the second portion and the third portion are partially spaced apart by the second gate structure.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the doped semiconductor structure has a dumbbell shape, in a top view.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes forming a gate dielectric layer on sidewalls of the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion of the active region before the first gate structure and the second gate structure are formed.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes forming a dielectric layer on the first gate structure and the second gate structure.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gate dielectric layer has a portion between the dielectric layer and the active region.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gate dielectric layer has a portion between the first gate structure and the second gate structure and the active region.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, patterning the semiconductor layer to form the semiconductive structure on the semiconductor substrate is performed by using an extreme ultraviolet lithography process.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, doping the semiconductive structure further comprises a doping operation such that a first doped region and a second doped region are formed.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a doping impurity of the first doped region is different from that of the second doped region.
In summary, the disclosure provides a method of fabricating a semiconductor structure. The semiconductor structure includes an active region, an isolation structure, a first gate structure, and a second gate structure. The active portion has a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion between the first portion and the second portion. A shape of the first portion is different from a shape of the third portion. By using this semiconductor structure, not only better driving capability can be achieved but also leakage property can be improved.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are by examples, and are intended to provide further explanation of the disclosure as claimed.
The disclosure can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiment, with reference made to the accompanying drawings as follows:
Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
Referring to
Referring to
In some embodiments, each of widths W1 of two ends of the semiconductive structure 120 is wider than a width W2 of a middle of the semiconductive structure 120. In other words, the width W2 is narrower than each of the widths W1. In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the semiconductor layer 110 (see
In some embodiments, patterning the semiconductor layer 110 (see
Referring to
In some embodiments, doping the semiconductive structure 120 (see
In some embodiments, the isolation structure 140 may be formed by depositing a silicon oxide layer, a silicon nitride layer or a silicon oxynitride layer, and the like. The formation methods of the isolation structure 140 include physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and the like.
Referring to
As shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the recessing process may include a dry etching process, a wet etching process, and/or combinations thereof. The recessing process may also include a selective wet etching process or a selective dry etching process. A wet etching solution includes a tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), a HF/HNO3/CH3COOH solution, or other suitable solution. The dry and wet etching processes have etching parameters that can be tuned, such as etchants used, etching temperature, etching solution concentration, etching pressure, source power, radio frequency (RF) bias voltage, RF bias power, etchant flow rate, and other suitable parameters. In some other embodiments, a wet etching solution may include NH4OH, KOH (potassium hydroxide), HF (hydrofluoric acid), TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide), other suitable wet etching solutions, or combinations thereof. In yet some other embodiments, a dry etching process may include a biased plasma etching process that uses a chlorine-based chemistry. Other dry etchant gasses include CF4, NF3, SF6, and He. Dry etching may also be performed anisotropically using such mechanisms as DRIE (deep reactive-ion etching).
Referring to
In some embodiments, the gate dielectric layer 160 includes one or more layers of a dielectric material, such as silicon oxide, titanium nitride, silicon nitride, or a high-k dielectric material, other suitable dielectric material, and/or combinations thereof. Examples of high-k dielectric materials include HfO2, HfSiO, HfSiON, HfTaO, HfTiO, HfZrO, zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, hafnium dioxide-alumina (HfO2—Al2O3) alloy, other suitable high-k dielectric materials, and/or combinations thereof.
In some embodiments, the gate dielectric layer 160 may be formed by CVD, atomic layer deposition (ALD) or any suitable method. In one embodiment, the gate dielectric layer 160 is formed using a highly conformal deposition process such as ALD in order to ensure the formation of gate dielectric layer 160 having a uniform thickness.
Referring to
In some embodiments, the method of forming the first adhesion layer 170, the second adhesion layer 172, the first gate structure 180, and the second gate structure 182 may include filling adhesion materials and conductive materials in the trench T1 (see
In some embodiments, the first adhesion layer 170 and the second adhesion layer 172 can adhere the first gate structure 180 and the second gate structure 182, respectively. The first adhesion layer 170 and the second adhesion layer 172 respectively enables the first gate structure 180 and the second gate structure 182 to have improved filling characteristics in the remaining trenches T1, and therefore results in forming the first gate structure 180 and the second gate structure 182 without leaving unfilled voids therein. Similarly, the third adhesion layer 174 and the fourth adhesion layer 176 can adhere the third gate structure 184 and the fourth gate structure 186, respectively. The third adhesion layer 174 and the fourth adhesion layer 176 respectively enables the third gate structure 184 and the fourth gate structure 186 to have improved filling characteristics in the remaining trenches T2 and therefore results in forming the third gate structure 184 and the fourth gate structure 186 without leaving unfilled voids therein. In some embodiments, the first adhesion layer 170, the second adhesion layer 172, third adhesion layer 174 and the fourth adhesion layer 176 may be made of titanium nitride (TiN).
In some embodiments, a top surface 180t of the first gate structure 180 is below a top surface of the active region 150. In greater details, the top surface 180t of the first gate structure 180 is below a top surface 152t of the first portion 152, a top surface 154t of the second portion 154, and a top surface 156t of the third portion 156. In some embodiments, a top surface 182t of the second gate structure 182 is below the top surface of the active region 150. In greater details, the top surface 182t of the second gate structure 182 is below the top surface 152t of the first portion 152, the top surface 154t of the second portion 154, and the top surface 156t of the third portion 156.
In some embodiments, the top surface 180t of the first gate structure, the top surface 182t of the second gate structure 182, a top surface 184t of the third gate structure 184, and a top surface 186t of the fourth gate structure 186 are at same horizontal level.
In some embodiments, the gate dielectric layer 160 is between the first gate structure 180 and the active region 150, and between the second gate structure 182 and the active region 150. In greater details, the gate dielectric layer 160 is between the first gate structure 180 and the sidewall 152s of the first portion 152 and the sidewall 156s of the third portion 156. The gate dielectric layer 160 is between the second gate structure 182 and the sidewall 154s of the second portion 154 and the sidewall 156s of the third portion 156.
In some embodiments, materials of the first gate structure 180, the second gate structure 182, the third gate structure 184, and the fourth gate structure 186 may be conductive materials such as tungsten or other suitable conductive materials. In some embodiments, the material of the first gate structure 180 is same as the material of the second gate structure 182, and the material of the third gate structure 184 is same as the material of the fourth gate structure 186. In other embodiments, the material of the first gate structure 180, the second gate structure 182, the third gate structure 184, and the fourth gate structure 186 are same.
Referring to
In some embodiments, the gate dielectric layer 160 has a portion 162 between the dielectric layer 190 and the active region 150. In greater details, the portion 162 of the gate dielectric layer 160 includes a portion between the dielectric layer 190 above the first gate structure 180 and the third portion 156 of the active region 150, and a portion between the third portion 156 of the active region 150 and the dielectric layer 190 above the second gate structure 182.
In some embodiments, the gate dielectric layer 160 has a portion 164 between the first gate structure 180 and the second gate structure 182 and the active region 150. In greater details, the portion 164 of the gate dielectric layer 160 includes a portion between the first gate structure 180 and the third portion 156 of the active region 150, and a portion between the third portion 156 of the active region 150 and the second gate structure 182.
In some embodiments, the dielectric layer 190 is made of silicon nitride or other suitable dielectric materials. In some embodiments, the dielectric layer 190 is formed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), ALD, or other suitable process.
In some embodiments, the method of forming the dielectric layer 190 may include forming the dielectric layer 190 to cover the gate structures (the first gate structure 180, the second gate structure 182, the third gate structure 184, and the fourth gate structure 186), the gate dielectric layer 160, and the isolation structure 140, and performing a planarization operation, such as a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) method and/or an etch-back method such that a portion of the dielectric layer 190 is removed. In other words, a top surface of the dielectric layer 190, a top surface of the gate dielectric layer 160, and the top surface of the isolation structure 140 are substantially coplanar. In some embodiments, the top surface of the dielectric layer 190, the top surface of the gate dielectric layer 160, and the top surface of the isolation structure 140 are at same horizontal level.
In some embodiments, as shown in
Referring to
After the planarization operation is performed, another dielectric layer 192 is formed on the dielectric layer 190. Then, a contact 200, a first conductive component 210 and a second conductive component 220 are formed. In greater details, the contact 200 is formed on the second segment 156b of the third portion 156 of the active region 150 and is surrounded with the dielectric layer 192. The first conductive component 210 is formed on the second segment 152b of the first portion 152 of the active region 150, and the second conductive component 212 is formed on the second segment 154b of the second portion 154 of the active region 150. Stated differently, the second segment 152b of the first portion 152 of the active region 150, the second segment 156b of the third portion 156 of the active region 150, and the second segment 154b of the second portion 154 of the active region 150 are electrically connected to the first conductive component 210, the contact 200, and the second conductive component 212, respectively. The first conductive component 210 and the second conductive component 212 are spaced apart by the contact 200 and the dielectric layer 192. In other words, the contact 200 is disposed between the first conductive component 210 and the second conductive component 212. In some embodiments, the first conductive component 210 and the second conductive component 212 are capacitors or conductive lines.
In some embodiments, the contact 200, the first conductive component 210, and the second conductive component 212 may be formed in one step. In other embodiments, the contact 200 is formed and then the first conductive component 210 and the second conductive component 212 are formed.
In some embodiments, a top surface of the contact 200 is below a top surface the first conductive component 210. In some embodiments, the top surface of the contact 200 is below a top surface of the second conductive component 212. In other embodiments, the top surface of the first conductive component 210 is aligned with, e.g., at same horizontal level as, the top surface of the second conductive component 212.
In summary, the semiconductor structure includes the active region, the isolation structure, the first gate structure, and the second gate structure. The active portion has the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion between the first portion and the second portion. The shape of the first portion is different from the shape of the third portion. By using this semiconductor structure, not only better driving capability can be achieved but also leakage property can be improved.
Although the present disclosure has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they fall within the scope of the following claims.
This application is a Divisional Application of the U.S. application Ser. No. 16/662,008, filed on Oct. 23, 2019, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
5995531 | Gaw | Nov 1999 | A |
6355517 | Sunami | Mar 2002 | B1 |
8134398 | Kadoya | Mar 2012 | B2 |
8207573 | Park | Jun 2012 | B2 |
8377826 | Kim | Feb 2013 | B2 |
8471316 | Tai | Jun 2013 | B2 |
9209241 | Kim et al. | Dec 2015 | B2 |
9455202 | Lee et al. | Sep 2016 | B2 |
9853031 | Cho et al. | Dec 2017 | B1 |
9985034 | Yoon | May 2018 | B2 |
10879125 | Wu | Dec 2020 | B2 |
11094692 | Huang | Aug 2021 | B2 |
11101273 | Huang | Aug 2021 | B1 |
11114445 | Choi | Sep 2021 | B2 |
11227926 | Huang | Jan 2022 | B2 |
11315869 | Huang | Apr 2022 | B1 |
11315928 | Shih | Apr 2022 | B2 |
11315930 | Huang | Apr 2022 | B2 |
11417744 | Lu | Aug 2022 | B2 |
11488868 | Wu | Nov 2022 | B2 |
11488961 | Cheng | Nov 2022 | B2 |
11521974 | Chien | Dec 2022 | B2 |
20050009269 | Shinkawata et al. | Jan 2005 | A1 |
20050077568 | Park et al. | Apr 2005 | A1 |
20060049429 | Kim | Mar 2006 | A1 |
20070097777 | Sakagami | May 2007 | A1 |
20080003833 | Kim | Jan 2008 | A1 |
20080023757 | Kujirai | Jan 2008 | A1 |
20080157194 | Lee et al. | Jul 2008 | A1 |
20080164514 | Sugioka | Jul 2008 | A1 |
20090263973 | Kim | Oct 2009 | A1 |
20090267126 | Wang | Oct 2009 | A1 |
20100072545 | Ryu et al. | Mar 2010 | A1 |
20100078698 | Son et al. | Apr 2010 | A1 |
20110014792 | Kim | Jan 2011 | A1 |
20110237037 | Park et al. | Sep 2011 | A1 |
20120231605 | Kim et al. | Sep 2012 | A1 |
20120273859 | Oyu | Nov 2012 | A1 |
20120299090 | Kim et al. | Nov 2012 | A1 |
20130105867 | Wang | May 2013 | A1 |
20130113048 | Chien | May 2013 | A1 |
20130320345 | Im | Dec 2013 | A1 |
20140010007 | Cho | Jan 2014 | A1 |
20150123195 | Wu | May 2015 | A1 |
20150372137 | Sakogawa | Dec 2015 | A1 |
20160035830 | Kim | Feb 2016 | A1 |
20160197084 | Yoon | Jul 2016 | A1 |
20170256628 | Lim | Sep 2017 | A1 |
20170263723 | Lee | Sep 2017 | A1 |
20180181695 | Kim et al. | Jun 2018 | A1 |
20190198502 | Huang et al. | Jun 2019 | A1 |
20200013668 | Choi | Jan 2020 | A1 |
20200168611 | Jeon et al. | May 2020 | A1 |
20200211900 | Wu | Jul 2020 | A1 |
20200388696 | Martin | Dec 2020 | A1 |
20210090957 | Wu | Mar 2021 | A1 |
20210091020 | Wang | Mar 2021 | A1 |
20210111178 | Choi | Apr 2021 | A1 |
20210126090 | Kim et al. | Apr 2021 | A1 |
20210126098 | Lee et al. | Apr 2021 | A1 |
20210143149 | Huang | May 2021 | A1 |
20210320104 | Huang | Oct 2021 | A1 |
20210408251 | Huang | Dec 2021 | A1 |
20220085180 | Huang | Mar 2022 | A1 |
20220157821 | Chien | May 2022 | A1 |
20220157825 | Lu | May 2022 | A1 |
20220285359 | Cheng | Sep 2022 | A1 |
20230197809 | Tsai | Jun 2023 | A1 |
20230223298 | Liao | Jul 2023 | A1 |
20230262965 | Lu | Aug 2023 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
201614806 | Apr 2016 | TW |
Entry |
---|
Myunghwan Ryu, et al., “Transistor Layout Optimization for Leakage Saving”, IEEE(electronic ISBN: 978-1-4799-1142-4) & 2013 International SoC Design Conference (ISOCC), Nov. 17-19, 2013, pp. 253-254. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20220102484 A1 | Mar 2022 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 16662008 | Oct 2019 | US |
Child | 17643404 | US |