This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 2007-90901, filed on Mar. 30, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a manufacturing method thereof, and relates, for example, a semiconductor device and a manufacturing method thereof having a semiconductor element on an SOI (Silicon On Insulator) structure, for example.
In recent years, there has been an FBC device as a semiconductor memory device expected as a memory replacing a 1T (Transistor)-1C (Capacitor)-type DRAM. The FBC memory device forms an FET (Field Effect Transistor) having a floating body (hereinafter, also called a body) on an SOI structure, and stores data “1” or data “0” depending on the number of majority carriers accumulated in this body.
Conventionally, an FBC memory is formed using an SOI substrate. However, because the SOI substrate is expensive, there has been developed a method of forming an SOI structure on a bulk substrate, and forming an FBC on this SOI structure. In this case, a silicon germanium layer becoming a seed of a silicon monocrystal is formed on a bulk substrate, and a silicon monocrystalline layer is epitaxially grown on this silicon germanium layer. Next, the silicon monocrystalline layer in an element isolation region is removed, thereby partially exposing the silicon germanium layer. A total silicon germanium layer is removed from this element isolation region. A silicon oxide film is filled between the silicon monocrystalline layer and the bulk substrate, thereby forming the SOI structure.
However, the etching amount of the silicon germanium layer needs to be limited to a necessary minimum amount. This is because while the silicon germanium layer can be selectively etched to the silicon monocrystal, when the etching time is long, the silicon monocrystalline layer is also unnecessarily etched.
To suppress a dishing in a CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) process at the time of forming an STI, a dummy active area is often laid out within a wide element isolation region. While the dummy active area has an SOI structure which is the same as that of the normal active area, a semiconductor element is not generated in the dummy active area. Because the etching amount of the silicon germanium layer needs to be limited to the necessary minimum amount as described above, when the dummy active area is large, the silicon germanium layer remains beneath the dummy active area. This leads to a self contamination by the silicon germanium. There is also a problem that the dummy active area is removed from the bulk substrate due to the explosive oxidization of the remaining silicon germanium.
When the dummy active area is small, the silicon germanium layer is completely etched, and the dummy active area of the silicon monocrystalline layer is removed from the bulk substrate.
A semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a bulk substrate; an insulation layer provided on the bulk substrate; a semiconductor layer containing an active area on which a semiconductor element is formed, and a dummy active area isolated from the active area and not formed with a semiconductor element thereon, the semiconductor layer being provided on the insulation layer; and a supporting unit provided beneath the dummy active area to reach the bulk substrate piercing through the insulation layer, the supporting unit supporting the dummy active area.
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises forming a silicon germanium layer on a bulk substrate; forming a first silicon monocrystalline layer on the silicon germanium layer; removing a part of the first silicon monocrystalline layer and a part of the silicon germanium layer within a dummy active area isolated by an element isolation region from an active area in which a semiconductor element is to be formed; forming a silicon pillar within a trench formed by removing the part of the first silicon monocrystalline layer and the part of the silicon germanium layer, and forming a second silicon monocrystalline layer on the first silicon monocrystalline layer; removing the first and the second silicon monocrystalline layers and the silicon germanium layer in the element isolation region; selectively removing the silicon germanium layer in the dummy active area, while leaving the first and the second silicon monocrystalline layers and the silicon pillar in the dummy active area; and embedding an insulation layer beneath the first and the second silicon monocrystalline layers in the dummy active area.
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises forming a mask layer on a bulk substrate; removing a part of the mask layer within a dummy active area isolated by an element isolation region from an active area in which a semiconductor element is to be formed; forming a porous silicon layer by selectively making porous the surface of the bulk substrate not covered by the mask layer, and forming a silicon pillar beneath the mask layer; removing the mask layer; forming a silicon monocrystal on the porous silicon layer and the silicon pillar; removing the silicon monocrystalline layer and the porous silicon layer in the element isolation region; selectively removing the porous silicon layer in the dummy active area, while leaving the silicon monocrystalline layer and the silicon pillar in the dummy active area; and embedding an insulation layer beneath the silicon monocrystalline layer in the dummy active area.
Embodiments of the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the invention is not limited thereto.
The BOX layer 20 is provided on the bulk substrate 10. The silicon layer 30 includes normal active areas AA in which a semiconductor element is formed, and dummy active areas DAA in which a semiconductor element is not formed. The dummy active areas DAA are isolated from the active areas AA, and are laid out within element isolation STI (Shallow Trench Isolation). The dummy active areas DAA are provided to suppress a dishing (gouged) of wide element isolation regions by a CMP at the time of forming the element isolation STI. The supporting units 40 include silicon monocrystal, for example, and are provided to reach the bulk substrate 10 piercing through the BOX layer 20 beneath the dummy active areas DAA. Accordingly, the supporting units 40 fix the dummy active areas DAA to the bulk substrate 10, and support this.
An n-type source layer S and an n-type drain layer D are formed within the silicon layer 30. A p-type body B is provided between the source layer S and the drain layer D. The body B is in an electrically floating state, and accumulates or discharges holes to store data. The gate dielectric film 50 is provided on the body B. The gate dielectric film 50 includes, for example, a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, a silicon oxynitrided film, or a high-dielectric film (for example, HfSiO). The gate electrode 60 includes polysilicon, and is provided on the gate dielectric film 50. The gate electrode 60 also functions as a word line WL. The sidewall layer 70 includes a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film, and is provided on the side surface of the gate electrode 60. The sidewall layer 70 is provided to form the source layer S, the drain layer D, and the silicide layer 80 by using self-alignment technique.
The silicide layer 80 is provided on the source layer S and the drain layer D to decrease contact resistance. The silicide layer 81 is provided on the gate electrode 60 to decrease gate resistance. The silicide layers 80 and 81 are nickel silicide, for example. The silicide layer 80 can be also provided on the dummy active areas DAA. This is because even when the silicide layer 80 is formed on the dummy active areas DAA, the effect (dishing suppression effect) of the dummy active areas DAA can be obtained. The liner layer 90 includes a silicon nitride film, and is provided to cover the gate electrode 60 and the sidewall layer 70.
The interlayer dielectric film 100 is provided on the memory cell MC and the dummy active areas DAA. The contact plug CP is in contact with the silicide layer 80 through the interlayer dielectric film 100. The contact plug CP electrically connects the source layer S to the source line SL, and electrically connects the drain layer D to the bit line BL. The bit line BL extends to a direction orthogonal with the extension direction of the word line WL. Accordingly, a memory cell MC present at the intersection between the word line WL and the bit line BL can be selected. The source line SL extends to the same direction as that of the word line WL. The bit line BL and the source line SL include copper.
The memory cell MC is present at the intersection between the word line WL and the bit line BL, and can store logical data (“1” or “0”) depending on the number of holes accumulated in the body B. The memory cell MC is configured by an n-type MISFET (Metal-Isolator-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor), for example. When the memory cell MC is the n-type MISFET, the logical data is “1” when many holes are accumulated in the body B, and the logical is “0” when a small number of holes are accumulated in the body B.
The supporting units 40 are provided beneath the dummy active areas DAA, the source layer S and the drain layer D. As shown in
When the supporting units 40 support the dummy active areas DAA and the active areas AA, the dummy active areas DAA and the active areas AA are not peeled off during the manufacturing process.
The supporting units 40 can be a conductor by selectively implanting an impurity into only the dummy active areas DAA. In this case, the potential of the dummy active areas DAA can be set the same as the potential of the bulk substrate 10. When the dummy active areas DAA are in the electrically floating state, the BOX layer 20 or the memory cell MC has a risk of being destroyed due to the accumulation of charge in the dummy active areas DAA during the manufacturing. When the dummy active areas DAA are in the electrically floating state, this has a risk of negative effect that the characteristic of the memory cell MC becomes unstable. However, when the potential of the dummy active areas DAA is fixed to the potential of the bulk substrate 10 like in the present embodiment, the above problem is not present.
In the present embodiment, while the supporting units 40 are provided immediately below both the source layer S and the drain layer D, the supporting units 40 can be also provided immediately below one of the source layer S and the drain layer D. In this case, the supporting units 40 are formed by a semiconductor of conductivity opposite to that of the source layer S and the drain layer D or the bulk substrate 10. With this arrangement, the source and the substrate can be isolated by a pn-junction, and the drain and the substrate can be isolated by a pn-junction. When the source layer S and the drain layer D are n-type semiconductors and also when the bulk substrate 10 is a p-type semiconductor, for example, the supporting units 40 can be formed by n-type semiconductors. Accordingly, a pn-junction is formed between the source and the substrate, and between the drain and the substrate, respectively. As a result, the source can be isolated from the substrate, and the drain can be isolated from the substrate.
Further, the supporting units 40 can be provided immediately below the body B. However, the body B needs to be in the electrically floating state. Therefore, the supporting units 40 need to be formed by a semiconductor of conductivity opposite to that of the body B or the bulk substrate 10. By this configuration, the body can be isolated from the substrate by a pn-junction. When the body B and the bulk substrate 10 are p-type semiconductors, for example, the supporting units 40 can be formed as an n-type semiconductor. Accordingly, a pn-junction is formed between the body B and the bulk substrate 10, and the body B is isolated from the bulk substrate 10.
A method of manufacturing the FBC memory according to the present embodiment is explained next.
As shown in
Next, a silicon layer 32 as a second monocrystalline layer is epitaxially grown on the bulk substrate 10 and the silicon layer 31. Accordingly, the silicon layer 32 is implanted into trenches 35, and the supporting units (silicon pillars) 40 are formed within the trenches 35, as shown in
A mask layer 42 covering the active areas AA and the dummy active areas DAA is then formed. The surface of the silicon layer 30 in the element isolation regions IA is exposed. The mask layer 42 includes a silicon nitride film, for example, and is processed by using lithography and RIE. The silicon layer 30 and the silicon germanium layer 25 in the element isolation regions IA are anisotropically etched by using the mask layer 42 as a mask and by using RIE, as shown in
As shown in
Next, as shown in
Thereafter, the height of the embedded insulation film 20 is adjusted by using wet etching. The mask layer 42 is removed. Thereafter, a semiconductor element is formed on the active areas AA by using a known CMOS process, as shown in
In the present embodiment, the supporting units 40 are provided within the range of the dummy active areas DAA viewed from above the surface of the bulk substrate 10. A center (barycenter) of each supporting unit 40 substantially coincides with a center (barycenter) of each dummy active area DAA. By forming the supporting units 40 in this way, a distance from the peripheries of the dummy active areas DAA to the peripheries of the supporting units 40, that is, the etching distance of the silicon germanium layer 25, is not deviated to one side and becomes symmetrical with the center (barycenter) of the supporting unit 40. Accordingly, there is no unetched part of the silicon germanium layer 25, and excessive etching of the silicon layer 30 and the supporting unit 40 can be suppressed. As a result, in the present embodiment, peeling off of the dummy active areas DAA and self-contamination due to germanium can be suppressed. The dummy active areas DAA can suppress dishing of the surrounding of the active areas AA by CMP and the like. Suppression of germanium contamination stabilizes the transistor characteristic. A dummy gate (not shown) can be formed on or around the dummy active areas DAA. The dummy gate is provided to avoid the occurrence of dishing in the flattening CMP process of the interlayer dielectric film 100.
A method of manufacturing the FBC memory according to the second embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment, and therefore, only a different process is explained.
A method of manufacturing the FBC memory according to the third embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment, and therefore, only a different process is explained.
In the first to the third embodiments, a distance from the end of the dummy active areas DAA to the end of the supporting units 40 (y shown in
Next, the surface region of the bulk substrate 10 is anodized using the mask layer 200 as a mask. Accordingly, as shown in
An anodized current does not flow through the bulk substrate 10 covered with the mask layer 200. Therefore, silicon pillars becoming the supporting units 40 remain in the region covered by the mask layer 200.
Next, as shown in
Next, the mask layer 42 is formed to cover the active areas AA and the dummy active areas DAA. The surface of the silicon layer 30 in the element isolation regions IA is exposed. The mask layer 42 includes a silicon nitride film, for example, and is processed using lithography and RIE. The silicon layer 30 and the porous silicon layer in the element isolation regions IA are anisotropically etched by using the mask layer 42 as a mask by RIE, as shown in
Thereafter, the process explained with reference to
A dummy gate (not shown) can be formed on or around the dummy active areas DAA by using a known CMOS process. The dummy gate is provided to avoid the occurrence of dishing in the flattening CMP process of the interlayer dielectric film 100.
In the second and the third embodiments, the porous silicon layer can be also manufactured by using anodization like in the fourth embodiment.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2007-090901 | Mar 2007 | JP | national |