This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-060,843 filed on Mar. 4, 2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
1. Filed of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit and a semiconductor device, and more particularly relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit and a semiconductor device which include complementary transistors on a substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to accelerate processing of an LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit), it is necessary to speed up the operation of MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors) constituting the LSI. However, effects of such acceleration become gradually diminished due to a variety of parasitic phenomena accompanying conventional scale-down techniques. In order to overcome this problem, it has been proposed to strain a channel region of the MOSFET and to improve the carrier mobility. In “International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors” 2003 Edition, it is planned for the high performance specification to introduce the straining process in 2008.
Channels are strained depending upon their materials or by process control.
At present, a logic LSI uses a CMOS (Complementary MOS) circuit in view of low power consumption and so on. With the CMOS circuit, the carrier mobility of the electrons and holes has to be accelerated. However, the electrons and holes are required different strain (tensioned or compressed, uni-axially or bi-axially), to be accelerated. When the CMOS is integrated, it is necessary to separately create elements appropriate for electrons and elements appropriate for holes in adjacent minute regions. It is possible to improve the performance of a single element while it is very difficult to accomplish high performance in CMOS integrated circuit.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-277,683 has proposed to thin and soften semiconductor chips, for example. Such semiconductor chips reduce a warpage of a package and improve reliability thereof. However, the semiconductor chips of the foregoing publication are intended to improve the reliability, but not to realize high speed operation.
The MOSFET including strained channels are effective in improving raising the mobility, but suffers a problem that it is very difficult to improve the performance when actually integrating CMOSs.
The present invention has been contemplated in order to overcome the foregoing technical problems of the related art, and is intended to provide a semiconductor integrated circuit and a semiconductor device in which the operation of a complementary IGFET (Insulated Gate Field Effect transistor) can be accelerated with ease.
In accordance with a first aspect of the embodiment, a semiconductor integrated circuit includes a substrate having a main surface to which a first stress is applied; a first channel conductive field effect transistor placed in a first region of the main surface of the substrate, the carrier mobility of a channel of the first channel conductive field effect transistor being improved by the first stress; and a second channel conductive field effect transistor placed in a second region of the main surface of the substrate, and receiving a second stress at a channel thereof, the second stress being opposite to the first stress, the carrier mobility of the channel of the second channel conductive field effect transistor being improved by the second stress, and the second region being independent from the first region.
In accordance with a second aspect of the embodiment, a semiconductor integrated circuit includes a substrate having a main surface which is subject to a compressive stress; a p-channel conductive field effect transistor placed on a first region of the main surface of the substrate; and a n-channel conductive field effect transistor placed on a second region of the main surface of the substrate, the second region being independent from the first region.
In accordance with a third aspect of the embodiment, a semiconductor integrated circuit includes a stressed substrate; a first channel conductive field effect transistor placed over a neutral plane of the stress of the substrate, and receiving a first stress; and a second channel conductive field effect transistor placed under the neutral plane of the stress of the substrate, and receiving a second stress opposite to the first stress.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a curved die pad; and the semiconductor integrated circuit of the first aspect, the semiconductor integrated circuits being curved in accordance with a contour of the die pad and being stressed.
In accordance with a final aspect of the embodiment, a semiconductor device includes the semiconductor integrated circuit of the first aspect; a printed circuit board on which the semiconductor integrated circuit are mounted; first bump electrodes provided between a rear surface of the substrate of the semiconductor integrated circuit and a center of a front surface of the printed circuit board, the first bump electrode being shaped in accordance with a target shape of the substrate; and second bump electrodes provided at peripheral areas of the rear surface of the substrate and the front surface of the printed circuit board, the second bump electrode being shaped in accordance with the target shape of the substrate, and having a size different from a size of the first bump electrodes.
The same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout various Figures.
Referring to
In the semiconductor chip 4, the n-channel conductive IGFET 6a and p-channel conductive IGFET 6b are present on the main surface of the substrate 5 via an element isolating region 7.
The n-channel conductive IGFET 6a includes a p-well 8a, a source electrode 9a and a drain electrode 10a, all of which are on the main surface of the substrate 5. A gate electrode 12a is placed on a surface of the p-well 8a via a gate-insulated film 11a.
The p-channel conductive IGFET 6b includes an n-well 8b, a source electrode 9b and a drain electrode 10b, all of which are on the main surface of the substrate 5. A gate electrode 12b is placed on a surface of the n-well 8b via a gate-insulated film 11b.
As shown in
The LSI package base 2 and package cap 17 are made of ceramics, for example. A surface of the die pad 3 is metallized by Au in order to reduce an electric contact resistance.
The semiconductor chip 4 is bonded onto the die pad 3 by the Au—Si eutectic alloy making process, for instance. The metal connector 16 is made of Al, and is bonded to a bonding pad on the semiconductor chip 4 and the Al wiring 15 by the supersonic bonding method, for example. The sealant 18 is a low-melting glass, and seals the LSI package when melted.
In the semiconductor device 1, the die pad 3 is curved outwards with a predetermined curvature radius toward the semiconductor chip 4. The semiconductor chip 4 is curved in accordance with the contour of the die pad 3. In this embodiment, the die pad 3 is assumed to be curved in one direction.
Referring to
E=r/R (1)
P=Yr/R (2)
where R denotes the curvature radius of the die pad 3; B denotes the surface whose vertical distance is “r” from a neutral plane A (free from tension and compression) of the semiconductor chip 4; and Y denotes the Young's modulus.
When the LSI is designed such that the IGFET channel is formed on the surface B, a uni-axial tension will be applied to the IGFET channel.
It is assumed here that the semiconductor chip 4 is constituted by an Si substrate. The semiconductor chip 4 should be thinned to approximately 10 μm to 150 μm in order that it is stretched in accordance with the contour of the die pad 3. For instance, if the semiconductor chip 4 is 100 μm thick, the curvature radius R should be approximately 20 mm in order to keep the semiconductor chip 4 strong. When R is 20 mm based on the expressions (1) and (2), the strain on the surface B is 0.25%, and the stress is 0.32 GPa (where the Young's modulus of Si is assumed to be 130 GPa). When R=130 mm, the strain is 0.039%, and the stress is 0.05 GPa. The electron mobility is anticipated to be raised by approximately 15%.
In this embodiment, when mounted on the die pad 3, the thinned semiconductor chip 4 changes its shape in response to the extensible stress applied on the main surface thereof due to the shape of the die pad 3. This mechanical strain raises the carrier mobility of the IGFET channel. Specifically, when the semiconductor chip 4 is mounted on the die pad 3, the channel of the n-type channel conductive IGFET 6a is stretched, which improves the electron mobility. The channel of the n-type channel conductive IGFET 6a is present on the surface B away from the die pad 3 compared to the neutral plane A (shown in
The n-type and p-type channel conductive IGFETs 6a and 6b are formed on the semiconductor chip 4, and the compressive insulating film 20 is provided on the p-type channel conductive IGFET 6b. Therefore, when mounted on the die pad 3, the semiconductor chip 4 except the p-type channel conductive IGFET 6b is stretched due to the convex contour of the die pad 3. In other words, only by mounting the semiconductor chip 4 on the die pad 3, the p-type channel conductive IGFET 6b is compressed by the stress adjuster 20 while the n-type channel conductive IGFET 6a is easily stretched. The n-type and p-type channel conductive IGFETs 6a and 6b are subject to the different kinds of strains, i.e., tension and compression. This structure of the semiconductor chip 4 is effective in improving the mobility of carriers (electrons and holes), and circuit performance of the complementary IGFETs.
The carriers have different levels of mobility in the semiconductor chip 4. Specifically, the electron mobility of the n-type channel conductive IGFET 6a and the hole mobility of the p-type channel conductive IGFET 6b are basically different. By applying the different kinds of stresses to the n-type and p-type channel conductive IGFETs 6a and 6b, it is not necessary to make channels having different degrees of width for the IGFETs 6a and 6b, for example.
In this embodiment, when mounted into the LSI package, the sufficiently thinned semiconductor chip 4 deforms in accordance with the contour of the die pad 3, i.e., the semiconductor chip 4 has its main surface stretched on the die pad 3, and is also compressed on its main surface by the compressive insulating film 20. Thus, the complementary IGFETs can operate at a high speed.
In place of the deposited compressive insulating film 20 made of SiO2 or the like shown in
Further, the main electrodes of the p-type and n-type channel conductive IGFETs 6b and 6a may be made of compressive silicide having a high melting point. In such a case, the main electrode of the p-type channel conductive IGFET 6b may be thicker than the main electrode of the n-type channel conductive IGFET 6a. In this case, the p-type channel conductive IGFET 6b will not be stretched.
Still further, the die pad 3 (shown in
In this case, IGFET channels are uni-axially compressed. The relationship between the applied strain and the stress can be expressed by the foregoing formulas (1) and (2) (i.e., the direction of the tension and compression is reverse in this case). The hole mobility can be improved. It is possible to alleviate a problem related to a conventional CMOS circuit, i.e., a size difference between the n-type and p-type channel conductive IGFETs 6a and 6b (e.g., the p-type channel is three times wider than the n-type channel). This is effective in improving degrees of design freedom. Further, in order to improve the electron mobility, an insulating film 29 made of extensible SiO2, SiN and so on may be deposited on the n-channel conductive IGFET, as shown in
In order to apply a larger strain to the channel region, it is conceivable to wrap the Si region constituting electron devices such as an IGFET with a material having a smaller Young's modulus (such as SiO2) as shown in
In this example, the die pad 3 is uni-axially curved as shown in
The relationship between the bi-axial stress (extensilibility) and the electron and the hole mobility progress rate is shown in
In the foregoing description, the LSI package is a ceramics substrate. Alternatively, an organic or resin substrate is usable as a package material. So long as the die pad 3 is curved with a certain curvature radius, a lead frame type package is as advantageous as the foregoing LSI package. Further, as for the external connection terminals, the foregoing LSI may be applicable as an LSI package having a ball grid array structure.
In a second embodiment, a semiconductor device 40 is constituted by stacked semiconductor chips 4a to 4c. Referring to
The convex die pad 3 is formed in the LSI package base 2. The semiconductor chips 4a, 4b and 4c are stacked on the convex die pad 3. The metal connector 16 connects bonding pads of the semiconductor chips 4a, 4b and 4c to a metal wiring 15 connected to an external unit. The package cap 17 covers the convex die pad 3 with respect to the LSI package base 2. The sealant 18 seals a joints between the LSI package base 2 and the package cap 17. These components are configured similarly to those of the semiconductor device 10 of the first embodiment.
In the semiconductor device 40, the semiconductor chips 4a, 4b and 4c are curved outwards on the convex die pad 3 (called the “die pad 3”) having the predetermined curvature radius. The largest semiconductor chip 4a is mounted on the die pad 3, and the semiconductor chips 4b and 4b are stacked on the semiconductor chip 4a one after another.
The semiconductor chips 4a, 4b and 4c are 50 μm thick, respectively, for instance, and are joined using a die bonding material. The joined semiconductor chips 4a, 4b and 4c are bonded onto the die pad 3, so that they can be reliably curved.
The semiconductor chips 4a, 4b and 4c are structured similarly to the semiconductor chip 4 of the first embodiment. Specifically, each of the semiconductor chips 4a, 4b and 4c is provided with an n-channel conductive IGFET 6a and a p-channel conductive IGFET 6b on the surface B which is apart from the die pad 3 compared to the neutral plane A (shown in
If the semiconductor device 40 is applied to an SiP (System in Package), a high-end chip such as a CPU may be placed at a highest level. In such a case, it is possible to increase a distance from the neutral plane with respect to the stress, which is advantageous in view of applying strain.
In the semiconductor device 40 of the second embodiment, the metal connector 16 is used to connect the bonding pad of the semiconductor chips 4a, 4b and 4c to the metal wiring 15. Alternatively, the semiconductor chips 4a, 4b and 4c may be connected using perforated electrodes 51.
Referring to
The semiconductor chips 4b to 4d connected via the perforated electrode 51 can have the same size. The semiconductor device 50 can prevent the reduction of degree of integration compared to the semiconductor device 40 shown in
In the second embodiment, the die pad 3 may be curved inward, or may be curved bi-axially as shown in
Further, in the foregoing description, the LSI package is a ceramics substrate. Alternatively, an organic or resin substrate is usable as a package material. So long as the die pad 3 is curved with a certain curvature radius, an LSI package in the shape of a lead frame is as advantageous as the foregoing LSI package. Further, as for external connection terminals, the foregoing LSI package may be applicable to an LSI package having a ball grid array structure.
In a third embodiment, a semiconductor device 60 includes hierarchical LSI packages 41a, 41b, and 41c. Referring to
In each of the LSI packages 41a to 41c, each of bonding pads 3a to 3c of each semiconductor chips 4a to 4c is connected to each of metal wirings 15a to 15c using each of metal connectors 16a to 16c. Each of package caps 17a to 17c covers each of the LSI package bases 2a to 2c using sealants 18. The components of this embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment.
The die pads 3a, 3b and 3c on the LSI package bases 2a to 2c are curved outwards with a predetermined curvature radius, and receive the semiconductor chips 4a to 4c thereon. The semiconductor chips 4a to 4c are also curved outwards in accordance with the shape of the die pads 3a to 3b.
With the semiconductor device 60, the LSI packages 41a to 41c including the die pads 3a to 3c and semiconductor chips 4a to 4c are stacked one after another. Therefore, strains having the same level can be applied to the semiconductor chips 4a to 4c in the LSI packages 41a to 41c. The third embodiment can remarkably alleviate restrictions on the size and number of semiconductor chips to be stacked similarly to the semiconductor device in which semiconductor chips are directly stacked as shown in
In this embodiment, the die pads 3a to 3c may be curved inwards as in the first embodiment shown in
In this embodiment, the LSI packages are ceramics substrates. Alternatively, organic or resin substrates are usable as package materials. So long as the die pads 3a to 3c are curved with the predetermined certain curvature radius, LSI packages in the shape of a lead frame are as advantageous as the foregoing LSI package. Further, as for external connection terminals, the foregoing LSI package may be applicable to an LSI package having a ball grid array structure.
In a fourth embodiment, a semiconductor device 70 has a structure in which an organic substrate 71 with a semiconductor chip 4 bonded thereon is placed on a printed circuit board 72 using solder balls as shown in
Specifically, the semiconductor device 70 includes the semiconductor chip 4, the organic substrate 71 onto which the semiconductor chip 4 is bonded, and a plurality of first and second bump electrodes 73 used to mount the organic substrate 71 on the printed circuit board 72.
The semiconductor chip 4 is 10 μm to 150 μm thick, and the organic substrate 71 is 10 μm to 150 μm thick. The semiconductor chip 4 is bonded onto the organic substrate 71 by the resin bonding process or the like. The organic substrate 71 has a through-hole, into which a metal 75 is embedded (metal 75 is called the “buried metal 75”). The bonding pad of the semiconductor chip 4 is bonded to the buried metal 75 using a metal connector 76, which is made of Al, for instance. Specifically, the bonding pad of the semiconductor chip 4 is bonded to the buried metal 75 by the ultrasonic bonding process.
The buried metal 75 is connected to printed aluminum wirings 77 on the printed circuit board 72 using the first and second bump electrodes (solder balls) 73. The first and second bump electrodes 73 are placed on the printed wirings 77 on the printed circuit board 72 and between positions where the printed wirings 77 and the organic substrate 71 are bonded. The bump electrodes 73 are largest at the center of the semiconductor chip 4 and become gradually small toward the peripheral edge of the printed circuit board 72. In other words, the organic substrate 71 is fixed on the printed circuit board 72.
The thin and light semiconductor chip 4 and the organic substrate 71 are fixedly attached onto the printed circuit board 72 using the bump electrodes 73. The semiconductor chip 4 is curved upwards by a certain curvature radius, so that the channel is stretched, which is effective in improving the electron mobility.
In the fourth embodiment, the organic substrate 71 on which the semiconductor chip 4 is bonded is fixedly attached onto the printed circuit board 72 using the bump electrodes 73 having the different sizes. The semiconductor chip 4 can be curved without making the convex die pad 3 (shown in
The semiconductor chip 4 can be curved inwards or bi-axially curved depending upon the sizes of the bump electrodes 73.
In a fifth embodiment shown in
In one method, the semiconductor chip 84 is manufactured by making the n- and p-channel conductive IGFETs 6a and 6b on a SOI (Silicon On Insulator) substrate, making a through-hole and a perforated electrode, polishing the rear surface of the substrate, and exposing a BOX (Buried Oxide) layer.
Alternatively, the semiconductor chip 84 may be manufactured by aligning wafers, and bonding the wafers using an oxide film.
A semiconductor chip may be made by another method. Referring to
As shown in
Thereafter, the mask 91 is removed. Oxygen is ion-implanted into the Si layer 85 in order to make a BOX layer 101, i.e., the SIMOX (Separation by Implanted Oxygen) process is utilized. Refer to
A periphery of an AA region (element isolating region) serving as an IGFET is etched to the porous Si layer 82 by RIE. If oxidization is performed in this state, the porous Si layer 82 is preferentially oxidized. Thereafter, an insulating film 87 is buried in a remaining area of a trench (the periphery 86 of the AA region). Therefore, the insulating film 87 extends between the periphery 86 of the AA region to the porous Si layer 82, as shown in
As shown in
A gate is made for the n-channel as shown in
Then, an upper part of the semiconductor chip is post-processed as shown in
In the sixth embodiment, the n- and p-channel conductive IGFETs can be formed back to back.
As described above, the first stress to improve the carrier mobility is applied to the first channel conductive IGFET while the second stress to improve the carrier mobility is applied to the second channel conductive IGFET. Therefore, it is possible to provide the semiconductor integrated circuit and the semiconductor device in which the performance of the complementary IGFET can be improved.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
P2005-60843 | Mar 2005 | JP | national |