The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor structure.
With the rapid growth of electronic industry, the development of integrated circuits (ICs) has achieved high performance and miniaturization. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation.
As the number of electronic devices on single chips rapidly increases, three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuit layouts, or stacked chip designs, have been utilized for certain semiconductor structures in an effort to overcome the feature size and density limitations associated with 2D layouts. However, the feature size and density of the semiconductor structures are still needed to be improved.
One aspect of the present disclosure is a semiconductor structure.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a semiconductor structure includes a substrate, a first fuse, a second fuse, a contact structure, and a dielectric layer. The first fuse is located in a fuse region of the substrate, and the first fuse includes a first fuse active region having a first portion and a second portion. The second fuse is located in the fuse region of the substrate, and the second fuse includes a second fuse active region having a third portion and a fourth portion. The contact structure interconnects the second portion of the first fuse active region and the third portion of the second fuse active region. The dielectric layer is located between the contact structure and the fuse region of the substrate.
In some embodiments, the first portion of the first fuse active region and the fourth portion of the second fuse active region are on opposite sides of the contact structure.
In some embodiments, the first portion of the first fuse active region and the third portion of the second fuse active region are on a same side of the contact structure.
In some embodiments, the first fuse partially overlaps with the second fuse.
In some embodiments, wherein a distance between the first fuse and the second fuse is in a range of about 0.5 um to about 0.6 um.
In some embodiments, the semiconductor structure further includes a first contact and a second contact. The first contact is located above the first portion of the first fuse active region. The second contact is located above the fourth portion of the second fuse active region.
In some embodiments, the first contact is misaligned to the second contact.
In some embodiments, the first contact is misaligned to the third portion of the second fuse active region.
In some embodiments, the dielectric layer is directly on the second portion of the first fuse active region and the third portion of the second fuse active region.
In some embodiments, the semiconductor structure further includes a conductive structure configured to program the first fuse and the second fuse by applying a voltage.
In some embodiments, the semiconductor structure further includes an isolation structure in the substrate.
One aspect of the present disclosure is a semiconductor structure.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a semiconductor structure includes a substrate, a first transistor, a second transistor, a first fuse, a second fuse, a contact structure, and a dielectric layer. The substrate has a first device region, a second device region, and a fuse region. The first transistor is located above the first device region of the substrate. The second transistor is located above the second device region of the substrate. The first fuse is electrically connected to the first transistor and located in the fuse region. The second fuse is electrically connected to the second transistor and located in the fuse region. The contact structure interconnects the first fuse and the second fuse. The dielectric layer is located between the contact structure and the fuse region of the substrate.
In some embodiments, the first fuse includes a first fuse active region and the second fuse includes a second fuse active region, a portion of the first fuse active region of the first fuse is aligned to a portion of the second fuse active region of the second fuse, and the portion of the first fuse active region of the first fuse first and the portion of the second fuse active region of the second fuse are covered by the contact structure.
In some embodiments, the semiconductor structure further includes a first contact above the first fuse and a second contact above the second fuse.
In some embodiments, the first contact and the second contact are disposed on opposite sides of the contact structure.
In some embodiments, an electrical potential of the contact structure is higher than an electrical potential of the first contact.
In some embodiments, the semiconductor structure further includes a first conductive structure and a second conductive structure. The first conductive structure is located above the first transistor and the first fuse such that the first fuse is electrically connected to the first transistor. The second conductive structure is located above the second transistor and the second fuse such that the second fuse is electrically connected to the second transistor.
In some embodiments, the first transistor further includes source/drain regions and a gate structure between the source/drain regions.
In some embodiments, the semiconductor structure further includes a gate dielectric layer between the gate structure and the first device region of the substrate.
In some embodiments, a top surface of the contact structure is upper than a top surface of the gate structure of the first transistor.
In the aforementioned embodiments, since the contact structure interconnects the second portion of the first fuse active region and the third portion of the second fuse active region, a feature size of the semiconductor structure can be decreased, thereby increasing the integration density. As a result, the performance of the semiconductor structure 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.
Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It is noted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.
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.
As used herein, “around,” “about,” “approximately,” or “substantially” shall generally mean within 20 percent, or within 10 percent, or within 5 percent of a given value or range. Numerical quantities given herein are approximate, meaning that the term “around,” “about,” “approximately,” or “substantially” can be inferred if not expressly stated.
Further, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.
In some embodiments, the semiconductor structure 10 includes a first conductive structure 270a above the first transistor T1 and the first fuse F1 and a second conductive structure 270b above the second transistor T2 and the second fuse F2. The first fuse F1 is electrically connected to the first transistor T1 through the first conductive structure 270a extending above the first device region 102 of the substrate 100 to the fuse region 106 of the substrate 100, and the second fuse F2 is electrically connected to the second transistor T2 through the conductive structure 270b extending above the second device region 104 of the substrate 100 to the fuse region 106 of the substrate 100. The transistors T1 and T2 are configured to both read and write to the fuses F1 and F2. It is noted that
In some embodiments, the first fuses F1 and the second fuses F2 are alternately arranged along in Y-axis direction, in the top view. The contact structure 150 is disposed along Y-axis direction. The first portion 112 of the first fuse active region 110a each of the first fuses F1 and the fourth portion 120 of the second fuse active region 110b of each of the second fuses F2 are on opposite sides of the contact structure 150, while the first portion 112 of the first fuse active region 110a of each of the first fuses F1 and the third portion 118 of the second fuse active region 110b of each of the second fuses F2 are on the same side (e.g., negative direction side in the X-axis direction) of the contact structure 150. Similarly, the first portion 112 of the first fuse active region 110a and the fourth portion 120 of the second fuse active region 110b are on opposite sides of the contact structure 150, while the second portion 114 of the first fuse active region 110a and the fourth portion 120 of the second fuse active region 110b are on the same side (e.g., positive direction side in the X-axis direction) of the contact structure 150. In some embodiments, each of the first fuses F1 partially overlaps with each of the second fuses F2. Specifically, a portion of the second portion 114 of the first fuse active region 110a of each of the first fuses F1 overlaps with (or is aligned to) a portion of the third portion 118 of the second fuse active region 110b of each of the second fuses F2 in Y-axis direction, wherein the portion of the second portion 114 and the portion of the third portion 118 are covered by the contact structure 150.
In some embodiments, a distance D1 between each of the first fuses F1 and each of the second fuses F2 in Y-axis direction is in a range of about 0.5 um to about 0.6 um. If the distance D1 is less than about 0.5 um, the space between the first and second fuses F1 and F2 would not be enough for accommodate contacts; if the distance D1 is greater than about 0.6 um, the area of the fuse region 106 would be increased. In some embodiments, a distance D2 between the first portion 112 of the first fuse active region 110a of each of the first fuses F1 and the third portion 118 of the second fuse active region 110b of each of the second fuses F2 in X-axis direction is in a range of about 0.2 um to about 0.3 um. If the distance D2 is less than about 0.2 um, the space above the first fuses F1 would not be enough for accommodate contacts (e.g., first contact 160 and second contact 170) thereon; if the distance D2 is greater than about 0.3 um, a length of the first portion 112 of the first fuse active region 110a of each of the first fuses F1 would be too large and thus the resistance of the first fuses F1 and also the area of the fuse region 106 would be increased.
In some embodiments, the first portion 112 of the first fuse active region 110a of each of the first fuses F1 is closer to the first transistor T1 than the third portion 118 of the second fuse active region 110b of each of the second fuses F2, and the fourth portion 120 of the second fuse active region 110b of each of the second fuses F2 is closer to the second transistor T2 than the second portion 114 of the first fuse active region 110a of each of the first fuses F1.
In some embodiments, the semiconductor structure 10 further includes a first contact 160 above the first portion 112 of the first fuse active region 110a of each of the first fuses F1 and a second contact 170 above the fourth portion 120 of the second fuse active region 110b of each of the second fuses F2. The first contact 160 is misaligned to the second contact 170. In other words, the first contact 160 and the second contact 170 on opposite sides with respect to the contact structure 150. The first contact 160 is misaligned to the third portion 118 of the second fuse active region 110b, and the second contact 170 is misaligned to the second portion 114 of the first fuse active region 110a. In other words, the first contact 160 does not overlap with the third portion 118 of the second fuse active region 110b, and the second contact 170 does not overlap with the second portion 114 of the first fuse active region 110a.
In some embodiments, the semiconductor structure 10 further includes a first dummy gate 180 above the first device region 102 of the substrate 100 and a second dummy gate 190 above the second device region 104 of the substrate 100. In some embodiments, each of the second transistors T2 is upper than each of the first transistors T1 by a distance D3 in the top view, in which the distance D3 is in a range of about 0.2 μm to about 0.3 um (e.g., 0.25 um). In some embodiments, the semiconductor structure 10 further includes a conductive structure 260 configured to program the first fuses F1 and the second fuses F2 by applying a voltage.
In some embodiments, the semiconductor structure 10 has a first length in a range of about 5 um to about 6 um (e.g., 5.45 um) in the X-axis direction and a second length in a range of about 9 um to about 10 um (e.g., 9.64 um) in the Y-axis direction.
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, gate structures 200 are disposed above the first device region 102 and the second device region 104 of the substrate 100, and the contact structure 150 is disposed above the fuse region 106 of the substrate 100. As shown in
In some embodiments, the gate structures 200 and the contact structure 150 are simultaneously formed in a same processing procedure. In some embodiments, the gate structures 200 and the contact structure 150 includes the same material, such as metals, semiconductive materials (e.g., polycrystalline-silicon (poly-Si), poly-crystalline silicon-germanium (poly-SiGe)), or other suitable materials. In some embodiments, the gate structures 200 and the contact structure 150 respectively include work function metal layer(s), capping layer(s), fill layer(s), and/or other suitable layers that are desirable in a metal gate stack. In some embodiments, the fill layer in the gate structures 200 and/or the contact structure 150 may include tungsten (W). The fill layer may be deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), or other suitable process.
In some embodiments, the semiconductor structure 10 further includes a gate dielectric layer 210 between each of the gate structures 200 and the first device region 102 of the substrate 100. The gate dielectric layer 210 has a portion in the first device region 102 of the substrate 100 and the remaining portion above the first device region 102 of the substrate 100. In some embodiments, the dielectric layer 220 has a portion in the fuse region 106 of the substrate 100 and the remaining portion above the fuse region 106 of the substrate 100. Specifically, as shown in
In some embodiments, the gate dielectric layer 210 and the dielectric layer 220 are simultaneously formed in a same processing procedure. In some embodiments, the gate dielectric layer 210 and the dielectric layer 220 include the same material, such as silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, a high-k dielectric material or other suitable material. In various examples, the gate dielectric layer 210 and the dielectric layer 220 are deposited by a thermal oxidation process, an ALD process, a CVD process, a subatmospheric CVD (SACVD) process, a flowable CVD process, a PVD process, or other suitable process.
As shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the first conductive structure 270a is disposed above the contact 240 and the first contact 160. The first conductive structure 270a is electrically connected to the contact 240 above the first device region 102 of the substrate 100 and the first contact 160 above the fuse region 106 of the substrate 100 such that the first fuse F1 is electrically connected to the first transistor T1 through the first contact 160, the first conductive structure 270a, and the contact 240. The first conductive structure 270a may be made of polysilicon, metals, or other suitable conductive material.
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the semiconductor structure 10 further includes an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer 280 above the substrate 100. The ILD layer 280 may be formed above the substrate 100 to a level above the top surface 201 of each of the gate structures 200 and the top surface 151 of the contact structure 150 such that the gate structures 200 and the contact structure 150 are embedded in. The ILD layer 280 may be formed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), high-density plasma CVD, spin-on, sputtering, or other suitable methods. In some embodiments, the ILD layer 280 includes silicon oxide, phosphosilicate glass (PSG), borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG), fluorinated silicate glass (FSG), or other suitable materials. In some other embodiments, the ILD layer 280 may include silicon oxy-nitride, silicon nitride, compounds including Si, O, C and/or H (e.g., silicon oxide, SiCOH and SiOC), a low-k dielectric material (dielectric material with dielectric constant less than about 3.9, the dielectric constant of the thermal silicon oxide), or organic materials (e.g., polymers). In some embodiments, a planarization process is performed to remove portions of the ILD layer 280 such that a top surface of the ILD layer 280 is coplanar with top surfaces of the first conductive structure 270a and the second conductive structure 270b. The planarization process may be a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process.
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.
The present application is a Continuation Application of the U.S. application Ser. No. 17/456,562 filed Nov. 24, 2021, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 17456562 | Nov 2021 | US |
Child | 18631041 | US |