IP Library Granted Patent US 12690257
Granted Patent B2
US 12690257 · App. 17/957,887 · Granted Jul 21, 2026

Stacked source or drain contact flyover

Inventors: Sukru Yemenicioglu (Portand, OR); Quan Shi (Portland, OR); Marni Nabors (Portland, OR); Charles H. Wallace (Portland, OR); Xinning Wang (Hillsboro, OR); Tahir Ghani (Portland, OR); Andy Chih-Hung Wei (Yamhill, OR); Mohit K. Haran (Forest Grove, OR); Leonard P. Guler (Hillsboro, OR); Sivakumar Venkataraman (Hillsboro, OR); Reken Patel (Portland, OR); Richard Schenker (Portland, OR)
Assignee: INTEL CORPORATION
H10D84/0149H10D30/019H10D62/121H10D84/038H10D84/832H10D30/024H10D30/6219H10D64/251H10D84/0158H10D84/834
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12690257
App. No.
17/957,887
Granted
Jul 21, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An integrated circuit includes a first device having a first source or drain region, and a second device having a second source or drain region that is laterally adjacent to the first source or drain region. A conductive source or drain contact includes (i) a lower portion in contact with the first source or drain region, and extending above the first source or drain region, and (ii) an upper portion extending laterally from above the lower portion to above the second source or drain region. A dielectric material is between at least a section of the upper portion of the conductive source or drain contact and the second source or drain region. In an example, each of the first and second devices is a gate-all-around (GAA) device having one or more nanoribbons, nanowires, or nanosheets as channel regions, or is a finFet structure having a fin-based channel region.

Claims (52)

1 . An integrated circuit comprising:

a first device including a first source or drain region, a semiconductor body extending from the first source or drain region along a first direction, and a gate structure extending along a second direction and around the semiconductor body;

a second device including a second source or drain region;

a conductive source or drain contact having (i) a lower portion in contact with the first source or drain region, and extending above the first source or drain region, and (ii) an upper portion extending laterally along the second direction from above the lower portion to above the second source or drain region;

a dielectric gate spacer between the gate structure and the conductive source or drain contact along the first direction; and

dielectric material between at least a section of the upper portion and the second source or drain region,

wherein a top surface of the upper portion is coplanar with a top surface of the dielectric gate spacer.

2 . The integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein an interface is between the upper portion and the lower portion of the source or drain contact.

3 . The integrated circuit of claim 2 , wherein the interface includes a seam or a grain boundary or an intervening layer of conductive material.

4 . The integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein the lower portion comprises:

a conductive fill material comprising a metal; and

a conductive liner, barrier, or encapsulation layer that is between the conductive fill material of the lower portion and the upper portion.

5 . The integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein the upper portion has (i) a first section that is above and in contact with the lower portion and (ii) a second section that is above and not in contact with the second source or drain region.

6 . The integrated circuit of claim 5 , wherein the second section of the upper portion is separated from the second source or drain region by the dielectric material.

7 . The integrated circuit of claim 5 , wherein the upper portion further has a third section that is laterally between the first and second sections, wherein the third section is neither above the lower portion, nor above the second source or drain region.

8 . The integrated circuit of claim 7 , wherein the dielectric material is below the second section and below at least a part of the third section.

9 . The integrated circuit of claim 1 , further comprising:

a conductive interconnect feature in contact with and extending from above the upper portion of the source or drain contact, wherein the conductive interconnect feature is a conductive via.

10 . The integrated circuit of claim 9 , wherein the conductive interconnect feature is a first conductive interconnect feature, and wherein the integrated circuit further comprises:

a second conductive interconnect feature that is in contact with and extending from above the first interconnect feature, wherein the second conductive interconnect feature is a conductive line.

11 . The integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein:

the first device further comprises a third source or drain region, and the semiconductor body extends laterally from the first source or drain region to the third source or drain region.

12 . The integrated circuit of claim 11 , wherein the source or drain contact is a first source or drain contact, the lower portion is a first lower portion, and the upper portion is a first upper portion, and wherein the integrated circuit further comprises:

a second source drain contact having (i) a second lower portion in contact with the third source or drain region, and extending above the third source or drain region, and (ii) a second upper portion extending above the second lower portion;

wherein the first upper portion has a first dimension along the second direction, and the second upper portion has a second dimension along the second direction; and

wherein the first dimension is at least 20% greater than the second dimension.

13 . The integrated circuit of claim 12 , wherein the second upper portion does not extend above any source or drain region, other than the third source or drain region.

14 . The integrated circuit of claim 11 , wherein the body is a nanoribbon, a nanowire, a nanosheet, or a fin.

15 . A printed circuit board comprising the integrated circuit of claim 1 .

16 . An integrated circuit comprising:

a device comprising (i) a first source or drain region, (ii) a second source or drain region, (iii) a body comprising semiconductor material extending laterally from the first source or drain region to the second source or drain region, and (iv) a gate structure on the body;

a first conductive source or drain contact having (i) a first lower portion extending from above the first source or drain region, and (ii) a first upper portion extending from above the first lower portion; and

a second conductive source or drain contact having (i) a second lower portion extending from above the second source or drain region, and (ii) a second upper portion extending from above the second lower portion;

wherein the first upper portion has a first dimension, and the second upper portion has a second dimension, the first and second dimensions are measured in a direction that is parallel to a length of the gate structure; and

wherein the first dimension is at least 20% greater than the second dimension.

17 . The integrated circuit of claim 16 , wherein the device is a first device, the body is a first body, the gate structure is a first gate structure, and wherein the integrated circuit further comprises:

a second device comprising (i) a third source or drain region, (ii) a fourth source or drain region, (iii) a second body comprising semiconductor material extending laterally from the third source or drain region to the fourth source or drain region, and (iv) a second gate structure on the second body;

wherein the third source or drain region is laterally adjacent to the first source or drain region, and the fourth source or drain region is laterally adjacent to the second source or drain region;

wherein the first upper portion of the first source or drain contact extends from above the first lower portion to above the third source or drain region; and

wherein the second upper portion of the second source or drain contact does not extend from above the second lower portion to above the fourth source or drain region.

18 . The integrated circuit of claim 17 , further comprising:

a dielectric material structure between and separating the first upper portion of the first source or drain contact and the third source or drain region.

19 . An integrated circuit comprising:

a first device including a first source or drain region, a semiconductor body extending from the first source or drain region along a first direction, and a gate structure extending along a second direction and around the semiconductor body;

a second device including a second source or drain region;

a conductive source or drain contact that is in contact with the first source or drain region, and includes an upper portion that extends laterally from above the first source or drain region towards the second source or drain region without passing over the second source or drain region, wherein a first plane coplanar with an end of the upper portion of the conductive source or drain contact is laterally separated from a second plane coplanar with an edge of the second source or drain region by at most 4 nanometers; and

a dielectric gate spacer between the gate structure and the conductive source or drain contact along the first direction, wherein a top surface of the upper portion is coplanar with a top surface of the dielectric gate spacer.

20 . The integrated circuit of claim 19 , further comprising: dielectric material between, and to isolate, the conductive source or drain contact and the second source or drain region.

21 . The integrated circuit of claim 19 , wherein:

the conductive source or drain contact further includes a lower portion that is between another end of the upper portion and the first source or drain region;

the upper portion comprises a first monolithic body of conductive material; and

the lower portion comprises a second monolithic body of conductive material, with an interface between the first and second monolithic bodies of conductive material.