Method for forming a FIN-based field-effect transistor using opposite-side source/drain and gate cavities
A method is provided for forming a FET device. The method includes: forming a preliminary device structure comprising a fin structure comprising a layer stack comprising channel layers and non-channel layers alternating the channel layers, and a deposited layer along a first side of the fin structure and a dummy structure along a second side of the fin structure; forming a mask line; forming along a first side of the fin structure a source and drain trench in the deposited layer; forming a set of source and drain cavities in the layer stack, by etching the fin structure from the source trench and the drain trench; forming a source body and a drain body comprising a respective common body portion a set of prongs protruding from the respective common body portion into the source and drain cavities; embedding the mask line in a cover material and removing the mask structure; forming a gate trench by etching the dummy structure; forming a set of gate cavities in the layer stack by etching the fin structure from the gate trench; and forming a gate body comprising a common gate body portion in the gate trench and a set of gate prongs protruding from the common gate body portion into the gate cavities.
1 . A method for forming a field-effect transistor device, the method comprising:
forming a preliminary device structure on a substrate, the preliminary device structure comprising a fin structure comprising a layer stack comprising channel layers and non-channel layers alternating the channel layers, the preliminary device structure further comprising a deposited layer along a first side of the fin structure and a dummy structure along an opposite second side of the fin structure;
forming a mask line over the preliminary device structure, the mask line extending across the fin structure and the dummy structure;
forming along the first side of the fin structure a source trench and a drain trench in the deposited layer, at opposite sides with respect to the mask line;
forming a set of source cavities and a set of drain cavities in a first set of layers of the layer stack, by etching the fin structure from the source trench and the drain trench, wherein the first set of layers consists of first non-channel layers of a first layer material;
forming a source body and a drain body, each comprising a respective common body portion along the first side and a set of prongs protruding from the respective common body portion into the source cavity and drain cavity, respectively, and abutting the channel layers;
embedding the mask line in a cover material and thereafter removing the mask line to expose a portion of the dummy structure;
subsequent to removing the mask line, forming a gate trench by etching the dummy structure;
forming a set of gate cavities in a second set of layers of the layer stack by etching the fin structure from the gate trench, the second set of layers being different from the first set of layers, wherein the second set of layers consists of second non-channel layers of a second layer material; and
forming a gate body comprising a common gate body portion in the gate trench and a set of gate prongs protruding from the common gate body portion into the gate cavities.
2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, prior to forming the source trench and drain trench, subjecting the fin structure to an ion implantation process while using the mask line as an implantation mask.
3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the channel layers are of a channel material and the non-channel layers are alternatingly the first non-channel layers of the first layer material and the second non-channel layers of the second layer material,
wherein forming the set of source cavities and the set of drain cavities comprises selectively etching the first layer material from the source trench and the drain trench, respectively, and wherein forming the set of gate cavities comprises selectively etching the second layer material from the gate trench.
4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the first layer material is a first dielectric material.
5 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein forming the preliminary device structure comprises:
forming a preliminary fin structure comprising the channel layers and the non-channel layers alternating the channel layers, the non-channel layers being alternatingly the first non-channel layers formed by replacing sacrificial semiconductor layers with the first dielectric material and the second non-channel layers of the second layer material;
forming a support structure in abutment with the preliminary fin structure; and while the support structure supports the preliminary fin structure, replacing the sacrificial layers with the first non-channel layers.
6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the second layer material is a second semiconductor material different from a sacrificial semiconductor material and the channel material.
7 . The method according to claim 3 , further comprising, subsequent to forming the source trench and the drain trench, and prior to forming the source and drain cavities:
forming a first set of cavities and a second set of cavities in the fin structure by selectively etching the second layer material from the source trench and the drain trench, respectively, and
filling the first set of cavities and the second set of cavities with a second dielectric material to form second dielectric layers in the cavities.
8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein forming the set of gate cavities comprises selectively etching the second layer material from the gate trench to remove the second layer material remaining between the second dielectric layers.
9 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the channel layers are of the channel material and the non-channel layers are alternatingly the first non-channel layers of the first layer material and second non-channel layers of the second layer material,
wherein forming the set of source cavities and the set of drain cavities comprises selectively etching the first layer material from the source trench and the drain trench, respectively, and wherein forming the set of gate cavities comprises selectively etching the second layer material from the gate trench.
10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein forming the set of source cavities and the set of drain cavities comprises selectively etching doped first layer material from the source trench and the drain trench, respectively.
11 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the source and drain cavities are etched to extend partly into a third part of the fin structure underneath the mask line and/or the gate cavities are etched to extend partly into first and second fin parts of the fin structure located at opposite sides with respect to the third part.
12 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the common body portions of the source body and the drain body are formed in the source trench and in the drain trench, respectively.
13 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein forming the source body and drain body comprises epitaxially growing a source/drain material in the set of source cavities and the set of drain cavities to form prongs therein, and further growing the source/drain material on the prongs such that the source/drain material merges to form a respective common body portion of the source body and drain body.
14 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the fin structure is a first fin structure and the preliminary device structure further comprises a second fin structure with a same composition as the first fin structure, the second fin structure being parallel to the first fin structure and spaced apart therefrom by the dummy structure, wherein the method comprises forming the set of gate cavities in the first fin structure simultaneous to forming a set of gate cavities in the second fin structure by etching the first and second fin structures from the gate trench.