IP Library Granted Patent US 7,125,762
Granted Patent B2
US 7,125,762 · App. 10/900,666 · Granted Oct 24, 2006

Compensating the workfunction of a metal gate transistor for abstraction by the gate dielectric layer

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,125,762
App. No.
10/900,666
Granted
Oct 24, 2006
Kind
B2
Abstract

A metal gate transistor may include a metal layer over a high dielectric constant dielectric layer. The dielectric layer abstracts electronegativity from said metal layer, altering its workfunction. The workfunction of the metal layer may be set to compensate for the dielectric layer abstraction.

Claims (24)

1. A method comprising:

forming a metal layer over a dielectric layer having a dielectric constant greater than 10;

adjusting the workfunction of the metal layer to compensate for atomic abstraction by said dielectric layer.

2. The method of claim 1 including making the workfunction of the metal layer higher than a target workfunction to compensate for atomic abstraction by said dielectric layer.

3. The method of claim 1 including making the workfunction of the metal layer lower than a target workfunction to compensate for atomic abstraction by the dielectric layer.

4. The method of claim 1 including setting the workfunction of the metal layer by adding a dopant with a higher electronegativity.

5. The method of claim 1 including setting the workfunction of said metal layer by adding a dopant having lower electronegativity.

6. A method comprising:

determining the effect of a dielectric layer having a dielectric constant greater than 10 on the workfunction of an overlying metal layer; and

modifying the workfunction of the metal layer to compensate for atomic abstraction by said dielectric layer.

7. The method of claim 6 including making the workfunction of the metal layer higher than a target workfunction to compensate for atomic abstraction by said dielectric layer.

8. The method of claim 6 including making the workfunction of the metal layer lower than a target workfunction to compensate for atomic abstraction by the dielectric layer.

9. The method of claim 6 including setting the workfunction of the metal layer by adding a dopant with a higher electronegativity.

10. The method of claim 6 including setting the workfunction of said metal layer by adding a dopant having lower electronegativity.

11. A method comprising:

forming a dielectric layer over a substrate, said dielectric layer having a dielectric constant greater than 10;

forming a layer containing metal over said dielectric layer;

determining the effect of said dielectric layer on the workfunction of said metal layer;

modifying said metal layer to compensate for the effect of said dielectric layer on the workfunction of said metal layer; and

using said metal layer and said dielectric layer to form a metal gate field effect transistor.

12. The method of claim 11 including making the workfunction of the metal layer higher than a target workfunction to compensate for atomic abstraction by said dielectric layer.

13. The method of claim 11 including making the workfunction of the metal layer lower than a target workfunction to compensate for atomic abstraction by the dielectric layer.

14. The method of claim 11 including setting the workfunction of the metal layer by adding a dopant with a higher electronegativity.

15. The method of claim 11 including setting the workfunction of said metal layer by adding a dopant having lower electronegativity.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 19, 2013
From: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
To: ROUND ROCK RESEARCH, LLC
Reel/Frame 030055/0337 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 17, 2012
From: INTEL CORPORATION
To: NUMONYX B.V.
Reel/Frame 028055/0625 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 18, 2011
From: NUMONYX B.V.
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 027075/0682 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 28, 2004
From: BRASK, JUSTIN K.; KAVALIEROS, JACK; DOCZY, MARK L.; METZ, MATTHEW V.; DATTA, SUMAN; SHAH, UDAY; CHAU, ROBERT S.
To: INTEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 015639/0749 →