One-transistor (1T) volatile memory devices and manufacturing methods thereof are provided. The device includes a substrate having top and bottom surfaces and an isolation buffer layer disposed below the top substrate surface. The isolation buffer layer is an amorphized portion of the substrate. An area of the substrate between the isolation buffer layer and the top substrate surface serves as a body region of a transistor. The device also includes a transistor disposed over the substrate. The transistor includes a gate disposed on the top substrate surface, and first and second diffusion regions disposed in the body region adjacent to first and second sides of the gate.
1. A device comprising:
a substrate having top and bottom surfaces, wherein the substrate comprises a device region surrounded by an isolation region;
an isolation buffer layer disposed in the device region and below the top substrate surface, wherein the isolation buffer layer is an amorphized portion of the substrate, and an area of the substrate between the isolation buffer layer and the top substrate surface serves as a body region of a transistor, and wherein the isolation region extends from the top substrate surface and partially into the isolation buffer layer; and
a transistor disposed in the device region over the substrate, the transistor comprises
a gate disposed on the top substrate surface, and
first and second diffusion regions disposed in the body region adjacent to first and second sides of the gate.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises silicon and the isolation buffer layer comprises an amorphized silicon layer.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein the isolation buffer layer comprises amorphizing dopants which includes Si+, Ge, C, Ar, O, B, P or a combination thereof.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein:
the transistor is a first polarity type transistor;
the first and second diffusion regions comprise heavily doped first polarity type dopants; and
the substrate and the body region comprise lightly doped second polarity type dopants.
5. The device of claim 4 comprising a ground plane disposed below the isolation buffer layer, wherein the ground plane comprises first or second polarity type dopants.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein the gate comprises a gate electrode layer over a gate dielectric layer, wherein
the gate electrode layer comprises polysilicon or metal; and
the gate dielectric layer comprises silicon oxide or high-k dielectric material.
7. The device of claim 1 comprising a band engineered (BE) portion disposed in the body region, wherein:
the BE portion is disposed below the gate and between the first and second diffusion regions; and
the BE portion has a depth equal to about a depth of the first and second diffusion regions, leaving a gap between the BE portion and the isolation buffer layer.
8. The device of claim 7 wherein the BE portion comprises a silicon germanium BE portion.
9. The device of claim 7 wherein the body region comprises silicon doped with C dopants.
10. A method for forming a device comprising:
providing a substrate having top and bottom surfaces, wherein the substrate comprises a device region;
forming an isolation buffer layer in the device region, wherein forming the isolation buffer layer comprises amorphizing a portion of the substrate below the top substrate surface, and wherein an area of the substrate between the isolation buffer layer and the top substrate surface is not amorphized and serves as a body region of a transistor;
forming an isolation region in the substrate, wherein the isolation region surrounds the device region and the isolation region extends from the top substrate surface and partially into the isolation buffer layer; and
forming a transistor in the device region over the substrate, wherein forming the transistor comprises
forming a gate on the top substrate surface, and
forming first and second diffusion regions in the body region adjacent to first and second sides of the gate.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein amorphizing the portion of the substrate comprises implanting amorphizing dopant which includes Si+, Ge, C, Ar, O, B, P or a combination thereof into the substrate.
12. The method of claim 10 comprising forming a ground plane below the isolation buffer layer, wherein forming the ground plane comprises implanting first or second polarity type dopants.
13. The method of claim 10 wherein forming the gate comprises forming a gate dielectric layer over the substrate and forming a gate electrode layer over the gate dielectric layer, wherein
the gate electrode layer comprises polysilicon or metal; and
the gate dielectric layer comprises silicon oxide or high-k dielectric material.
14. The method of claim 10 comprising:
forming a dummy gate structure over the substrate;
forming an interlevel dielectric (ILD) layer over the substrate; and
removing the dummy gate structure after forming the ILD layer to form a gate trench, wherein the gate trench exposes a portion of the top substrate surface.
15. The method of claim 14 comprising forming a gate dielectric layer over the substrate and lining the gate trench and forming a gate electrode layer over the gate dielectric layer and filling remaining portion of the gate trench, wherein
the gate electrode layer comprises metal; and
the gate dielectric layer comprises high-k dielectric material.
16. The method of claim 14 comprising forming a band engineered (BE) portion in the body region, wherein forming the BE portion comprises:
forming a trench within a portion of the body region in between the first and second diffusion regions, wherein the trench comprises a depth equal to about a depth of the first and second diffusion regions, leaving a gap between the trench and the isolation buffer layer; and
forming the BE portion by a selective epitaxial growth process in the trench.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the BE portion comprises a silicon germanium BE portion.
18. The method of claim 16 wherein the trench is formed by a reactive ion etch process.
19. The method of claim 10 wherein the first and second diffusion regions comprise a depth which is shallower and disposed above a top of the isolation buffer layer.
20. The device of claim 1 wherein the first and second diffusion regions comprise a depth which is shallower and disposed above a top of the isolation buffer layer.