Method of utilizing trench silicide in a gate cross-couple construct
View Patent ↗A method of forming a logic cell utilizing a TS gate cross-couple construct and the resulting device are provided. Embodiments include forming active fins and dummy fins on a substrate, the dummy fins adjacent to each other and between the active fins; forming STI regions between and next to the active and dummy fins; forming gate structures in parallel across the active and dummy fins; forming a gate cut region by cutting the gate structures between the dummy fins; forming a TS layer between the gate structures, the TS layer crossing the gate cut region; and forming a contact connecting a gate structure and the TS layer on a first side of the gate cut region and forming a contact connecting a gate structure and the TS layer on a second side of the gate cut region, the TS layer and contacts cross coupling the gate structures.
1. A method comprising:
forming first and second active fins and first and second dummy fins on a substrate, the first and second dummy fins adjacent to each other and between the first and second active fins;
forming shallow trench isolation (STI) regions between and next to the first and second active fins and the first and second dummy fins;
forming first and second gate structures in parallel across the first and second active fins and the first and second dummy fins;
forming a gate cut region by cutting the first and second gate structures between the first and second dummy fins;
forming a trench silicide (TS) layer between the first and second gate structures, the TS layer crossing the gate cut region; and
forming a first contact connecting the first gate structure and the TS layer on a first side of the gate cut region and forming a second contact connecting the second gate structure and the TS layer on a second side of the gate cut region, the TS layer and first and second contacts cross coupling the first and second gate structures, the first and second contacts formed by:
forming first and second capping layers on the first and second gate structures;
forming first and second recesses on opposite sides of the gate cut region in the TS layer and the first and second capping layers, respectively, down to the first and second parallel gate structures; and
forming the first and second contacts in the first and second recesses.
2. The method according to claim 1 , comprising forming the TS layer over at least one STI region.
3. The method according to claim 1 , comprising forming the TS layer to approximately the same height as the height of the first and second gate structures.
4. The method according to claim 1 , comprising forming the TS layer of tungsten (W).
5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising forming connected p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (pMOS) and n-type MOS (nMOS) gate transistors with the first and second active fins, respectively, and the cross-coupled first and second gate structures.
6. The method according to claim 1 , comprising forming the first and second contacts as rectangles perpendicular to the first and second gate structures, at an angle to the first and second gate structures, or in a “L” shape.