IP Library Granted Patent US 9,905,421
Granted Patent B2
US 9,905,421 · App. 15/221,758 · Granted Feb 27, 2018

Improving channel strain and controlling lateral epitaxial growth of the source and drain in FinFET devices

Inventors: Injo Ok (Loudonville, NY); Balasubramanian Pranatharthiharan (Watervliet, NY); Soon-cheon Seo (Glenmont, NY); Charan Veera Venkata Satya Surisetty (Clifton Park, NY)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
H01L21/02694H01L21/02532H01L29/0847H01L29/161H01L29/66795H01L29/785H01L29/7843H01L29/7848
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,905,421
App. No.
15/221,758
Granted
Feb 27, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

A multi-gate finFET structure and formation thereof. The multi-gate finFET structure has a first gate structure that includes an inner side and an outer side. Adjacent to the first gate structure is a second gate structure. The inner side of the first gate structure faces, at least in part, the second gate structure. A stress-inducing material fills a fin cut trench that is adjacent to the outer side of the first gate structure. An epitaxial semiconductor layer fills, at least in part, an area between the first gate structure and the second gate structure.

Claims (35)

1. A multi-gate finFET structure comprising:

an epitaxial semiconductor layer, wherein the epitaxial semiconductor layer fills, at least in part, an area between a first gate structure and a second gate structure; and

a stress-inducing material that fills a fin cut trench that is adjacent to the first gate structure.

2. The multi-gate finFET structure of claim 1 further comprising:

a MOL ILD layer, wherein the MOL ILD layer abuts portions of the epitaxial semiconductor layer.

3. The multi-gate finFET structure of claim 1 , wherein the first and second gate structures are each one of a sacrificial gate or a true gate.

4. The multi-gate finFET structure of claim 1 , wherein one or both of the first and second gate structures include one or more of: silicon, doped polysilicon with metal silicide, tungsten, titanium, tantalum, aluminum, nickel, ruthenium, palladium, platinum, tungsten nitride, aluminum nitride, titanium nitride, tungsten silicide, nickel silicide, and titanium silicide.

5. The multi-gate finFET structure of claim 1 , wherein the stress-inducing material is a stress nitride.

6. The multi-gate finFET structure of claim 1 , wherein the stress-inducing material is one or both of: a tensile silicon nitride layer and a compressive silicon nitride layer.

7. The multi-gate finFET structure of claim 1 , wherein the epitaxial semiconductor layer is a silicon-germanium layer.

8. The multi-gate finFET structure of claim 1 further comprising a fin, wherein:

the fin terminates at, and abuts, the stress-inducing material;

the fin includes a gate dielectric layer on top of a channel;

the gate dielectric layer lies between and is in contact with 1) the channel and the first gate structure, and 2) the channel and the second gate structure; and

the epitaxial semiconductor layer penetrates the gate dielectric layer and makes contact with the channel.

9. The multi-gate finFET structure of claim 2 , wherein the MOL ILD layer is one or both of: silicon dioxide and a low-κ dielectric material.

10. The multi-gate finFET structure of claim 8 , wherein the channel includes one or more of: silicon, an alloy of silicon-germanium, a III-V compound semiconductor, and a II-VI compound semiconductor.

11. A method of forming a multi-gate finFET structure comprising:

depositing a stress-inducing material into a fin cut trench that is adjacent to a first gate structure such that a channel has a first amount of strain;

growing an epitaxial semiconductor layer between the first gate structure and a second gate structure in order to increase the first amount of strain to a second amount of strain.

12. The method of claim 11 , the method comprising:

forming the first gate structure, wherein the first gate structure includes an inner side and the outer side;

forming a second gate structure that is adjacent to the first gate structure such that the inner side of the first gate structure faces, at least in part, the second gate structure;

forming the fin cut trench that is adjacent to the outer side of the first gate structure; and

forming the epitaxial semiconductor layer such that the epitaxial semiconductor layer fills, at least in part, an area between the first gate structure and the second gate structure.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the stress-inducing material includes one or more of: a stress nitride layer, a tensile silicon nitride layer and a compressive silicon nitride layer.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein each of the first and second gate structures are one of: a sacrificial gate or a true gate.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first and second gate structures include silicon, doped polysilicon with metal silicide, tungsten, titanium, tantalum, aluminum, nickel, ruthenium, palladium, platinum, tungsten nitride, aluminum nitride, titanium nitride, tungsten silicide, nickel silicide, and titanium silicide.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the epitaxial semiconductor layer is a silicon-germanium layer.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the channel includes one or more of: silicon, an alloy of silicon-germanium, a III-V compound semiconductor, and a II-VI compound semiconductor.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

depositing a MOL ILD layer on an intermediate of the multi-gate finFET structure; and

controlling lateral source drain epitaxial growth of the epitaxial semiconductor layer.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the stress-inducing material fills a majority of the fin cut trench.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the MOL ILD layer is one or both of: silicon dioxide and a low-κ dielectric material.

Assignments (5)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 21, 2025
From: TESSERA, INC.
To: TESSERA LLC
Reel/Frame 073658/0439 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 21, 2025
From: TESSERA LLC
To: ADEIA SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS LLC
Reel/Frame 073658/0823 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 1, 2020
From: ROVI SOLUTIONS CORPORATION; ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; ROVI GUIDES, INC.; TIVO SOLUTIONS INC.; VEVEO, INC.; INVENSAS CORPORATION; INVENSAS BONDING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; TESSERA, INC.; TESSERA ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DTS, INC.; PHORUS, INC.; IBIQUITY DIGITAL CORPORATION
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053468/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 6, 2020
From: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
To: TESSERA, INC.
Reel/Frame 051489/0557 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 28, 2016
From: OK, INJO; PRANATHARTHIHARAN, BALASUBRAMANIAN; SEO, SOON-CHEON; SURISETTY, CHARAN VEERA VENKATA SATYA
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 039279/0369 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 14953851 · Nov 30, 2015
Related Publication 20170154774A1 · Jun 1, 2017