Buried tap for a vertical transistor used with a perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction (PMTJ)

1. A method, comprising:

forming a first masking material above a substrate in a film thickness direction, wherein the substrate comprises crystalline silicon (Si);

removing portions of the first masking material according to a first pattern to form a first mask that comprises a plurality of dots of the first masking material;

removing first portions of the substrate using the first mask to form a plurality of pillars that comprise material of the substrate;

removing second portions of the substrate to form a plurality of strap regions, the strap regions being formed of substrate material and positioned below sets of pillars aligned in a first direction along a plane perpendicular to the film thickness direction, wherein the strap regions extend above a surface of the substrate in the film thickness direction;

forming a spacer layer on sides of the first mask, the pillars, and the strap regions, wherein the spacer layer is not positioned above the strap regions;

forming a second masking material above the strap regions in the film thickness direction and above third portions of the substrate in the film thickness direction to form a second mask, the third portions of the substrate being positioned between the sets of pillars;

removing fourth portions of the substrate using the second mask to create voids beneath each of the sets of pillars;

forming an electrode material within the voids above the substrate and below the strap regions in the film thickness direction;

removing portions of the electrode material between the sets of pillars using the spacer layer as a mask to form electrodes that are positioned beneath the strap regions;

forming a silicide junction between each of the strap regions and a corresponding electrode positioned therebelow;

forming a first insulative layer above the substrate to a height that coincides with a thickness of the strap regions in the film thickness direction;

forming a gate dielectric layer above the first insulative layer and on sides of the pillars to a height greater than a lower edge of the first mask in the film thickness direction;

forming a gate layer on the gate dielectric layer; and

removing portions of the gate layer in a second direction along the plane and perpendicular to the first direction to form gate electrodes that transverse a plurality of sets of pillars;

wherein removing the fourth portions of the substrate using the second mask comprises:

isotropic etching and/or vapor etching silicon (Si) material from the substrate positioned directly beneath the strap regions in the film thickness direction, wherein a lower surface of the strap regions is not in contact with any structures except for portions at two ends of each of the sets of pillars after removing the fourth portions of the substrate, the two ends being opposite each other in the first direction.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising forming a second insulative layer above the gate electrodes and the gate dielectric layer in the film thickness direction and along sides of the gate dielectric layer and the first mask, wherein the first mask is configured to electrically couple to a structure positioned thereabove.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 ,

wherein the first mask comprises at least one material selected from a group consisting of: W, TaN, TiNi, and TiN,

wherein the spacer layer, the first insulative layer, the second masking material, and the gate dielectric layer each comprises at least one material selected from a group consisting of: SiO 2 , SiON, ZrO 2 , HfO 2 , and Al 2 O 3 ,

wherein the electrode material comprises at least one material selected from a group consisting of: W, TaN, TiNi, and TiN, and

wherein the gate layer comprises at least one material selected from a group consisting of: doped polysilicon, W, TaN, TiNi, and TiN.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the electrode material is W, and wherein forming the silicide junction comprises heating the electrode material and the strap regions to a temperature of at least 750° C. for a predetermined period of time to form WSi 2 .

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein forming the spacer layer comprises:

isotropic deposition of a dielectric material above and on sides of the first mask, the pillars, and the strap regions; and

etching the dielectric material from above the strap regions and above the first mask,

wherein a width and depth of the spacer layer along the plane gradually decreases at an upper portion of the spacer layer as compared to a lower portion of the spacer layer in the film thickness direction.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the electrode material comprises W, and wherein forming the electrode material comprises:

performing conformal Ti chemical vapor deposition (CVD) within the voids;

transforming portions of the conformal Ti and the substrate positioned therebelow into Ti silicide (TiSi) to act as a TiSi barrier for W deposition;

selectively removing portions of the conformal Ti which have not been transformed into TiSi;

transforming the TiSi into a nitride (TiN x O y ); and

selectively depositing W onto the TiN x O y and exposed portions of the TiSi barrier, with the proviso that W is not deposited onto any other surfaces.

7. A method, comprising:

forming and patterning upper electrodes above a substrate in a film thickness direction, wherein the substrate comprises crystalline silicon (Si);

removing portions of the substrate using the upper electrodes as a first mask to form a plurality of pillars that comprise silicon (Si) and a plurality of strap regions positioned below sets of pillars aligned in a first direction along a plane perpendicular to the film thickness direction, the strap regions extending above a surface of the substrate in the film thickness direction;

forming and patterning lower electrodes directly below the strap regions in the film thickness direction that replace a portion of the substrate positioned where the lower electrodes are formed;

forming a silicide junction between each of the strap regions and a corresponding lower electrode positioned therebelow;

forming gate dielectric layers on sides of the pillars to a height greater than a lower edge of the upper electrodes in the film thickness direction;

forming gate layers on sides of the gate dielectric layers in a second direction along the plane and perpendicular to the first direction that transverse a plurality of sets of pillars and;

forming an insulative layer above the gate layers and the gate dielectric layers in the film thickness direction and along sides of the gate layers, the gate dielectric layers, and the upper electrodes, wherein the upper electrodes are configured to electrically couple to at least one structure positioned thereabove.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 ,

wherein the upper electrodes comprise at least one material selected from a group consisting of: W, TaN, TiNi, and TiN,

wherein the gate dielectric layers comprise at least one material selected from a group consisting of: SiO 2 , SiON, ZrO 2 , HfO 2 , and Al 2 O 3 ,

wherein the lower electrodes comprise at least one material selected from a group consisting of: W, TaN, TiNi, and TiN, and

wherein the gate layers comprise at least one material selected from a group consisting of: doped polysilicon, W, TaN, TiNi, and TiN.

9. The method as recited in claim 7 , wherein forming and patterning the upper electrodes comprises:

forming a first masking material above the substrate in the film thickness direction; and

removing portions of the first masking material according to a first pattern to form the first mask that comprises a plurality of dots of the first masking material, the first masking material comprising at least one material selected from a group consisting of: W, TaN, TiNi, and TiN.

10. The method as recited in claim 7 , wherein forming and patterning the lower electrodes comprises:

forming a spacer layer on sides of the first mask, the pillars, and the strap regions, wherein the spacer layer is not positioned above the strap regions;

forming a masking material above the strap regions in the film thickness direction and above, in the film thickness direction, first portions of the substrate positioned between the sets of pillars to form a second mask;

removing second portions of the substrate using the second mask to create voids beneath each of the sets of pillars;

forming an electrode material within the voids above the substrate and below the strap regions in the film thickness direction, the electrode material comprising at least one material selected from a group consisting of: W, TaN, TiNi, and TiN; and

removing portions of the electrode material between the sets of pillars using the spacer layer as a mask to form the lower electrodes that are positioned beneath the strap regions.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein forming the spacer layer comprises:

isotropic deposition of a dielectric material above and on sides of the first mask, the pillars, and the strap regions; and

etching the dielectric material to remove the dielectric material from positions above the strap regions and positions above the first mask,

wherein a width and depth of the spacer layer along the plane gradually decreases at an upper portion of the spacer layer as compared to a lower portion of the spacer layer in the film thickness direction.

12. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein removing the second portions of the substrate using the second mask comprises:

isotropic etching and/or vapor etching Si material from the substrate positioned directly beneath the strap regions in the film thickness direction, wherein a lower surface of the strap regions is not in contact with any structures except for portions at two ends of each of the sets of pillars after removing the second portions of the substrate, the two ends being opposite each other in the first direction.

13. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the electrode material comprises W, and wherein forming the electrode material comprises:

performing conformal Ti chemical vapor deposition (CVD) within the voids;

transforming portions of the conformal Ti and the substrate positioned therebelow into Ti silicide (TiSi) to act as a TiSi barrier for W deposition;

selectively removing portions of the conformal Ti which have not been transformed into TiSi;

transforming the TiSi into a nitride (TiN x O y ); and

selectively depositing W onto the TiN x O y and exposed portions of the TiSi barrier, with the proviso that W is not deposited onto any other surfaces.

14. The method as recited in claim 7 , wherein the lower electrodes comprise W, and wherein forming the silicide junction comprises:

heating the lower electrodes and the strap regions to a temperature of at least 750° C. for a predetermined period of time to form WSi 2 , W being drawn into portions of the strap regions from portions of the lower electrodes.