IP Library Granted Patent US 10,756,163
Granted Patent B2
US 10,756,163 · App. 16/448,921 · Granted Aug 25, 2020

Conformal capacitor structure formed by a single process

Inventors: Praneet Adusumilli (Somerset, NJ); Alexander Reznicek (Troy, MI); Oscar van der Straten (Guilderland Center, NY)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
H01L28/91H01L21/0228H01L21/02175H01L21/28556
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,756,163
App. No.
16/448,921
Granted
Aug 25, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A capacitor structure is provided that includes conformal layers of a lower electrode, a high-k metal oxide dielectric, and an upper electrode. The capacitor structure is formed by a single process which enables the in-situ conformal deposition of the electrode and dielectric layers of the capacitor structure. The single process includes atomic layer deposition in which a metal-containing precursor is selected to provide each of the layers of the capacitor structure. The lower electrode layer is formed by utilizing the metal-containing precursor and a first reactive gas, the high-k metal oxide dielectric layer is provided by switching the first reactive gas to a second reactive gas, and the upper electrode layer is provided by switching the second reactive gas back to the first reactive gas.

Claims (26)

1. A semiconductor structure comprising:

a capacitor structure located in a bottle-shaped opening present in a semiconductor substrate, wherein the bottle-shaped opening has sidewalls and a bottom wall and the capacitor structure comprises:

a lower electrode layer composed of a first metal nitride and lining an entirety of the sidewalls and the bottom wall of the bottle-shaped opening that is present in the semiconductor substrate;

a high-k metal oxide dielectric layer located entirely on, and in direct physical contact with an entirety of, the lower electrode layer; and

an upper electrode layer composed of a second metal nitride and located entirely on, and in direct physical with an entirely of, the high-k metal oxide dielectric layer, wherein each of the lower electrode, the high-k metal oxide dielectric layer and the upper electrode layer is a conformal layer, and wherein the first metal nitride and the second metal nitride are composed of a same metal nitride and wherein the metal of the first and second metal nitrides is the same as the metal of the high-k metal oxide dielectric layer.

2. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the bottle-shaped opening has a lower portion of a first width, w 1 , and an upper portion of a second width, w 2 , wherein w 2 is less than w 1 .

3. The semiconductor structure of claim 2 , wherein w 1 is at least 1.5 times greater than the w 2 .

4. The semiconductor structure of claim 2 , wherein w 1 is from 15 nm to 1500 nm, and w 2 is from 10 nm to 1000 nm.

5. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the first metal nitride and the second metal nitride are selected from a group consisting of niobium (Nb) nitride, titanium (Ti) nitride, zirconium (Zr) nitride, hafnium (Hf) nitride, and tantalum (Ta) nitride.

6. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the first metal nitride and the second metal nitride are composed of Nb nitride and the high-k metal oxide dielectric layer is composed of niobium oxide.

7. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the lower electrode layer has a thickness from 5 nm to 50 nm.

8. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the high-k metal oxide dielectric layer has a thickness from 1 nm to 20 nm.

9. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein upper electrode layer has a thickness from 5 nm to 50 nm.

10. A semiconductor structure comprising:

a capacitor structure located in a bottle-shaped opening present in a semiconductor substrate, wherein the bottle-shaped opening has sidewalls and a bottom wall and the capacitor structure comprises:

a lower electrode layer composed of a first metal and lining an entirety of the sidewalls and the bottom wall of the bottle-shaped opening that is present in the semiconductor substrate;

a high-k metal oxide dielectric layer located entirely on, and in direct physical contact with an entirety of, the lower electrode layer; and

an upper electrode layer composed of a second metal and located entirely on, and in direct physical contact with an entirety of, the high-k metal oxide dielectric layer, wherein each of the lower electrode, the high-k metal oxide dielectric layer and the upper electrode layer is a conformal layer, and wherein the first metal and the second metal are composed of a same metal and wherein the metal of the first and second metals is the same as the metal of the high-k metal oxide dielectric layer.

11. The semiconductor structure of claim 10 , wherein the bottle-shaped opening has a lower portion of a first width, wl, and an upper portion of a second width, w 2 , wherein w 2 is less than w 1 .

12. The semiconductor structure of claim 11 , wherein w 1 is at least 1.5 times greater than the w 2 .

13. The semiconductor structure of claim 11 , wherein w 1 is from 15 nm to 1500 nm, and w 2 is from 10 nm to 1000 nm.

14. The semiconductor structure of claim 10 , wherein the first metal and the second metal are selected from a group consisting of niobium (Nb), titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), and tantalum (Ta).

15. The semiconductor structure of claim 10 , wherein the first metal and the second metal are composed of Nb nitride and the high-k metal oxide dielectric layer is composed of niobium oxide.

16. The semiconductor structure of claim 10 , wherein the lower electrode layer has a thickness from 5 nm to 50 nm.

17. The semiconductor structure of claim 10 , wherein the high-k metal oxide dielectric layer has a thickness from 1 nm to 20 nm.

18. The semiconductor structure of claim 10 , wherein upper electrode layer has a thickness from 5 nm to 50 nm.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 26, 2020
From: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
To: ELPIS TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Reel/Frame 054528/0023 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 21, 2019
From: ADUSUMILLI, PRANEET; REZNICEK, ALEXANDER; VAN DER STRATEN, OSCAR
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 049554/0152 →
Continuity (2)
Division 15414279 · Jan 24, 2017
Related Publication 20190319089A1 · Oct 17, 2019