Methods for fabricating integrated circuits
Methods are provided for fabricating integrated circuits. One method includes etching a plurality of trenches into a silicon substrate and filling the trenches with an insulating material to delineate a plurality of spaced apart silicon fins. A layer of undoped silicon is epitaxially grown to form an upper, undoped region of the fins. Dummy gate structures are formed overlying and transverse to the plurality of fins and a back fill material fills between the dummy gate structures. The dummy gate structures are removed to expose a portion of the fins and a high-k dielectric material and a work function determining gate electrode material are deposited overlying the portion of the fins. The back fill material is removed to expose a second portion and metal silicide contacts are formed on the second portion. Conductive contacts are then formed to the work function determining material and to the metal silicide.
1. A method for fabricating an integrated circuit comprising:
etching trenches into a silicon substrate and filling the trenches with an insulating material to separate spaced apart silicon fins having top surfaces and sidewalls;
forming dummy gate structures overlying and transverse to the fins, the dummy gate structures overlying first regions of the fins;
filling between the dummy gate structures with a back fill material, the back fill material overlying second regions of the fins;
removing the dummy gate structures to expose the top surfaces of the first regions of the fins;
etching the insulating material to expose the sidewalls of the first regions of the fins;
depositing a high-k dielectric material and a work function determining gate electrode material overlying the top surfaces and sidewalls of the first regions of the fins;
removing the back fill material to expose the top surfaces of the fins in the second regions;
forming metal silicide contacts on the top surfaces of the second regions of the fins;
forming conductive contacts to the work function determining material and to the metal silicide contacts;
etching the top surfaces of the first regions of the fins exposed by removing the dummy gate structures to form recesses; and
epitaxially growing a layer of undoped silicon to fill the recesses.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising epitaxially growing a layer of undoped silicon over the top surfaces of the fins.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a bulk silicon substrate, wherein etching trenches into a silicon substrate comprises etching trenches into the bulk silicon substrate.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein removing the back fill material comprises:
depositing a layer of spin on glass;
planarizing the layer of spin on glass to leave a portion of the spin on glass overlying the work function determining gate electrode material; and
etching the back fill material using the spin on glass as an etch mask.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein forming metal silicide contacts comprises forming nickel silicide contacts and wherein forming conductive contacts comprises depositing and planarizing a metal on both the metal silicide contacts and on the work function determining gate electrode material.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising epitaxially growing a layer of undoped silicon on the top surfaces of the fins to form undoped regions of the fins before filling between the dummy gate structures with a back fill material.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising epitaxially growing a layer of undoped silicon on the top surfaces of the fins to form undoped regions of the fins before removing the dummy gate structures.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein removing the back fill material comprises removing the back fill material after depositing a high-k dielectric material and a work function determining gate electrode material.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein forming dummy gate structures overlying and transverse to the fins comprises:
forming dummy gate layers overlying the fins; and
patterning the dummy gate layers to form dummy gate stacks.
10. A method for fabricating an integrated circuit comprising:
etching a plurality of trenches into a silicon substrate and filling the trenches with an insulating material to delineate a plurality of spaced apart silicon fins;
epitaxially growing a layer of undoped silicon to form an upper, undoped region of the fins;
forming dummy gate structures overlying and transverse to the plurality of fins;
filling between the dummy gate structures with a back fill material;
removing the dummy gate structures to expose a portion of the fins;
depositing a high-k dielectric material and a work function determining gate electrode material overlying the portion of the fins;
removing the back fill material to expose a second portion of the fins;
forming metal silicide contacts on the second portion of the fins; and
forming conductive contacts to the work function determining material and to the metal silicide, wherein forming dummy gate structures comprises:
forming a layer of insulator overlying the fins;
depositing a layer of silicon germanium overlying the layer of insulator;
depositing a layer of hard mask material overlying the layer of silicon germanium;
patterning the layer of hard mask material, layer of silicon germanium, and layer of insulator to form dummy gate stacks; and
forming sidewall spacers on the dummy gate stacks.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
etching trenches into the plurality of fins using the dummy gate stacks and sidewall spacers as an etch mask;
filling the trenches by a process of selective epitaxial growth of a material selected from the group consisting of silicon germanium and silicon carbon.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein filling between dummy gate structures comprises:
depositing silicon between adjacent ones of the plurality of dummy gate structures; and
planarizing the silicon by chemical mechanical planarization.
13. A method for fabricating an integrated circuit comprising:
etching trenches into a semiconductor substrate to define sidewalls of spaced apart semiconductor fins having top surfaces;
filling the trenches with an insulating material such that the insulating material is planar with the top surfaces of the fins;
forming dummy gate structures overlying the insulating material and first regions of the fins, wherein second regions of the fins are defined between the dummy gate structures;
covering the second regions of the fins with a fill material;
removing the dummy gate structures to expose the top surfaces of the first regions of the fins;
etching the insulating material to expose the sidewalls of the first regions of the fins;
forming a gate structure overlying the top surfaces and sidewalls of the first regions of the fins;
removing the fill material to expose the top surfaces of the fins in the second regions;
forming contacts on the top surfaces of the second regions of the fins;
wherein forming dummy gate structures comprises:
forming a layer of insulator overlying the fins and the insulating material;
depositing a layer of silicon germanium overlying the layer of insulator;
depositing a layer of hard mask material overlying the layer of silicon germanium;
patterning the layer of hard mask material, layer of silicon germanium, and layer of insulator to form dummy gate stacks; and
forming sidewall spacers on the dummy gate stacks.
14. The method of claim 13 further comprising providing a bulk silicon substrate, wherein etching trenches into a semiconductor substrate comprises etching trenches into the bulk silicon substrate.
15. The method of claim 13 further comprising epitaxially growing a layer of undoped silicon over the top surfaces of the fins.
16. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
etching the top surfaces of the first regions of the fins exposed by removing the dummy gate structures to form recesses; and
epitaxially growing a layer of undoped silicon to fill the recesses.
17. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
etching stress-inducing trenches into the second regions of the fins between the dummy gate structures; and
growing epitaxial material in the stress-inducing trenches, wherein covering the second regions of the fins with a fill material comprises depositing the fill material over the epitaxial material in the stress-inducing trenches.
18. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
removing the dummy gate structures to expose the top surfaces of the first regions of the fins;
etching the first regions of the fins to form channel trenches; and
growing channel epitaxial material in the channel trenches, wherein forming a gate structure comprises forming a gate structure overlying the channel epitaxial material and sidewalls of the first regions of the fins.