Asymmetric FET formed through use of variable pitch gate for use as logic device and test structure

1. A method for fabricating a field-effect transistor (FET) device, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a wafer;

forming active areas in the wafer using shallow trench isolation;

forming gate stacks on the wafer present over one or more of the active areas, wherein a select two or more of the gate stacks have an irregular gate-to-gate spacing in that the gate-to-gate spacing between a given two of the gate stacks next to one another on the wafer is selectively configured to be greater than the gate-to-gate spacing of the gate stacks on the wafer to either side of the given two gate stacks, wherein by way of the irregular gate-to-gate spacing: i) for at least a given one of the active areas in which an asymmetrical transistor is formed a gate-to-gate spacing on a source side of the given active area is greater than a gate-to-gate spacing on a drain side of the given active area, and ii) for at least another given one of the active areas in which a symmetrical transistor is formed a gate-to-gate spacing on a source side of the other given active area is equal to a gate-to-gate spacing on a drain side of the other given active area, such that the gate stacks formed on the wafer all have a regular gate-to-gate spacing except for those of the gate stacks adjacent to the source side of the given active area in which the asymmetrical transistor is formed that have the irregular gate-to-gate spacing, which is achieved by first forming the gate stacks having the gate-to-gate spacing on the source side of the given active area which is greater than the gate-to-gate spacing on the drain side of the given active area, and then further increasing the gate-to-gate spacing on the source side of the given active area;

forming spacers on opposite sides of the gate stacks; and

performing an angled implant into the source side of the given active area.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wafer comprises a bulk silicon, germanium, or silicon-germanium wafer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wafer comprises a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) wafer having a SOI layer separated from a substrate by a buried oxide (BOX).

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the SOI layer comprises silicon, germanium, or silicon germanium.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gate stacks have an irregular pitch.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the irregular gate pitch comprises at least a first gate pitch and at least a second gate pitch, and wherein the second gate pitch is greater than the first gate pitch.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the gate stacks on the wafer further comprises the steps of:

depositing at least one gate stack material onto the wafer;

patterning the at least one gate stack material to form the gate stacks, wherein the irregular gate-to-gate spacing is produced by the patterning step; and

after the gate stacks are formed with the irregular gate-to-gate spacing by the patterning step, thinning at least one of the gate stacks to reduce a gate length thereof to further increase the gate-to-gate spacing on the source side of the given active area in which the asymmetric transistor is formed.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the at least one gate stack material is patterned using electron beam lithography.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the gate stacks on the wafer further comprises the steps of:

depositing at least one gate stack material onto the wafer;

patterning the at least one gate stack material to form the gate stacks, wherein the gate stacks have the regular gate-to-gate spacing;

selectively removing one of the gate stacks adjacent to the source side of the given active area in which the asymmetric transistor is formed to produce the irregular gate-to-gate spacing adjacent to the source side of the given active area in which the asymmetric transistor is formed; and

after one of the gate stacks has been removed to produce the irregular gate-to-gate spacing, thinning at least one of the gate stacks to reduce a gate length thereof to further increase the gate-to-gate spacing on the source side of the given active area in which the asymmetric transistor is formed.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least one gate stack material is patterned using photolithography.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of selectively removing at least one of the gate stacks is performed using an etching process.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the step of:

forming a mask on the gate stacks that leaves exposed the gate stacks that are selectively removed.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

thinning at least one of the gate stacks to reduce a gate length thereof.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the thinning step is performed using reactive ion etching through a hardmask.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the hardmask comprises a nitride hardmask.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the active areas in the wafer comprises the steps of:

patterning trenches in the wafer; and

filling the trenches with an insulator material.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the spacers on opposite sides of the gate stacks comprises the steps of:

depositing a nitride material onto the wafer; and

patterning the spacers using a nitride-selective reactive ion etching.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the angled implant is performed at an angle of from about 20 degrees to about 30 degrees into the source side of the given active area.

19. The method of claim 6 , wherein one or more of the first gate pitch and the second gate pitch comprises a fractional gate pitch.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein a pitch of the gate stacks is unaffected by the thinning step.