FinFET spacer etch for eSiGe improvement

1. A method comprising:

forming a gate on a substrate having a silicon fin, the gate having a nitride cap on an upper surface thereof and an oxide cap on an upper surface of the nitride cap;

forming a dielectric layer over the silicon fin and the gate;

removing the dielectric layer from an upper surface of the oxide cap and an upper surface of the silicon fin;

recessing the silicon fin within the dielectric layer, leaving a remaining portion of the silicon fin after the recessing; and

removing the dielectric layer from side surfaces of the silicon fin and removing the entire remaining portion of the silicon fin.

2. The method according to claim 1 , comprising recessing the silicon fin to a depth of 50 angstroms (Å) to 700 Å.

3. The method according to claim 1 , comprising recessing the silicon fin with an etchant selective to oxide and nitride.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the etchant comprises of dry etchants including hydrogen bromide (HBr), sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6 ), nitrogen trifluoride (NF 3 ), carbon tetrafluoride (CF 4 ), or other fluorine based chemistries or wet etchants including tetra-methyl-ammonium hydroxide (TMAH), tetra-ethyl-ammonium hydroxide (TEAH), potassium hydroxide (KOH), or ammonium hydroxide (NH 4 OH).

5. The method according to claim 1 , comprising removing the dielectric layer from side surfaces of the silicon fin by etching.

6. The method according to claim 5 , comprising etching the dielectric layer from side surfaces of the silicon fin with an etchant selective to oxide and silicon.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the etchant comprises of dry etchants including trifluoromethane (CHF 3 ), flouromethane (CH 3 F), difluoromethane (CH 2 F 2 ), CF 4 , or other hydrocarbons or wet etchants including phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4 ).

8. The method according to claim 1 , comprising recessing the substrate below the fin.

9. The method according to claim 8 , comprising recessing the substrate below the fin to a depth of 0 Å to 700 Å.

10. The method according to claim 8 , comprising recessing the substrate by:

etching.

11. The method according to claim 10 , comprising etching the substrate with an etchant selective to nitride wherein the etchant comprises dry etchants including HBr SF 6 , NF 3 , HBr, CF 4 , or other fluorine based chemistries or wet etchants including TMAH, TEAH, KOH, or NH4OH.

12. The method according to claim 1 , comprising removing the dielectric layer from the upper surface of the oxide cap and the upper surface of the silicon fin by: etching.

13. The method according to claim 1 , comprising forming the dielectric layer by blanket deposition to a thickness of 50 Å to 250 Å.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the dielectric layer comprises silicon nitride or other dielectrics including low-k dielectrics SiOCN or SiBCN.

15. The method according to claim 1 , comprising recessing the substrate below the fin to a depth of 0 Å to 700 Å.

16. A method comprising:

forming a silicon gate proximate to a silicon fin on a silicon wafer, the silicon gate having a nitride cap on an upper surface thereof;

blanket depositing a silicon dielectric layer over the silicon fin, the silicon gate, and the silicon wafer;

etching the silicon dielectric layer from an upper surface of the oxide cap, an upper surface of the silicon fin, and an upper surface of the silicon wafer with dry etchants including CHF 3 , CH 3 F, CH 2 F2, CF 4 or other hydrocarbons or wet etchants including H 3 PO 4 ;

recessing the silicon fin within the silicon dielectric layer, leaving a remaining portion of the silicon fin after the recessing having a depth of 50 Å to 700 Å; and

etching the silicon dielectric layer from side surfaces of the silicon fin and removing the entire remaining portion of the silicon fin with dry etchants including HBr SF 6 , NF 3 , HBr, CF 4 or other fluorine based chemistries or wet etchants including TMAH, TEAH, KOH, or NH 4 OH.

17. The method according to claim 16 , comprising recessing the silicon fin with dry etchants including HBr, SF 6 , NF 3 , HBr, CF 4 or other fluorine based chemistries or wet etchants including TMAH, TEAH, KOH, or NH4OH.

18. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the silicon gate includes an oxide cap on an upper surface of the nitride cap.