IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,384,962
Granted Patent B2
US 9,384,962 · App. 13/082,387 · Granted Jul 5, 2016

Oxygen treatment of replacement work-function metals in CMOS transistor gates

Inventors: Guang-Yaw Hwang (Tainan, TW); Chun-Hsien Lin (Tainan, TW); Hung-Ling Shih (Chiayi County, TW); Jiunn-Hsiung Liao (Tainan, TW); Zhi-Cheng Lee (Tainan, TW); Shao-Hua Hsu (Taoyuan County, TW); Yi-Wen Chen (Tainan, TW); Cheng-Guo Chen (Changhua County, TW); Jung-Tsung Tseng (Tainan, TW); Chien-Ting Lin (Hsinchu, TW); Tong-Jyun Huang (Tainan, TW); Jie-Ning Yang (Ping-Tung County, TW); Tsung-Lung Tsai (Tai-Nan, TW); Po-Jui Liao (Taichung, TW); Chien-Ming Lai (Tainan, TW); Ying-Tsung Chen (Kaohsiung, TW); Cheng-Yu Ma (Tainan, TW); Wen-Han Hung (Kaohsiung, TW); Che-Hua Hsu (Hsinchu County, TW)
Assignee: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
H01L21/02148
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,384,962
App. No.
13/082,387
Granted
Jul 5, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of manufacturing a metal gate is provided. The method includes providing a substrate. Then, a gate dielectric layer is formed on the substrate. A multi-layered stack structure having a work function metal layer is formed on the gate dielectric layer. An O 2 ambience treatment is performed on at least one layer of the multi-layered stack structure. A conductive layer is formed on the multi-layered stack structure.

Claims (33)

1. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device having metal gates, comprising:

providing a substrate defined with a first active region and a second active region;

forming a gate dielectric layer on the substrate;

forming a work function metal layer on the gate dielectric layer;

performing an O 2 ambience treatment on the work function metal layer;

completely removing the work function metal layer from the second active region after the O 2 ambience treatment; and

forming a metal layer on the work function metal layer.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a dielectric constant of the gate dielectric layer is substantially greater than 4, and the gate dielectric layer comprises hafnium oxide (HfO 2 ), hafnium silicon oxide (HfSiO 4 ), hafnium silicon oxynitride (HfSiON), aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), lanthanum oxide (La 2 O 3 ), lanthanum aluminum oxide (LaAlO), tantalum oxide (Ta 2 O 5 ), zirconium oxide (ZrO 2 ), zirconium silicon oxide (ZrSiO 4 ), hafnium zirconium oxide (HfZrO), yttrium oxide (Yb 2 O 3 ), yttrium silicon oxide (YbSiO), zirconium aluminate (ZrAlO), hafnium aluminate (HfAlO), aluminum nitride (AlN), titanium oxide (TiO 2 ), zirconium oxynitride (ZrON), hafnium oxynitride (HfON), zirconium silicon oxynitride (ZrSiON), hafnium silicon oxynitride (HfSiON), strontium bismuth tantalite (SrBi 2 Ta 2 O 9 , SBT), lead zirconate titanate (PbZr x Ti 1-x O 3 , PZT) or barium strontium titanate (Ba x Sr 1-x TiO 3 , BST).

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the metal layer is Al, Ti, Ta, W, Nb, Mo, TiN, TiC, TaN, Ti/W or Ti/TiN.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first active region is PMOS region and the second active region is NMOS region.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the work function metal layer covers an etch stop layer and a barrier layer.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the etch stop layer comprises TiN, the barrier layer comprises TaN and the work function metal layer comprises TiN.

7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the work function metal layer comprises a plurality of metal layers and the work function metal layer comprises TiAl, TaC, WC, TiN, TiC, TaN, TiAlN or their combination.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the O 2 ambience treatment comprises an annealing process, a plasma treatment process or a chemical treatment process.

9. The method of fabricating a semiconductor device having a metal gate according to claim 8 , wherein the plasma treatment process comprises using a plasma gas comprising oxygen.

10. The method of fabricating a semiconductor device having a metal gate according to claim 8 , wherein the chemical treatment process comprises using a solvent comprising NH 4 OH, H 2 O 2 and H 2 O.

11. The method according to claim 1 , before forming a work function metal layer, further comprising:

forming an interlayer dielectric layer on the substrate; and

forming two gate trenches in the interlayer dielectric layer respectively within the first active region and the second active region.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the work function metal layer is conformally formed on the sidewalls of the gate trenches.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the work function metal layer is completely removed from the gate trench within the second active region.

14. The method of fabricating a semiconductor device having a metal gate according to claim 1 , further comprising forming an interlayer dielectric layer on the substrate, forming two gate trenches in the interlayer dielectric layer respectively within the first active region and the second active region.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the gate dielectric layer is formed at the bottom of the gate trenches.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein-the gate dielectric layer is formed in the gate trenches and the gate dielectric layer has a U-shaped structure.

17. The method according to claim 14 , wherein a part of the sidewall of the gate trenches are not covered by the conductive layer and/or the gate dielectric layer.

18. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the gate dielectric layer is formed first and then the gate trenches are formed.

19. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the gate trenches are formed first and then the gate dielectric layer is formed.

20. The method of fabricating a semiconductor device having a metal gate according to claim 19 , further comprising:

forming a filling layer on the substrate to fill into the gate trench;

removing a part of one layer of the multi-layered stack structure such that the layer of the multi-layered stack structure comprises an U shape in a cross section; and

completely removing the filling layer in the gate trench.

21. The method of fabricating a semiconductor device having a metal gate according to claim 20 , wherein when removing the filling layer in the gate trench, the O 2 ambience treatment is performed simultaneously.

22. The method of fabricating a semiconductor device having a metal gate according to claim 21 , wherein the O 2 ambience treatment comprises using a plasma gas comprising O 2 , N 2 and H 2 , wherein the weight concentration of the O 2 is substantially less than 10%.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 7, 2011
From: HWANG, GUANG-YAW; LIN, CHUN-HSIEN; SHIH, HUNG-LING; LIAO, JIUNN-HSIUNG; LEE, ZHI-CHENG; HSU, SHAO-HUA; CHEN, YI-WEN; CHEN, CHENG-GUO; TSENG, JUNG-TSUNG; LIN, CHIEN-TING; HUANG, TONG-JYUN; YANG, JIE-NING; TSAI, TSUNG-LUNG; LIAO, PO-JUI; LAI, CHIEN-MING; CHEN, YING-TSUNG; MA, CHENG-YU; HUNG, WEN-HAN; HSU, CHE-HUA
To: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
Reel/Frame 026099/0907 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20120256276A1 · Oct 11, 2012