IP Library Granted Patent US 11,251,313
Granted Patent B2
US 11,251,313 · App. 16/774,653 · Granted Feb 15, 2022

Semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same

Inventors: Seung Mo Kang (Suwon-si, KR); Moon Seung Yang (Suwon-si, KR); Jongryeol Yoo (Suwon-si, KR); Sihyung Lee (Suwon-si, KR); Sunguk Jang (Suwon-si, KR); Eunhye Choi (Suwon-si, KR)
Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
H01L29/78696H01L21/311H01L21/823418H01L21/823437H01L21/823468H01L27/0886H01L29/0673H01L29/0847H01L29/42392H01L29/66545H01L29/66575H01L29/785H01L29/7848
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,251,313
App. No.
16/774,653
Granted
Feb 15, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A semiconductor device includes a channel pattern including first and second semiconductor patterns stacked on a substrate, a gate electrode covering top and lateral surfaces of the channel pattern and extending in a first direction, and including a first gate segment between the first semiconductor pattern and the second semiconductor pattern, a gate spacer covering a lateral surface of the gate electrode and including an opening exposing the channel pattern, and a first source/drain pattern on a side of the gate spacer and in contact with the channel pattern through the opening, the first source/drain pattern including a sidewall center thickness at a height of the first gate segment and at a center of the opening, and a sidewall edge thickness at the height of the first gate segment and at an edge of the opening, the sidewall edge thickness being about 0.7 to 1 times the sidewall center thickness.

Claims (66)

1. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a channel pattern that includes a first semiconductor pattern and a second semiconductor pattern that are sequentially stacked on a substrate;

a gate electrode that covers a top surface and a lateral surface of the channel pattern and extends in a first direction, the gate electrode including a first gate segment between the first semiconductor pattern and the second semiconductor pattern;

a gate spacer that covers a lateral surface of the gate electrode and includes an opening through which the channel pattern is exposed; and

a first source/drain pattern that is on a side of the gate spacer and is in contact with the channel pattern through the opening, the first source/drain pattern including:

a sidewall center thickness at a height of the first gate segment and at a center of the opening; and

a sidewall edge thickness at the height of the first gate segment and at an edge of the opening,

wherein the sidewall edge thickness is about 0.7 to 1 times the sidewall center thickness.

2. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an active pattern that protrudes from the substrate and is below the channel pattern and the first source/drain pattern, wherein:

the first source/drain pattern extends to contact the active pattern,

the first source/drain pattern has a bottom thickness at a position where the first source/drain pattern contacts the active pattern, and

the bottom thickness is greater than the sidewall center thickness.

3. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sidewall center thickness increases with decreasing distance from the substrate.

4. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a second source/drain pattern that is on the first source/drain pattern and is spaced apart from the channel pattern,

wherein a portion of the second source/drain pattern is inserted into the opening.

5. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the first source/drain pattern and the second source/drain pattern each include germanium, a germanium content of the first source/drain pattern being less than a germanium content of the second source/drain pattern.

6. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising at least one subsidiary source/drain pattern between the first source/drain pattern and the second source/drain pattern, wherein:

the first source/drain pattern, the second source/drain pattern, and the subsidiary source/drain pattern include germanium, a germanium content of the subsidiary source/drain pattern being greater than a germanium content of the first source/drain pattern and less than a germanium content of the second source/drain pattern.

7. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the gate spacer includes:

a first spacer sidewall outside the opening; and

a second spacer sidewall that corresponds to an inner sidewall of the opening,

wherein the second source/drain pattern contacts the first and second spacer sidewalls.

8. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sidewall edge thickness ranges from 3 nm to 7 nm.

9. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a gate dielectric layer interposed between the gate electrode and the gate spacer and exposed by the opening, wherein:

the first source/drain pattern has an outer sidewall spaced apart from the gate dielectric layer,

the gate spacer includes a first sidewall spacer and a second sidewall spacer that are exposed to the opening and that face each other,

the outer sidewall of the first source/drain pattern meets the first sidewall spacer at a first position at the height of the first gate segment,

the outer sidewall of the first source/drain pattern meets the second sidewall spacer at a second position at the height of the first gate segment, and

a first angle between a first tangent line, which is tangent to the outer sidewall of the first source/drain pattern and passes through the first position, and a second tangent line, which is tangent to the outer sidewall of the first source/drain pattern and passes through the second position, ranges from 150° to 180° .

10. A semiconductor device, comprising:

an active pattern that protrudes from a substrate;

a channel pattern that includes a first semiconductor pattern and a second semiconductor pattern that are sequentially stacked on the active pattern;

a gate electrode that covers a top surface and a lateral surface of the channel pattern and extends in a first direction, the gate electrode including a first gate segment between the first semiconductor pattern and the second semiconductor pattern;

a gate spacer that covers a lateral surface of the gate electrode and includes an opening through which a portion of the channel pattern is exposed; and

a first source/drain pattern on a side of the gate spacer, the first source/drain pattern contacting the portion of the channel pattern through the opening and simultaneously contacting the active pattern, the first source/drain pattern including:

a first thickness contacting the portion of the channel pattern through the opening at a side of the opening; and

a second thickness contacting the portion of the channel pattern through the opening in a central region of the opening,

wherein the second thickness is greater than the first thickness.

11. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein a sidewall of the first gate segment has a recessed profile.

12. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising a second source/drain pattern that is on the first source/drain pattern and is spaced apart from the channel pattern,

wherein a portion of the second source/drain pattern is inserted into the opening.

13. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the gate spacer includes:

a first spacer sidewall outside the opening; and

a second spacer sidewall that corresponds to an inner sidewall of the opening,

wherein the second source/drain pattern contacts the first and second spacer sidewalls.

14. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein

the second thickness is about 0.7 to 1 times the first thickness.

15. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a channel pattern that includes a first semiconductor pattern and a second semiconductor pattern that are sequentially stacked on a substrate;

a gate electrode that covers a top surface and a lateral surface of the channel pattern and extends in a first direction, the gate electrode including a first gate segment between the first semiconductor pattern and the second semiconductor pattern;

a gate spacer that covers a lateral surface of the gate electrode and includes an opening through which the channel pattern is exposed;

a gate dielectric layer interposed between the first gate segment and the gate spacer and exposed through the opening;

a first source/drain pattern contacting the channel pattern in the opening;

a second source/drain pattern on the first source/drain pattern and having a portion that is in contact with a lateral surface of the gate spacer and is spaced apart from the channel pattern, and has another portion that is inserted into the opening, wherein:

the second source/drain pattern is spaced apart from a sidewall of a gate dielectric layer by a first distance at a height of the first gate segment and at a center of the opening,

the second source/drain pattern is spaced apart from the sidewall of the gate dielectric layer by a second distance at the height of the first gate segment and at an edge of the opening, and

the second distance is about 0.7 to 1 times the first distance.

16. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 15 , wherein a thickness of the first source/drain pattern increases toward the substrate.

17. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the first source/drain pattern and the second source/drain pattern include germanium, a germanium content of the first source/drain pattern being less than a germanium content of the second source/drain pattern.

18. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 16 , further comprising at least one subsidiary source/drain pattern between the first source/drain pattern and the second source/drain pattern, wherein:

the first source/drain pattern, the second source/drain pattern, and the subsidiary source/drain pattern include germanium, a germanium content of the subsidiary source/drain pattern being greater than a germanium content of the first source/drain pattern and less than a germanium content of the second source/drain pattern.

19. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 15 ,

wherein the gate spacer includes:

a first spacer sidewall outside the opening; and

a second spacer sidewall that corresponds to an inner sidewall of the opening,

and wherein the second source/drain pattern contacts the first and second spacer sidewalls.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 28, 2020
From: KANG, SEUNG MO; YANG, MOON SEUNG; YOO, JONGRYEOL; LEE, SIHYUNG; JANG, SUNGUK; CHOI, EUNHYE
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 051644/0704 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2019-0062553 · May 28, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200381564A1 · Dec 3, 2020
Cited By (2)
US 12,268,023 US 12,495,590