Nanosheet semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same

1. A nanosheet semiconductor device, comprising:

a channel region including at least one nanosheet;

a first source/drain region and a second source/drain region separated from each other by the channel region in a horizontal direction;

a gate structure including an upper gate portion disposed over the channel region and a lower gate portion surrounding the at least one nanosheet;

a dummy spacer laterally covering the upper gate portion of the gate structure and having a first surface in contact with the upper gate portion of the gate structure and a second surface opposite to the first surface;

a contact etch stop layer disposed to cover a corresponding one of the first source/drain region and the second source/drain region, the contact etch stop layer including a bottom portion that includes a flat main part and an inclined edge part inclined outwardly and downwardly from the flat main part in the horizontal direction; and

an inner spacer laterally covering the lower gate portion of the gate structure,

the at least one nanosheet including a lateral surface contacting a corresponding one of the first and second source/drain regions, the inner spacer including a lateral surface contacting the corresponding one of the first and second source/drain regions, and the lateral surface of the at least one nanosheet being indented relative to the lateral surface of the inner spacer,

the inclined edge part of the bottom portion of the contact etch stop layer extending to terminate at a position of the second surface of the dummy spacer to divide the second surface of the dummy spacer into a lower surface portion and an upper surface portion, the lower surface portion of the second surface of the dummy spacer extending in a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

2. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein an interface between the at least one nanosheet and a corresponding one of the first and second source/drain regions defines a first reference line, an interface between the inner spacer and the lower gate portion of the gate structure defines a second reference line, and a distance between the first and second reference lines is in a range from 0 nm to 8 nm.

3. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the first surface of the dummy spacer is aligned with the lateral surface of the at least one nanosheet, and the second surface of the dummy spacer is disaligned with the lateral surface of the inner spacer.

4. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the lateral surface of the at least one nanosheet is indented relative to the first surface of the dummy spacer in a direction from the lateral surface of the at least one nanosheet toward a center of the at least one nanosheet, and the second surface of the dummy spacer is disaligned with the lateral surface of the inner spacer.

5. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the dummy spacer has an upper surface, and the gate structure includes a metal filling layer which has an upper surface lower than the upper surface of the dummy spacer.

6. A nanosheet semiconductor device, comprising:

a channel region including at least one nanosheet;

a first source/drain region and a second source/drain region separated from each other by the channel region in a horizontal direction;

a gate structure including an upper gate portion disposed over the channel region and a lower gate portion surrounding the at least one nanosheet;

a dummy spacer laterally covering the upper gate portion of the gate structure and having a first surface in contact with the upper gate portion of the gate structure and a second surface opposite to the first surface;

a contact etch stop layer disposed to cover a corresponding one of the first source/drain region and the second source/drain region, the contact etch stop layer including a bottom portion that includes a flat main part and an inclined edge part inclined outwardly and downwardly from the flat main part in the horizontal direction; and

an inner spacer laterally covering the lower gate portion of the gate structure,

an interface between the at least one nanosheet and a corresponding one of the first and second source/drain regions defining a first reference line, an interface between the inner spacer and the lower gate portion of the gate structure defining a second reference line, a distance between the first and second reference lines being less than a lateral thickness of the inner spacer,

the inclined edge part of the bottom portion of the contact etch stop layer extending to terminate at a position of the second surface of the dummy spacer to divide the second surface of the dummy spacer into a lower surface portion and an upper surface portion, the lower surface portion of the second surface of the dummy spacer extending in a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

7. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 6 , wherein the distance between the first and second reference lines is in a range from 0 nm to 8 nm.

8. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one nanosheet includes a lateral surface contacting the corresponding one of the first source/drain region and the second source/drain region, the inner spacer includes a lateral surface contacting the corresponding one of the first source/drain region and the second source/drain region, the first surface of the dummy spacer is aligned with the lateral surface of the at least one nanosheet, and the second surface of the dummy spacer is disaligned with the lateral surface of the inner spacer.

9. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one nanosheet includes a lateral surface contacting the corresponding one of the first source/drain region and the second source/drain region, the inner spacer includes a lateral surface contacting the corresponding one of the first source/drain region and the second source/drain region, the lateral surface of the at least one nanosheet is indented relative to the first surface of the dummy spacer in a direction from the lateral surface of the at least one nanosheet toward a center of the at least one nanosheet, and the second surface of the dummy spacer is disaligned with the lateral surface of the inner spacer.

10. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 6 , wherein the dummy spacer has an upper surface, and the gate structure includes a metal filling layer which has an upper surface lower than the upper surface of the dummy spacer.

11. A nanosheet semiconductor device, comprising:

a source/drain region;

a first channel region and a second channel region separated from each other by the source/drain region in a horizontal direction, each of the first and second channel regions including at least one nanosheet;

a first gate structure and a second gate structure, each of which includes an upper gate portion disposed over a corresponding one of the first and second channel regions and a lower gate portion surrounding the at least one nanosheet of the corresponding one of the first and second channel regions;

a dummy spacer laterally covering the upper gate portion of a corresponding one of the first gate structure and the second gate structure and having a first surface in contact with the upper gate portion of the corresponding one of the first gate structure and the second gate structure and a second surface opposite to the first surface;

a contact etch stop layer disposed to cover the source/drain region, the contact etch stop layer including a bottom portion that includes a flat main part and an inclined edge part inclined outwardly and downwardly from the flat main part in the horizontal direction;

at least one first inner spacer laterally covering the lower gate portion of the first gate structure; and

at least one second inner spacer laterally covering the lower gate portion of the second gate structure,

a distance between the at least one nanosheet of the first channel region and the at least one nanosheet of the second channel region being greater than a distance between the at least one first inner spacer and the at least one second inner spacer,

the inclined edge part of the bottom portion of the contact etch stop layer extending to terminate at a position of the second surface of the dummy spacer to divide the second surface of the dummy spacer into a lower surface portion and an upper surface portion, the lower surface portion of the second surface of the dummy spacer extending in a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

12. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 11 , wherein

the source/drain region includes a main portion, a first protrusion portion laterally protruded from the main portion, and a second protrusion portion laterally protruded from the main portion and disposed oppositely to the first protrusion portion, and

the nanosheet semiconductor device includes two of the first inner spacers separated from each other by the first protrusion portion, and two of the second inner spacers separated from each other by the second protrusion portion.

13. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein

the first protrusion portion has a lateral thickness which is up to a lateral thickness of the at least one first inner spacer, and

the second protrusion portion has a lateral thickness which is up to a lateral thickness of the at least one second inner spacer.

14. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one nanosheet of the first channel region includes a lateral surface contacting the source/drain region, the at least one first inner spacer includes a lateral surface contacting the source/drain region, and the lateral surface of the at least one nanosheet of the first channel region is indented relative to the lateral surface of the at least one first inner spacer.

15. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one nanosheet of the second channel region includes a lateral surface contacting the source/drain region, the at least one second inner spacer includes a lateral surface contacting the source/drain region, and the lateral surface of the at least one nanosheet of the second channel region is indented relative to the lateral surface of the at least one second inner spacer.

16. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 11 , wherein an interface between the at least one nanosheet of the first channel region and the source/drain region defines a first reference line, an interface between the at least one first inner spacer and the lower gate portion of the first gate structure defines a second reference line, and a distance between the first and second reference lines is less than a lateral thickness of the at least one first inner spacer.

17. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 16 , wherein the distance between the first and second reference lines is in a range from 0 nm to 8 nm.

18. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 11 , wherein an interface between the at least one nanosheet of the second channel region and the source/drain region defines a first reference line, an interface between the at least one second inner spacer and the lower gate portion of the second gate structure defines a second reference line, and a distance between the first and second reference lines is less than a lateral thickness of the at least one second inner spacer.

19. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 18 , wherein the distance between the first and second reference lines is in a range from 0 nm to 8 nm.

20. The nanosheet semiconductor device according to claim 11 , wherein the dummy spacer has an upper surface, and each of the first gate structure and the second gate structure includes a metal filling layer which has an upper surface lower than the upper surface of the dummy spacer.