IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,191,368
Granted Patent B2
US 12,191,368 · App. 17/455,681 · Granted Jan 7, 2025

Semiconductor device

Inventors: Yonghee Park (Hwaseong-si, KR); Munhyeon Kim (Hwaseong-si, KR); Uihui Kwon (Hwaseong-si, KR); Joohyung You (Seoul, KR); Daewon Ha (Seoul, KR)
Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
H01L29/42392H01L27/088H01L29/41733H01L29/78696
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,191,368
App. No.
17/455,681
Granted
Jan 7, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A semiconductor device includes active regions extending on a substrate in a first direction, gate structures intersecting the active regions and extending on the substrate in a second direction, source/drain regions in recess regions in which the active regions are recessed, on both sides of each of the gate structures, and contact plugs connected to the source/drain regions, wherein each of the source/drain regions include first and second epitaxial layers sequentially stacked on the active regions in the recess regions in a third direction perpendicular to an upper surface of the substrate, respectively, and wherein ratios of the first epitaxial layer thickness in the third direction to the second epitaxial layer thickness in the third direction are different in different ones of the source/drain regions.

Claims (44)

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

active regions extending on a substrate in a first direction;

first and second gate structures intersecting the active regions and extending on the substrate in a second direction;

a plurality of channel layers spaced apart from each other in a third direction, perpendicular to an upper surface of the substrate, on the active regions and surrounded in the second and third directions by the first and second gate structures;

first and second source/drain regions in recess regions in which the active regions are recessed on at least one side of each of the first and second gate structures, and physically contacting the plurality of channel layers; and

contact plugs connected to the first and second source/drain regions,

wherein each of the first and second source/drain regions includes:

a first epitaxial layer on each of the active regions in each of the recess regions; and

a second epitaxial layer on the first epitaxial layer and including first conductivity-type impurities,

the first epitaxial layer has a maximum first thickness in the third direction in the first source/drain region, and

the first epitaxial layer has a maximum second thickness less than the maximum first thickness in the third direction in the second source/drain region.

2. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the second epitaxial layer has a first depth in the third direction in the first source/drain region, and the second epitaxial layer has a second depth deeper than the first depth in the third direction in the second source/drain region.

3. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second source/drain regions have substantially a same thickness.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 3 , wherein the first and second source/drain regions have upper ends and lower ends respectively positioned at substantially a same height level in the third direction.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein a number of the channel layers connected to the second epitaxial layer, among the plurality of channel layers, in the first source/drain region is less than a number of the channel layers connected to the second epitaxial layer, among the plurality of channel layers, in the second source/drain region.

6. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the first epitaxial layer includes a semiconductor material.

7. The semiconductor device of claim 6 , wherein the first epitaxial layer includes second conductivity-type impurities.

8. The semiconductor device of claim 7 , wherein the first epitaxial layer includes the second conductivity-type impurities at a first concentration, and the second epitaxial layer includes the first conductivity-type impurities at a second concentration higher than the first concentration.

9. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the first epitaxial layer includes at least one of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon oxynitride.

10. The semiconductor device of claim 9 , wherein the first epitaxial layer is a single crystal.

11. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the second epitaxial layer is on side surfaces of at least some of the plurality of channel layers.

12. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the first gate structure constitutes a part of transistors connected in parallel, and

wherein the second gate structure constitutes a part of transistors connected in series.

13. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the contact plugs are each connected to the second epitaxial layer.

14. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , further comprising internal spacer layers between the first and second gate structures and the first and second source/drain regions in the first direction.

15. A semiconductor device comprising:

active regions extending on a substrate in a first direction;

gate structures intersecting the active regions and extending on the substrate in a second direction;

source/drain regions in recess regions in which the active regions are recessed, on both sides of each of the gate structures; and

contact plugs connected to the source/drain regions,

wherein each of the source/drain regions includes first and second epitaxial layers sequentially stacked on the active regions in the recess regions in a third direction perpendicular to an upper surface of the substrate, respectively, and

wherein ratios of the first epitaxial layer thickness in the third direction to the second epitaxial layer thickness in the third direction are different in different ones of the source/drain regions.

16. The semiconductor device of claim 15 , wherein the second epitaxial layer is doped with first conductivity type impurities, and the first epitaxial layer is not doped with the first conductivity type impurities.

17. The semiconductor device of claim 16 , wherein the first epitaxial layer is doped with second conductivity type impurities.

18. The semiconductor device of claim 16 , wherein the first epitaxial layer is an insulating layer.

19. A semiconductor device comprising:

active regions extending on a substrate in a first direction;

gate structures intersecting the active regions and extending on the substrate in a second direction;

a plurality of channel layers spaced apart from each other in a third direction, perpendicular to an upper surface of the substrate, on the active regions and surrounded in the second and third directions by the gate structures; and

source/drain regions in recess regions in which the active regions are recessed on at least one side of each of the gate structures,

wherein each of the source/drain regions includes first and second epitaxial layers sequentially stacked on the active regions in the recess regions in the third direction, respectively,

wherein the source/drain regions include a first source/drain region in which the second epitaxial layer is at a maximum first depth and a second source/drain region in which the second epitaxial layer is at a maximum second depth different from the maximum first depth, and

wherein the sums of thicknesses of the first and second epitaxial layers in the third direction in the first and second source/drain regions are substantially equal.

20. The semiconductor device of claim 19 , wherein the second epitaxial layer includes a first conductivity-type semiconductor, and the first epitaxial layer includes a second conductivity-type semiconductor.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 19, 2021
From: PARK, YONGHEE; KIM, MUNHYEON; KWON, UIHUI; YOU, JOOHYUNG; HA, DAEWON
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 058160/0315 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2021-0027672 · Mar 2, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220285511A1 · Sep 8, 2022
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