IP Library Granted Patent US 12,424,539
Granted Patent B2
US 12,424,539 · App. 17/903,644 · Granted Sep 23, 2025

Local enlarged via-to-backside power rail

Inventors: Ruilong Xie (Niskayuna, NY); Albert M. Chu (Nashua, NH); Carl Radens (LaGrangeville, NY); Brent A. Anderson (Jericho, VT)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
H01L23/5226H01L21/743H01L23/481H01L23/5286
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,424,539
App. No.
17/903,644
Granted
Sep 23, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A semiconductor structure having improved performance is provided that includes a local enlarged via-to-backside power rail (VBPR) contact structure which connects a source/drain region of one field effect transistor (FET) to a backside power rail.

Claims (27)

1. A semiconductor structure comprising:

a first active device region comprising a first field effect transistor (FET) having a first source/drain region and a second source/drain region;

a second active device region located adjacent to the first active device region and comprising a second FET, wherein an end wall of a functional gate structure of the first FET faces an end wall of a functional gate structure of the second FET;

a gate cut region located between the first FET and the second FET; and

a via-to-backside power rail (VBPR) contact structure located in the gate cut region that is located between the first FET and the second FET, wherein the VBPR contact structure contacts a backside power rail and the first source/drain region of the first FET, extends from the first source/drain region to the second source/drain region of the first FET through the gate cut region, and has a first width in an area between the first source/drain region of the first FET and a first source/drain region of the second FET and between the second source/drain region of the first FET and a second source/drain region of the second FET, and a second width in area between the end wall of the functional gate structure of the first FET and the end wall of the functional gate structure of the second FET, wherein the first width is larger than the second width.

2. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the gate cut region comprises a bi-layer dielectric fill structure comprising an inner dielectric material layer and an outer dielectric material layer.

3. The semiconductor structure of claim 2 , wherein the outer dielectric material layer is present around the end wall of the functional gate structure of both the first FET and the second FET.

4. The semiconductor structure of claim 2 , further comprising a front side source/drain contact structure contacting each of a first source/drain region of the second FET and a second source/drain region of the second FET, wherein the outer dielectric material layer is present between the front side source/drain contact structure and the VBPR contact structure.

5. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , further comprising a front side back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) structure contacting at least the VBPR contact structure.

6. The semiconductor structure of claim 5 , further comprising a carrier wafer located on the front side BEOL structure.

7. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the backside power rail is located in a backside interlayer dielectric (ILD) material layer.

8. The semiconductor structure of claim 7 , further comprising a backside power distribution network contacting both the backside ILD material layer and the backside power rail.

9. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , further comprising a shallow trench isolation structure laterally surrounding a portion of the VBPR contact structure.

10. The semiconductor structure of claim 9 , wherein the shallow trench isolation structure contacts a surface of the backside power rail.

11. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the VBPR contact structure has a surface opposite a surface that contacts the backside power rail that is coplanar with a surface of both the first FET and the second FET.

12. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein each of the first FET and the second FET comprises a nanosheet-containing FET.

13. The semiconductor structure of claim 12 , wherein the nanosheet-containing FET comprises the functional gate structure of the first FET and the second FET wrapping around a plurality of vertically stacked semiconductor channel material nanosheets.

14. The semiconductor structure of claim 13 , further comprising a gate spacer located laterally adjacent the functional gate structure of the first FET and the second FET, wherein the gate spacer is absent from a portion of a sidewall of the functional gate structure of the first FET and the second FET that is in proximity to the gate cut region.

15. The semiconductor structure of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of vertically stacked semiconductor channel material nanosheets are spaced apart from a semiconductor material layer.

16. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the VBPR contact structure is entirely spaced apart from the second FET present in the second active device region by an outer dielectric material layer of a bi-layer dielectric fill structure that is present in the gate cut region.

17. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein sidewalls of the functional gate structure of the first FET are aligned to sidewalls of the functional gate structure of the second FET.

18. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein a sidewall of the first source/drain region of the first FET is spaced apart from the VBPR contact structure by an outer dielectric material layer of a bilayer dielectric fill structure that is present in the gate cut region.

19. A semiconductor structure comprising:

a first active device region comprising a first field effect transistor (FET) having a first source/drain region and a second source/drain region;

a second active device region located adjacent to the first active device region and comprising a second FET, wherein an end wall of a functional gate structure of the first FET faces an end wall of a functional gate structure of the second FET;

a gate cut region located between the first FET and the second FET; and

a via-to-backside power rail (VBPR) contact structure located in the gate cut region, wherein the VBPR contact structure has a first width in an area between the first source/drain region of the first FET and a first source/drain region of the second FET and between the second source/drain region of the first FET and a second source/drain region of the second FET, and a second width in area between the end wall of the functional gate structure of the first FET and the end wall of the functional gate structure of the second FET, wherein the first width is larger than the second width.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 6, 2022
From: XIE, RUILONG; CHU, ALBERT M.; RADENS, CARL; ANDERSON, BRENT A.
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 060999/0687 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240079316A1 · Mar 7, 2024
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