IP Library Granted Patent US 12,426,314
Granted Patent B2
US 12,426,314 · App. 17/446,479 · Granted Sep 23, 2025

Strain generation and anchoring in gate-all-around field effect transistors

Inventors: Julien Frougier (Albany, NY); Sung Dae Suk (Watervliet, NY); Kangguo Cheng (Schenectady, NY); Andrew M. Greene (Slingerlands, NY); Ruilong Xie (Niskayuna, NY)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
H10D30/751H10D30/024H10D30/62H10D62/118H10D30/6219
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,426,314
App. No.
17/446,479
Granted
Sep 23, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Semiconductor channel layers vertically aligned and stacked one on top of another, each separated by a gate stack material, a source-drain epitaxy region adjacent to the semiconductor channel layers, a vertical side surface of the source-drain epitaxy region is adjacent to a vertical side surface of a conductive trench contact. A first set and a second set of semiconductor channel layers, a conductive trench contact between them and a source-drain between the first set and the conductive trench contact. Forming a first stack, a second stack and a third stack of nanosheet layers, forming a first, second and third sacrificial gate, forming a first source drain between the first and second stack, forming a second source drain between the second and third, forming a vertical trench in the first source drain while protecting the second source drain, and forming a stressor material layer in the vertical trench.

Claims (49)

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first source-drain having a first sidewall opposite a second sidewall, wherein the first sidewall of the first source-drain directly contacts end surfaces of a first set of semiconductor channel layers;

a second source-drain having a first sidewall opposite a second sidewall, wherein the first sidewall of the second source-drain directly contacts end surfaces of a second set of semiconductor channel layers; and

a single stressor component sandwiched between the first source-drain and the second source-drain, wherein the single stressor component directly contacts both the second sidewall of the first source-drain and the first sidewall of the second source-drain.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a bottom dielectric isolation layer between and physically separating the single stressor component from an underlying substrate, wherein the single stressor component directly contacts a top surface and a sidewall of the bottom dielectric isolation layer.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a bottom dielectric isolation layer between and physically separating the single stressor component from an underlying substrate, wherein a distance between opposite sidewalls of the bottom dielectric isolation layer is equal to a distance between opposite sidewalls of the first set of semiconductor channel layers.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a bottom dielectric isolation layer between and physically separating the single stressor component from an underlying substrate; and

shallow trench isolation regions, wherein the bottom dielectric isolation layer is above and directly contacting top surfaces of the shallow trench isolation regions.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a trench contact above the first source-drain, the single stressor component, and the second source-drain, wherein a lateral width of the trench contact is equal to a combined lateral width of the first source-drain, the single stressor component, and the second source-drain.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a trench contact above the first source-drain, the single stressor component, and the second source-drain, wherein a first sidewall of the trench contact is flush with the end surfaces the first set of semiconductor channel layers; and wherein a second sidewall of the trench contact is flush with the end surfaces the second set of semiconductor channel layers.

7. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first source-drain having a first sidewall opposite a second sidewall, wherein the first sidewall of the first source-drain directly contacts end surfaces of a first set of semiconductor channel layers;

a single stressor component having a first sidewall opposite a second sidewall, wherein the first sidewall of the single stressor component directly contacts the second sidewall of the first source-drain; and

a second source-drain having a first sidewall opposite a second sidewall, wherein the first sidewall of the second source-drain directly contacts the second sidewall of the single stressor component, and wherein the second sidewall of the second source-drain directly contacts end surfaces of a second set of semiconductor channel layers.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 7 , further comprising:

a bottom dielectric isolation layer between and physically separating the single stressor component from an underlying substrate, wherein the single stressor component directly contacts a top surface and a sidewall of the bottom dielectric isolation layer.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 7 , further comprising:

a bottom dielectric isolation layer between and physically separating the single stressor component from an underlying substrate, wherein a distance between opposite sidewalls of the bottom dielectric isolation layer is equal to a distance between opposite sidewalls of the first set of semiconductor channel layers.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 7 , further comprising:

a bottom dielectric isolation layer between and physically separating the single stressor component from an underlying substrate; and

shallow trench isolation regions, wherein the bottom dielectric isolation layer is above and directly contacting top surfaces of the shallow trench isolation regions.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 7 , further comprising:

a trench contact above the first source-drain, the single stressor component, and the second source-drain, wherein a lateral width of the trench contact is equal to a combined lateral width of the first source-drain, the single stressor component, and the second source-drain.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 7 , further comprising:

a trench contact above the first source-drain, the single stressor component, and the second source-drain, wherein a first sidewall of the trench contact is flush with the end surfaces the first set of semiconductor channel layers; and wherein a second sidewall of the trench contact is flush with the end surfaces the second set of semiconductor channel layers.

13. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first source-drain epitaxy having a first sidewall opposite a second sidewall;

a second source-drain epitaxy having a first sidewall opposite a second sidewall; and

a single stressor component having a first sidewall opposite a second sidewall, wherein the first sidewall of the single stressor component directly contacts the second sidewall of the first source-drain epitaxy, wherein the second sidewall of the single stressor component directly contacts the first sidewall of the second source-drain epitaxy, and wherein a topmost surface of the single stressor component is below topmost surfaces of both the first source-drain epitaxy and the second source-drain epitaxy.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 13 , further comprising:

a bottom dielectric isolation layer between and physically separating the single stressor component from an underlying substrate.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 13 , further comprising:

a bottom dielectric isolation layer between and physically separating each of the first source-drain epitaxy, the single stressor component, and the second source-drain epitaxy from an underlying substrate.

16. The semiconductor device according to claim 13 , further comprising:

a bottom dielectric isolation layer between and physically separating the single stressor component from an underlying substrate, wherein the single stressor component directly contacts a top surface and a sidewall of the bottom dielectric isolation layer.

17. The semiconductor device according to claim 13 , further comprising:

a bottom dielectric isolation layer between and physically separating the single stressor component from an underlying substrate, wherein a distance between opposite sidewalls of the bottom dielectric isolation layer is equal to a distance between opposite sidewalls of at least one set of semiconductor channel layers.

18. The semiconductor device according to claim 13 , further comprising:

a bottom dielectric isolation layer between and physically separating the single stressor component from an underlying substrate; and

shallow trench isolation regions, wherein the bottom dielectric isolation layer is above and directly contacting top surfaces of the shallow trench isolation regions.

19. The semiconductor device according to claim 13 , further comprising:

a trench contact above the first source-drain epitaxy, the single stressor component, and the second source-drain epitaxy, wherein a lateral width of the trench contact is equal to a combined lateral width of the first source-drain epitaxy, the single stressor component, and the second source-drain epitaxy.

20. The semiconductor device according to claim 13 , further comprising:

a trench contact above the first source-drain epitaxy, the single stressor component, and the second source-drain epitaxy, wherein a first sidewall of the trench contact is flush with the first sidewall of the first source-drain epitaxy, and wherein a second sidewall of the trench contact is flush the second sidewall of the second source-drain epitaxy.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 31, 2021
From: FROUGIER, JULIEN; SUK, SUNG DAE; CHENG, KANGGUO; GREENE, ANDREW M.; XIE, RUILONG
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 057338/0510 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230065970A1 · Mar 2, 2023
References Cited (23)
US 9196613B2 · Basker · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 9711414B2 · Hatcher · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 9871139B2 · Kittl · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 9871140B1 · Balakrishnan · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 9911834B2 · Cheng · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 9941405B2 · Kittl · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 10431585B2 · Yang · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 10714569B1 · Kong · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 10957798B2 · Miao · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20080251849A1 · Yamagami · 2008 [cited by examiner]
US 20140001520A1 · Glass · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 20140054648A1 · Itokawa · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 20150021709A1 · Jacob · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20160211371A1 · Tsai · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 20180090570A1 · Peng · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20190157411A1 · Cappellani · 2019 [cited by applicant]
KR 20150097500A · 2015 [cited by applicant]
TW 201739001A · 2017 [cited by applicant]
TW 201913822A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
Arimura et al., “Advantage of NW structure in preservation of SRB-induced strain and investigation of off-state leakage in strained stacked Ge NW pFET”, 2018 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), pp. 21.2.… [cited by applicant]
Disclosed Anonymously, “Method and structure for cladded S/D formation in nanosheet transistors”, An IP.com Prior Art Database Technical Disclosure, IP.com No. IPCOM000254721D, Jul. 25, 2018, 6 pages. [cited by applicant]
Disclosed Anonymously, “Method and Structure for Providing Void Free Source Drain Epitaxy for Nanosheet Devices”, An IP.com Prior Art Database Technical Disclosure, IP.com No. IPCOM000259334D, Jul. 31, 2019, 6 pages. [cited by applicant]
Yoon et al., “Metal Source-/Drain-Induced Performance Boosting of Sub-7-nm Node Nanosheet FETs”, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, vol. 66, No. 4, Apr. 2019, pp. 1868-1873. [cited by applicant]