IP Library Granted Patent US 12,439,633
Granted Patent B2
US 12,439,633 · App. 17/823,799 · Granted Oct 7, 2025

VTFET with controlled fin height

Inventors: Ruilong Xie (Niskayuna, NY); Chun-Chen Yeh (Danbury, CT); Alexander Reznicek (Troy, NY); Kangguo Cheng (Schenectady, NY)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
H10D30/63H10D30/025H10D62/151H10D64/018
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,439,633
App. No.
17/823,799
Granted
Oct 7, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A semiconductor device includes: a vertical transport field-effect transistor (VTFET) device including a bottom source/drain (S/D) epitaxial layer, a vertical fin channel formed on the bottom S/D epitaxial layer, and a top S/D epitaxial layer formed on the vertical fin channel. The bottom S/D epitaxial layer has an asymmetric profile in cross-section where a first side of the vertical fin channel is aligned with a first side of the bottom S/D epitaxial layer, and the bottom S/D epitaxial layer has a stepped profile that extends beyond a second edge of the vertical fin channel.

Claims (31)

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a vertical transport field-effect transistor (VTFET) device including

a bottom source/drain (S/D) epitaxial layer, and

a vertical fin channel formed on the bottom S/D epitaxial layer,

wherein a first side of the vertical fin channel is aligned with a first side of the bottom S/D epitaxial layer, and

wherein the bottom S/D epitaxial layer has a stepped cross-sectional profile including an upper portion in contact with the vertical fin channel and a topmost surface of the upper portion of the bottom S/D epitaxial layer having a width that is greater than a width of the vertical fin channel.

2. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , the VTFET device further comprising a second vertical fin channel formed on the bottom S/D epitaxial layer.

3. The semiconductor device of claim 2 , wherein the bottom S/D epitaxial layer is formed continuously between the vertical fin channel and the second vertical fin channel and contacts both the vertical fin channel and the second vertical fin channel.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 2 , wherein the bottom S/D epitaxial layer is formed discontinuously between the vertical fin channel and the second vertical fin channel, and separate portions of the bottom S/D epitaxial layer separately contact both the vertical fin channel and the second vertical fin channel.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 2 , wherein a first side of the second vertical fin channel is aligned with a second side of the bottom S/D epitaxial layer, and the stepped profile of the bottom S/D epitaxial layer also extends beyond a second side of the second vertical fin channel.

6. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the bottom S/D epitaxial layer is directly located under the vertical fin channel.

7. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein a first portion of the bottom S/D epitaxial region directly under the vertical fin channel has a first height, and a second portion of the bottom S/D epitaxial region that is not directly under the vertical fin channel has a second height, and the first height is greater than the second height.

8. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , further comprising an inner spacer on the vertical fin channel.

9. The semiconductor device of claim 8 , wherein a width of the inner spacer is the same as a width of the vertical fin channel.

10. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , further comprising shallow trench isolation (STI) regions formed on sides of the bottom S/D epitaxial region.

11. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

forming a vertical transport field-effect transistor (VTFET) device, the forming including

forming a bottom source/drain (S/D) epitaxial layer,

forming a vertical fin channel on the bottom S/D epitaxial layer, and

forming a top S/D epitaxial layer on the vertical fin channel,

wherein a first side of the vertical fin channel is aligned with a first side of the bottom S/D epitaxial layer, and

wherein the bottom S/D epitaxial layer has a stepped cross-sectional profile including an upper portion in contact with the vertical fin channel and a topmost surface of the upper portion of the bottom S/D epitaxial layer having a width that is greater than a width of the vertical fin channel.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising forming a second vertical fin channel on the bottom S/D epitaxial layer.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the bottom S/D epitaxial layer is formed continuously between the vertical fin channel and the second vertical fin channel and contacts both the vertical fin channel and the second vertical fin channel.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the bottom S/D epitaxial layer is formed discontinuously between the vertical fin channel and the second vertical fin channel, and separate portions of the bottom S/D epitaxial layer separately contact both the vertical fin channel and the second vertical fin channel.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein a first side of the second vertical fin channel is aligned with a second side of the bottom S/D epitaxial layer, and the stepped profile of the bottom S/D epitaxial layer also extends beyond a second side of the second vertical fin channel.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the bottom S/D epitaxial layer is directly located under the vertical fin channel.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein a first portion of the bottom S/D epitaxial region directly under the vertical fin channel has a first height, and a second portion of the bottom S/D epitaxial region that is not directly under the vertical fin channel has a second height, and the first height is greater than the second height.

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising forming an inner spacer on the vertical fin channel.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein a width of the inner spacer is the same as a width of the vertical fin channel.

20. The method of claim 11 , further comprising forming shallow trench isolation (STI) regions on sides of the bottom S/D epitaxial region.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 31, 2022
From: XIE, RUILONG; YEH, CHUN-CHEN; REZNICEK, ALEXANDER; CHENG, KANGGUO
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 060957/0142 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240072164A1 · Feb 29, 2024
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