IP Library Granted Patent US 12,557,635
Granted Patent B2
US 12,557,635 · App. 17/972,892 · Granted Feb 17, 2026

Hybrid power rail formation in dielectric isolation for semiconductor device

Inventors: Nikhil Jain (Apple Valley, MN); Prabudhya Roy Chowdhury (Albany, NY); Kisik Choi (Watervliet, NY); Ruilong Xie (Niskayuna, NY)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
H01L23/5286H01L21/76898H01L23/481H10D86/0214H10D86/441H10D86/60H01L21/76224
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,557,635
App. No.
17/972,892
Granted
Feb 17, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A semiconductor device includes: a channel having layers of silicon separated from each other; a metal gate in contact with the layers of silicon; source/drain regions adjacent to the metal gate; a frontside power rail extending through the layers of silicon; a dielectric separating the frontside power rail from the metal gate; a via-connect buried power rail extending through the dielectric and coupling the frontside power rail to the source/drain regions; and a backside power rail coupled to the frontside power rail. The layers of silicon are wrapped on three sides by the metal gate.

Claims (50)

1 . A semiconductor device, comprising:

a channel comprising layers of silicon separated from each other;

a metal gate in contact with the layers of silicon;

source/drain regions adjacent to the metal gate;

a frontside power rail extending through the layers of silicon;

a dielectric separating the frontside power rail from the metal gate;

a via-connect buried power rail extending through the dielectric and coupling the frontside power rail to the source/drain regions; and

a backside power rail coupled to the frontside power rail;

wherein the layers of silicon are wrapped on three sides by the metal gate.

2 . The semiconductor device of claim 1 , further comprising a middle-of-line interlayer dielectric disposed over a frontside of the channel, the metal gate, and the source/drain regions.

3 . The semiconductor device of claim 2 , further comprising a first contact extending through the middle-of-line interlayer dielectric to the via-connect buried power rail.

4 . The semiconductor device of claim 2 , further comprising a second contact extending through the middle-of-line interlayer dielectric to the metal gate.

5 . The semiconductor device of claim 1 , further comprising an isolation layer disposed over a backside of the channel, the metal gate, and the source/drain regions.

6 . The semiconductor device of claim 5 , further comprising a backside interlayer dielectric disposed on the isolation layer.

7 . The semiconductor device of claim 6 , further comprising a backside power distribution network disposed on the backside interlayer dielectric and the backside power rail.

8 . A method, comprising:

providing a substrate;

forming a dielectric fill on a top surface of the substrate to form a first channel region and a second channel region on the top surface of the substrate;

forming a front-end-of-line device in each of the first channel region and the second channel region, each front-end-of-line device having a gate, source/drain regions, a second dielectric layer in the device comprising a second dielectric material, and a first dielectric layer comprising a first dielectric material surrounding the second dielectric layer;

forming a shallow gate cut between the front-end-of-line device in the first channel region and the front-end-of-line device in the second channel region and filling the shallow gate cut with a third dielectric material;

forming a first deep gate cut in the front-end-of-line device in the first channel region;

forming a second deep gate cut in the front-end-of-line device in the second channel region;

forming a first frontside power rail in the first deep gate cut;

forming a second frontside power rail in the second deep gate cut;

forming two or more frontside contacts to connect each of the first frontside power rail and the second frontside power rail to respective source/drain regions;

forming a first backside power rail to the first frontside power rail; and

forming a second backside power rail to the second frontside power rail;

wherein the front-end-of-line device in each of the first channel region and the second channel region is wrapped on three sides by the respective gate.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein forming the first deep gate cut in the front-end-of-line device in the first channel region and forming the second deep gate cut in the front-end-of-line device in the second channel region comprises selectively etching to remove the second dielectric material and to leave the first dielectric material.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein forming two or more frontside contacts to connect each of the first frontside power rail and the second frontside power rail to respective source/drain regions comprises forming a first via-connect buried power rail in the first dielectric layer of each front-end-of-line device to connect each of the first frontside power rail and the second frontside power rail to respective source/drain regions.

11 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising flipping the substrate over and forming a backside power distribution network to the first backside power rail and the second backside power rail on a bottom surface of the substrate.

12 . A method of forming a hybrid power rail formation in dielectric isolation for a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

providing a silicon substrate;

forming a device on the substrate, the device having a channel, a replacement high-k metal gate around a portion of the channel, and source/drain regions adjacent to the replacement high-k metal gate;

depositing an interlayer dielectric on the device;

forming a deep gate cut in the device;

forming a frontside power rail in the deep gate cut, the frontside power rail being isolated from the channel, the first replacement high-k metal gate, and the source/drain regions adjacent to the replacement high-k metal gate;

forming a via-connect buried power rail to connect the source/drain regions adjacent to the replacement high-k metal gate to the frontside power rail;

depositing a middle-of-the-line interlayer dielectric over the via-connect buried power rail;

forming one or more contacts to the via-connect buried power rail;

forming a back-end-of-line layer to the one or more contacts; and

forming a backside power rail to the frontside power rail from a surface opposite to the back-end-of-line layer;

wherein forming the device comprises configuring the device such that the channel is wrapped on three sides by the gate.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein forming the device comprises depositing a first dielectric on the channel and a second dielectric on the first dielectric.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein forming the via-connect buried power rail to connect the source/drain regions adjacent to the replacement high-k metal gate to the frontside power rail comprises recessing the first dielectric and depositing a metal.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the frontside power rail is isolated from the channel using a dielectric material.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein one side of the channel directly contacts the dielectric material.

17 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising forming a carrier wafer on the back-end-of-line layer.

18 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the channel comprises layers of silicon.

19 . The method of claim 12 , wherein forming the replacement high-k metal gate and the source/drain regions comprises epitaxial deposition of metal.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 25, 2022
From: JAIN, NIKHIL; ROY CHOWDHURY, PRABUDHYA; CHOI, KISIK; XIE, RUILONG
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 061527/0985 →
Continuity (2)
Related Publication 20240136288A1 · Apr 25, 2024
Related Publication 20240234317A9 · Jul 11, 2024
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