Abstract
A transistor structure includes a first semiconductor body, a second semiconductor body and a trench isolation (STI) region. The first semiconductor body has a first convex structure, wherein the first convex structure includes at least 3 first upward extended conductor-oxide-semiconductor interfaces. The at least 3 first upward extended conductor-oxide-semiconductor interfaces are horizontally shifted with each other. The second semiconductor body has a second convex structure, wherein the second convex structure includes at least 3 second upward extended conductor-oxide-semiconductor interfaces, wherein the at least 3 second upward extended conductor-oxide-semiconductor interfaces are horizontally shifted with each other. The trench isolation (STI) region is between the first semiconductor body and the second semiconductor body.
Claims
1. A transistor structure comprising: a first body with a first convex structure, wherein the first convex structure is made of a first semiconductor material, and a first trench is formed in the first convex structure and encompassed by the first semiconductor material of the first convex structure; a first central pole disposed in the first trench, wherein the first central pole is made of a first conductive material different form the first semiconductor material; a second body with a second convex structure, wherein the second convex structure is made of the first semiconductor material, and a second trench is formed in the second convex structure and encompassed by the first semiconductor material of the first convex structure; a second central pole disposed in the second trench, wherein the second central pole is made of the first conductive material; and a gate region with a gate conductive layer, wherein the gate conductive layer is across the first convex structure and the second convex structure, and electrically coupled to the first central pole and the second central pole.
2. The transistor structure in claim 1, wherein the first convex structure comprises a first outer sidewall and a second outer sidewall covered by the gate conductive layer, the first convex structure further comprises a first inner sidewall and a second inner sidewall opposing to the first inner sidewall in the first trench, and the first inner sidewall and the second inner wall are covered by the first conductive material.
3. The transistor structure in claim 2, wherein a length of the first inner sidewall or the second inner sidewall is shorter than that of the first outer sidewall or the second outer sidewall.
4. The transistor structure in claim 1, wherein there is no shallow trench isolation (STI) region under the first trench and the second trench, but there is a shallow trench isolation (STI) region between the first body and the second body.
5. The transistor structure in claim 1, wherein a bottom of the gate conductive layer is lower than that of the first central pole, and a non-conductive material is disposed between the first central pole and the first semiconductor material.
6. The transistor structure in claim 1, further comprising: a first source region contacting with a first end of the first convex structure; a first drain region contacting with a second end of the first convex structure; a second source region contacting with a first end of the second convex structure; a second drain region contacting with a second end of the second convex structure; a first top landing pad connecting the first source region and the second source region; and a second top landing pad connecting the first drain region and the second drain region.
7. The transistor structure in claim 6, wherein a shallow trench isolation (STI) layer surrounds the first body and the second body, and a top surface of the shallow trench isolation (STI) layer is higher than a top surface of the first source region and a top surface of the second source region.
8. The transistor structure in claim 7, further comprising: a first concave being in the first convex structure and accommodating the first source region; and a second concave being in the second convex structure and accommodating the second source region; wherein the first top landing pad contacts the top surface of the first source region and the top surface of the second source region, and the first top landing pad contacts a most lateral sidewall of the first source region and a most lateral sidewall of the second source region.
9. The transistor structure in claim 1, wherein a shallow trench isolation (STI) layer surrounds the first body and the second body, and a top surface of the shallow trench isolation (STI) layer is lower than a top surface of the first source region and a top surface of the second source region.
10. The transistor structure in claim 9, wherein the first top landing pad contacts sidewalls of the first source region and sidewalls of the second source region.
11. A transistor structure comprising: a first body with a first convex structure, wherein the first body is made of a first semiconductor material, and the first convex structure has multiple conductive channels; a source region contacting with a first end of the first convex structure; a drain region contacting with a second end of the first convex structure; a first trench formed in the first convex structure and between the first end and the second end; a first central pole disposed in the first trench, wherein the first central pole is made of a first conductive material different from the first semiconductor material; a second body with a second convex structure, wherein the second convex structure is made of the first semiconductor material, a second trench is formed in the second convex structure, a second central pole is disposed in the second trench, and the second central pole is made of the first conductive material; and a gate region with a gate conductive layer across the first convex structure and the second convex structure, and electrically connected to the first central pole and the second central pole; wherein a length of the gate conductive layer is longer than that of the first central pole and that of the second central pole.
12. The transistor structure in claim 11, wherein the surrounding ring of the first semiconductor material is within the first convex structure, and the first central pole is encompassed by a surrounding ring of the first semiconductor material.
13. The transistor structure in claim 12, wherein there is no shallow trench isolation (STI) region under the first trench and the second trench, but there is a shallow trench isolation (STI) region between the first body and the second body.
14. The transistor structure in claim 12, wherein a bottom of the gate conductive layer is lower than that of the first central pole, and a non-conductive material is disposed between the first central pole and the surrounding ring of the first semiconductor material.
15. The transistor structure in claim 11, wherein a shallow trench isolation (STI) region surrounds the first body and the second body, and a top surface of the shallow trench isolation (STI) region is higher than a top surface of the source region and the drain region.
16. The transistor structure in claim 11, wherein a shallow trench isolation (STI) region surrounds the first body and the second body, and a top surface of the shallow trench isolation (STI) layer is lower than a top surface or a bottom surface of the source region and the drain region.
17. A transistor structure comprising: a first semiconductor body with a first convex structure, wherein the first convex structure comprises at least 3 first upward extended conductor-oxide-semiconductor interfaces, wherein the at least 3 first upward extended conductor-oxide-semiconductor interfaces are horizontally shifted with each other; a second semiconductor body with a second convex structure, wherein the second convex structure comprises at least 3 second upward extended conductor-oxide-semiconductor interfaces, wherein the at least 3 second upward extended conductor-oxide-semiconductor interfaces are horizontally shifted with each other; and a shallow trench isolation (STI) region between the first semiconductor body and the second semiconductor body.
18. The transistor structure in claim 17, further comprising: a first central pole made of a first conductive material in the first convex structure; and a second central pole made of the first conductive material in the second convex structure.
19. The transistor structure in claim 18, further comprising a gate conductive layer, wherein the gate conductive layer is across the first convex structure and the second convex structure, and electrically coupled to the first central pole and the second central pole.
20. The transistor structure in claim 17, wherein the shallow trench isolation (STI) region surrounds the first semiconductor body and the second semiconductor body, and a top surface of the STI region is not lower that a top surface of the first semiconductor body.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0033] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a FinFET according to the prior art.
[0034] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a higher leakage current path formed within fin structure.
[0035] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a 3D FinFET structure under Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD) simulation, a cross section view of the 3D FinFET structure, and an OFF state current distribution.
[0036] FIG. 4A is a flowchart illustrating a manufacturing method of a vertical thin body field-effect transistor (VTBFET) according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0037] FIG. 4B, FIG. 4C, FIG. 4D, FIG. 4E are diagrams illustrating FIG. 4A.
[0038] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the pad-oxide layer being grown, the pad-nitride layer being deposited, and the trench being formed.
[0039] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the oxide spacer being deposited on the p-type well and the nitride spacer being deposited on the oxide spacer.
[0040] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the shallow trench isolation (STI) being formed and the thin nitride layer being deposited.
[0041] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the gate region across over the active region and the isolation region being defined.
[0042] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the photolithographic (PR) mask being removed.
[0043] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the SiCOH spacer-2 being formed and based on the SiCOH spacer-2 to form the trench.
[0044] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the thermal oxide being grown to fill the trench to form the central pole and then the nitride cap over the central pole being formed.
[0045] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the exposed STI being etched back to create the fin-shape.
[0046] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the nitride cap and the SiCOH spacer-2 in the central pole related area being removed.
[0047] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the pad-oxide layer in the central pole related area and the oxide spacer covering the fin-shape being removed, and the STI corresponding to the gate region being also etched down.
[0048] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the central pole being removed and a trench-2 being revealed.
[0049] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the gate dielectric being formed and the gate conductive material being deposited in the gate region.
[0050] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the cap layer being deposited and then the STI being etched.
[0051] FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating the pad-nitride layer and the pad-oxide layer being etched away, some portion of the STI being etched back, and the oxide-2 spacer and the nitride-2 spacer being formed on the edges of the gate structure.
[0052] FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating some exposed silicon areas being etched away to create shallow trenches for the source and the drain, using the thermal oxidation process to grow the oxide-3 layer, and using CVD to deposit nitride and etch back nitride.
[0053] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the tungsten layer being deposited and then the TiN layer being deposited above the tungsten layer.
[0054] FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating the portion of the oxide-3V layer being etched away to reveal silicon sidewalls, then the n-type LDDs, the n+ doped source, and n+ doped drain being formed, and then the TiN layer the Tungsten layer being deposited.
[0055] FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating the landing pads being formed over the n+ doped source and n+ doped drain.
[0056] FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating two convex structures shown in FIG. 21(b) being combined together into a Vertical Thin Body Field-Effect Transistor with 8 channels according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0057] FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating the landing pads being formed over the n+ doped source and n+ doped drain when the STI region is not etched back according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0058] FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating the TCAD simulation results of the Ion regarding the conventional FinFET and the VTBFET of the present invention.
[0059] FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating the TCAD simulation results of the Ioff regarding the conventional FinFET and the VTBFET of the present invention.
[0060] FIG. 27 shows structure differences between the conventional FinFET and the VTBFETs of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0061] Please refer to FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B, FIG. 4C, FIG. 4D, FIG. 4E, FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 15, FIG. 16, FIG. 17, FIG. 18, FIG. 19, FIG. 20, FIG. 21, FIG. 22, wherein FIG. 4A is a flowchart illustrating a manufacturing method of a vertical thin body field-effect transistor (VTBFET) according to one embodiment of the present invention, and the manufacturing method of the VTBFET in FIG. 4A can make the VTBFET have lower standby current, lower gate-induced drain leakage (GIDL) current and lower short channel effect (SCE), and form a solid fence wall to clamp an active region or a narrow convex structure of the VTBFET. Detailed steps of the manufacturing method of the VTBFET (using N type as an example) are as follows:
[0062] Step 10: Start.
[0063] Step 20: Based on a semiconductor substrate 200, define an active region and form a convex structure with multiple current conductive channels or multiple vertical thin bodies.
[0064] Step 30: Form a gate structure of the VTBFET.
[0065] Step 40: Form a source region and a drain region of the VTBFET.
[0066] Step 50: End.
[0067] Please refer to FIG. 4B, FIG. 4C and FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 15. Step 20 could include:
[0068] Step 102: Grow a pad-oxide layer 204 and deposit a pad-nitride layer 206 (FIG. 5).
[0069] Step 104: Define the active region by photolithographic mask, and remove parts of a semiconductor material (such as silicon) outside the active region to form the convex structure (FIG. 5).
[0070] Step 106: Deposit a nitride spacer 306 (or an oxide spacer 304 and the nitride spacer 306) surrounding the active region, and etch back the nitride spacer 306 (or the oxide spacer 304 and the nitride spacer 306) (FIG. 6).
[0071] Step 108: Deposit an oxide layer and use chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) technique to remove the excess oxide layer to form a shallow trench insulator (STI) region 402 (FIG. 7).
[0072] Step 110: Deposit a thin nitride layer 802 (FIG. 7).
[0073] Step 112: Utilize a photolithographic (PR) mask 902 to define a gate region across over the active region and the STI region 402, and etch away the thin nitride layer 802 and the pad-nitride layer 206 corresponding to the gate region (FIG. 8).
[0074] Step 114: Remove the photolithographic mask 902, wherein a central pole related area is defined within the active region (FIG. 9).
[0075] Step 116: Deposit a SiCOH layer (or a combination of oxide/nitride layer) to form a SiCOH spacer-2 1102 (FIG. 10).
[0076] Step 118: Based on the SiCOH spacer-2 1102 and the thin nitride layer 802, utilize anisotropic etching technique to form a concave (or trench) 1202 in the convex structure (FIG. 10).
[0077] Step 120: From a dielectric layer (such as a thermal oxide) as a central pole 1302 to fill the concave 1202 (FIG. 11).
[0078] Step 122: Deposit a nitride layer-3 and etch back the nitride layer-3 to form a nitride cap 1402 (FIG. 11).
[0079] Step 124: Etch back the exposed STI 402 to create the convex structure in the defined gate region (FIG. 12).
[0080] Step 126: Remove the nitride cap 1402 and the SiCOH spacer-2 1102 close to the central pole related area, the thin nitride layer 802, and the nitride spacer 306 (FIG. 13).
[0081] Step 128: Remove the pad-oxide layer 204 close to the central pole related area, the oxide spacer 304, and the central pole 1302 (FIG. 14 & FIG. 15).
[0082] Please refer to FIG. 4D and FIG. 16, FIG. 17, FIG. 18. Step 30 could include:
[0083] Step 130: Form a gate dielectric 1502 in the gate region (FIG. 16).
[0084] Step 132: Deposit a gate conductive material 1504 in the gate region, and then etch back the gate conductive material 1504 (FIG. 16).
[0085] Step 134: Form a cap layer 1506 and polish the cap layer 1506 by the CMP technique (FIG. 17).
[0086] Step 136: Etch back the STI 402 (FIG. 17).
[0087] Step 138: Etch away the pad-nitride layer 206 and the pad-oxide layer 204 to reveal the OHS (FIG. 18).
[0088] Step 140: Form an oxide-2 spacer 1802 and a nitride-2 spacer 1804 on edges of the gate conductive material 1504 and the cap layer 1506 (FIG. 18).
[0089] Please refer to FIG. 4E and FIG. 19, FIG. 20, FIG. 21, FIG. 22. Step 40 could include:
[0090] Step 142: Etch away exposed silicon (FIG. 19).
[0091] Step 144: Grow thermally an oxide-3 layer 1002 (FIG. 19).
[0092] Step 146: Form a nitride layer 1904 (FIG. 19).
[0093] Step 148: Form a tungsten layer 1906 (FIG. 20).
[0094] Step 150: Form a TiN layer 1908 (FIG. 20).
[0095] Step 152: Etch away portion the oxide-3 layer 1002 (FIG. 21).
[0096] Step 154: Form n-type lightly doped drains (LDDs) 2004, 2006, and then form n+ doped source 2008 and n+ doped drain 2010 (FIG. 21).
[0097] Detailed description of the aforesaid manufacturing method is as follows. Using NMOS transistor for illustration purpose, start with the well-designed doped p-type well 202 installed in a p-type semiconductor substrate 200 (wherein in another embodiment of the present invention, could start with the p-type semiconductor substrate 200, rather than starting with the p-type well 202), wherein in one example the p-type well 202 has its top surface counted down about 500 nm thick from the OHS. In addition, for example, the p-type semiconductor substrate 200 has concentration close to 110{circumflex over ()}16 dopants/cm{circumflex over ()}3. The actual dopant concentrations will be decided by final mass production optimizations.
[0098] In Step 102, as shown in FIG. 5(a), grow the pad-oxide layer 204 with well-designed thickness over the OHS and deposit the pad-nitride layer 206 with well-designed thickness on a top surface of the pad-oxide layer 204.
[0099] In Step 104, as shown in FIG. 5(a), use a photolithographic masking technique to define the active region for the VTBFET by an anisotropic etching technique, wherein the anisotropic etching technique removes parts of a semiconductor material (such as silicon) outside the active regions to create the trench (e.g. about 300 nm deep) for future STI (shallow trench isolation) needs, such that a convex structure of the active region is created as well. In addition, FIG. 5(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 5(a), wherein FIG. 5(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of an X direction shown in FIG. 5(b).
[0100] In Step 106, as shown in FIG. 6(a), deposit the oxide spacer 304 on the edge of the active region and then the nitride spacer 306 on the oxide spacer 304 (or just deposit the nitride spacer 306 on the edge of the active region), and use the anisotropic etching technique to etch back the oxide spacer 304 and the nitride spacer 306 to make top surfaces of the oxide spacer 304 and the nitride spacer 306 are in level up to the OHS, wherein the oxide spacer 304 and the nitride spacer 306 are outside the active region. Thus, the key point here is that the oxide spacer 304 and then the nitride spacer 306 (or just the nitride spacer 306) form a solid fence wall to clamp the active region or the narrow convex structure, especially the sidewalls of the convex structure. The solid fence wall could be a single layer (such as the nitride spacer 306) or other composite layers (such as the oxide spacer 304 and the nitride spacer 306) to protect the narrow convex or fin structure from collapse during the subsequent processes of forming the source/the drain or the gate of the VTBFET.
[0101] In Step 108, as shown in FIG. 7(a), deposit the thick oxide layer to fully fill the trench surrounding the active region and use the CMP technique to remove the excess oxide layer to form the STI region 402, wherein a top surface of the STI region 402 is in level up to a top surface of the pad-nitride layer 206. Again, the STI region 402 further encompass or clamp the active region or the narrow convex structure, especially the sidewalls of the convex structure, to protect the narrow convex structure from collapse during the subsequent processes of forming the source/the drain or the gate of the VTBFET.
[0102] In Step 110, as shown in FIG. 7(a), deposit the thin nitride layer 802 over the pad-nitride layer 206 and the STI region 402. In addition, FIG. 7(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 7(a), wherein FIG. 7(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of an X direction shown in FIG. 7(b).
[0103] In Step 112, as shown in FIG. 8(a), utilize the photolithographic (PR) mask 902 to define the gate region across over the active region and the STI region 402 so that the thin nitride layer 802 and the pad-nitride layer 206 corresponding to the gate region are removed to create the concave 904. In addition, FIG. 8(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 8(a), wherein FIG. 8(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of an X direction shown in FIG. 8(b) and FIG. 8(c) is a cross-section view along a cutline of a Y direction shown in FIG. 8(b).
[0104] In Step 114, as shown in FIG. 9(a), remove the photolithographic (PR) mask 902. Thus, smooth edges along the thin nitride layer 802 and the pad-nitride layer 206 for the gate region of the VTBFET is achieved, and a central pole related area is also defined within the active region. In addition, FIG. 9(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 9(a), wherein FIG. 9(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of an X direction shown in FIG. 9(b).
[0105] In Step 116, as shown in FIG. 10(a), the SiCOH layer (or a combination of oxide/nitride layer) is deposited within the central pole related area and is etched back to form the SiCOH spacer-2 1102 (wherein for example, a width of the SiCOH spacer-2 1102 could be 13 nm). As shown in FIG. 10(b), the SiCOH spacer-2 1102 on four surrounding edges inside the central pole related area, and the SiCOH spacer-2 1102 protects the original silicon regions underneath, which becomes a Surrounding Ring of Silicon (or surrounding Si ring) on the future created central pole, named as SRS-CP.
[0106] In Step 118, as shown in FIG. 10(a), then based on the SiCOH spacer-2 1102 and the thin nitride layer 802, use the anisotropic etching technique to etch the pad-oxide layer 204 and the semiconductor material of the substrate 200 in the central pole related area to form the concave (or trench) 1202 with a depth around 5080 nm (e.g. 75 nm) in the exposed silicon region. That is, the SiCOH spacer-2 1102 and the thin nitride layer 802 acts as a mask such that the exposed pad-oxide layer 204 in the central pole related area could be removed, so is the exposed silicon at the central pole related area by approximately 75 nm deep, to create the concave 1202 at the central pole related area. The SiCOH spacer-2 1102 works like an awning to protect the SRS-CP to be created. In addition, FIG. 10(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 10(a), wherein FIG. 10(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of an X direction shown in FIG. 10(b) and FIG. 10(c) is a cross-section view along a cutline of a Y direction shown in FIG. 10(b).
[0107] In Step 120, as shown in FIG. 11(a), form the dielectric layer (such as, perform short-time growth of the thermal oxide, or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) deposition) to fill the concave 1202 with the central pole 1302, or called as central oxide pole or column pole (CP).
[0108] In Step 122, as shown in FIG. 11(a), then deposit the nitride layer-3 and etch back the nitride layer-3 to form the nitride cap 1402 over the central pole 1302 to protect the central pole 1302. In addition, FIG. 11(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 11(a), wherein FIG. 11(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of an X direction shown in FIG. 11(b) and FIG. 11(c) is a cross-section view along a cutline of a Y direction shown in FIG. 11(b).
[0109] In Step 124, as shown in FIG. 12(a), etch back the exposed STI region 402 by a depth about 5080 nm to create the vertical convex structure in the defined gate region, wherein the STI region 402 in the defined gate region is etched down about 75 nm to form the convex height, and in one example the convex height is the same or substantially the same as a height of the central pole 1302 calculated from the original horizontal surface (OHS) of the p-type well 202 to a bottom of the central pole 1302. In addition, FIG. 12(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 12(a), wherein FIG. 12(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of a Y direction shown in FIG. 12(b).
[0110] In Step 126, as shown in FIG. 13(a), use etching to remove the nitride cap 1402 and the SiCOH spacer-2 1102 close to the central pole related area, the thin nitride layer 802, and the nitride spacer 306 covering the convex structure in the defined gate region. Thus, the previously defined central pole related area is shown again. In addition, FIG. 13(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 13(a), wherein FIG. 13(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of an X direction shown in FIG. 13(b) and FIG. 13(c) is a cross-section view along a cutline of a Y direction shown in FIG. 13(b).
[0111] In Step 128, as shown in FIG. 14(a), use etching to remove the pad-oxide layer 204 close to the central pole related area and the oxide spacer 304 covering the convex structure. Thus, as shown in FIG. 14(c), two outer sides of single crystalline silicon of the convex structure are exposed. More importantly, as shown in FIG. 14(b), there is a Surrounding Ring of Silicon on the central pole (SRS-CP) 1302. In addition, FIG. 14(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 14(a), wherein FIG. 14(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of an X direction shown in FIG. 14(b) and FIG. 14(c) is a cross-section view along a cutline of a Y direction shown in FIG. 14(b).
[0112] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 15(a), the central pole 1302 is removed and a trench-2 1501 is revealed. As shown in FIG. 15(c), in the convex structure, there are two vertical thin silicon bodies Sright, Sleft for current conduction during the ON state of the VTBFET. The vertical thin body Sright has one outer sidewall and one inner sidewall next to the trench-2 1501, so does the vertical thin body Sleft. The inner sidewall of the vertical thin body Sright faces the inner sidewall of the vertical thin body Sleft in the trench-2 1501. In addition, FIG. 15(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 15(a), wherein FIG. 15(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of an X direction shown in FIG. 15(b) and FIG. 15(c) is a cross-section view along a cutline of a Y direction shown in FIG. 15(b).
[0113] In Step 130, as shown in FIG. 16(a), then form the gate dielectric (such as high-K dielectric materials or oxide) 1502 in the gate region.
[0114] In Step 132, as shown in FIG. 16(a), subsequently deposit the gate conductive material (such as polysilicon, or metal like Tungsten over TiN layer, or other Metal with suitable work function) 1504 in the gate region, use the CMP technique to remove the excess gate conductive material 1504, and then etch back/polish the gate conductive material 1504. Of course, in the event there is a gate last process, the previously formed gate conductive material 1504 could be removed and replaced by other suitable gate conductive material. The portion of the gate conductive material 1504 in the trench-2 1501 could be called conductive central pole, and the conductive central pole is surrounded by the gate dielectric 1502 in the trench-2 1501. In addition, FIG. 16(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 16(a), wherein FIG. 16(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of an X direction shown in FIG. 16(b) and FIG. 16(c) is a cross-section view along a cutline of a Y direction shown in FIG. 16(b).
[0115] In Step 134, as shown in FIG. 17(a), then deposit the cap layer 1506 which could be composed of a nitride layer 15062 and a Hardmask-oxide layer 15064 into the gate region on a top surface of the gate conductive material 1504, wherein the cap layer 1506 is used for protecting the gate conductive material 1504. Then, the cap layer 1506 is polished by the CMP technique to make a top surface of the cap layer 1506 in level up to the top surface of the pad-nitride 206. In addition, FIG. 17(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 17(a), wherein FIG. 17(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of an X direction shown in FIG. 17(b).
[0116] In Step 136, as shown in FIG. 17(a), then etch the STI region 402 (including the gate dielectric 1502 over the STI region 402, if any) to make a top surface of the STI 402 in level up to the top surface of the pad-oxide layer 204. In addition, FIG. 17(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 17(a), wherein FIG. 17(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of an X direction shown in FIG. 17(b).
[0117] In Step 138, as shown in FIG. 18(a), etch away the pad-nitride layer 206 and the pad-oxide layer 204 to reveal the OHS.
[0118] In Step 140, as shown in FIG. 18(a), then deposit an oxide-2 layer to form the oxide-2 spacer 1802 and a nitride-2 layer to form the nitride-2 spacer 1804 on the edges of the gate conductive material 1504 and the cap layer 506. In addition, FIG. 18(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 18(a), wherein FIG. 18(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of an X direction shown in FIG. 18(b).
[0119] In Step 142, as shown in FIG. 19(a), then etch away some exposed silicon areas in the active region to create shallow trenches 1902 for the source region and the drain region (e.g. about 50 nm60 nm deep) of the VTBFET.
[0120] In Step 144, as shown in FIG. 19(a), use a thermal oxidation process, called as an oxidation-3 process, to grow the oxide-3 layer 1002 (including both an oxide-3V layers 10022 penetrating vertical sidewalls of the bulk body of the VTBFET (assuming with a sharp crystalline orientation (110)) and an oxide-3B layer 10024 over the bottom of the shallow trenches 1902). Since some sidewalls of the shallow trenches 1902 have vertical composite materials of the oxide-2 spacer 1802 and the nitride-2 spacer 1804, and those sidewalls of the shallow trenches 1902 is further surrounded by the STI region 402, the oxidation-3 process should grow little oxide (i.e. the oxide-3 layer 1002) on these walls such that a width of the source/drain of the VTBFET is not really affected by the thermal oxidation process. In addition, a thickness of the oxide-3V layer 10022 and the oxide-3B layer 10024 drawn in FIG. 19(a) and following figures are only shown for illustration purpose, and its geometry is not proportional to the dimension of the STI region 402 shown in those figures. For example, the thickness of the oxide-3V layer 10022 and the oxide-3B layer 10024 is around 1030 nm, but the vertical height of the STI region 402 could be around 200250 nm. Based on the oxidation-3 process, the thickness of oxide-3V layer 10022 can be very accurately controlled under both precisely controlled thermal oxidation temperature, timing and growth rate. Since the thermal oxidation over a well-defined silicon surface should result in that 40% of the thickness of the oxide-3V layer 10022 is taken away the thickness of the exposed (110) silicon surface in the vertical wall of the bulk body of the VTBFET and the remaining 60% of the thickness of the oxide-3V layer 10022 is counted as an addition outside the vertical wall of the bulk body of the VTBFET. In one embodiment, the edge of the oxide-3V layer 10022 could be aligned or substantially aligned with the edge of the gate structure.
[0121] In Step 146, as shown in FIG. 19(a), use CVD to deposit nitride on a top surface of the oxide-3B layer 10024 and etch back the nitride to form the nitride layer 1904. In addition, FIG. 19(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 19(a), wherein FIG. 19(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of an X direction shown in FIG. 19(b).
[0122] In Step 148, as shown in FIG. 20(a), deposit tungsten and etch back tungsten to form the tungsten layer 1906 on a top surface of the nitride layer 1904.
[0123] In Step 150, as shown in FIG. 20(a), then deposit (such as, Atomic Layer Deposition, ALD) TiN and etch back TiN to form the TiN layer 1908 above a top surface of the tungsten layer 1906. In addition, FIG. 20(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 20(a), wherein FIG. 20(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of an X direction shown in FIG. 20(b).
[0124] In Step 152, as shown in FIG. 21(a), then use a top surface of the TiN layer 1908 as reference to etch away the portion of the oxide-3V layer 10022 to reveal silicon sidewalls 2002 (with the crystalline orientation (110) of the silicon region).
[0125] In another example, the steps to form the tungsten layer 1906 and the TiN layer 1908 in FIG. 20 could be omitted, and etching the portion of the oxide-3V layer 10022 in FIG. 21 could use the top surface of the nitride layer 1904 as reference.
[0126] In Step 154, as shown in FIG. 21(a), then use the selective growth technique (such as selective epitaxy growth (SEG) technique) to form the n-type LDDs 2004, 2006 and then the n+ doped source 2008 and n+ doped drain 2010. To be mentioned, no ion-implantations for forming all n-type LDDs 2004, 2006, the n+ doped source 2008, and n+ doped drain 2010 of the proposed VTBFET are needed and no high temperature thermal annealing is necessary to remove those damages due to heavy bombardments of forming the n+ doped source 2008 and n+ doped drain 2010.
[0127] As shown in FIG. 21(a), finally, deposit the TiN layer 2012 and the Tungsten layer 2014 (such as, could be carried out by Atomic Layer Deposition) and etch back the TiN layer 2012 and the Tungsten layer 2014. In one example, as shown in FIG. 21(a), the bottom of the conductive central pole is lower than the bottom of the oxide-3B layer 10024. The height of the n+ doped source 2008 and n+ doped drain 2010 is around 4060 nm.
[0128] In one example, the convex height (75 nm) is higher than the height of the n+ doped source 2008 and n+ doped drain 2010 (or the height of the TiN layer 2012 and the Tungsten layer 2014) about 1030 nm (such as 20 nm). Thus, the gap between the bottom of the gate structure and the n+ doped source 2008 and n+ doped drain 2010 (or the bottom of the TiN layer 2012 and the Tungsten layer 2014) about 1030 nm (such as 20 nm), that is, the bottom of the gate structure (either the gate dielectric 1502 or the gate conductive material 1504) is lower than the bottom of the n+ doped source 2008 and n+ doped drain 2010 (or the bottom of the TiN layer 2012 and the Tungsten layer 2014).
[0129] As shown in FIG. 21(c), FIG. 21(c) shows the VTBFET has its three vertical gate conductive portions G1G3 which are connected by a top gate conductive portion 15042 of the gate conductive material 1504. As previously described, there are four vertical sidewalls of the convex structure covered by the gate dielectric 1502 and the gate conductive material 1504. In the vertical gate conductive portion G1, the gate conductive material 1504, the oxide (i.e. the gate dielectric 1502) and the semiconductor material (i.e. the p-type well 202) along one outer sidewall form a conductor-oxide-semiconductor structure 2102 which is similar to MOS structure. Also, In the vertical gate conductive portion G3, the gate conductive material 1504, the oxide (i.e. the gate dielectric 1502) and the semiconductor material (i.e. the p-type well 202) along another outer sidewall form a conductor-oxide-semiconductor structure 2104. Similarly, in the vertical gate conductive portion G2 (or the conductive central pole), the gate conductive material 1504, the oxide and the semiconductor material along the inner sidewalls form another two conductor-oxide-semiconductor structures 2106 and 2108. Therefore, there are four conductor-oxide-semiconductor structures (or MOS structures) 2102, 2104, 2106, and 2108. According to the present invention, the uniqueness in the above embodiment is that there are four conductor-oxide-semiconductor structures 2102, 2104, 2106, 2108 sharing one common source and one common drain in the vertical thin body field-effect transistor. However, the present invention could be applied to other multiple MOS structures (6 or 8) in the single convex structure.
[0130] In another example, the material of the vertical gate conductive portion G2 could be different from or the same as that of other vertical gate conductive portions G1, G3, or the top gate conductive portion 15042.
[0131] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 21(a), since there is a surrounding ring portion made of semiconductor in the convex structure, the length B of the gate conductive layer above the OHS is longer than the length A of the conductive central pole. Moreover, the lateral length of the outer sidewall of the convex structure is longer than that of the inner sidewall of the convex structure. In addition, FIG. 21(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 21(a), wherein FIG. 21(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of an X direction shown in FIG. 21(b) and FIG. 21(c) is a cross-section view along a cutline of a Y direction shown in FIG. 21(b).
[0132] Moreover, as shown in FIG. 22, when the landing pads 2202 are formed over the n+ doped source 2008 and n+ doped drain 2010, at least two sides (one sidewall and top side) of the n+ doped drain 2010 (or the n+ doped source 2008) are contacted by the TiN layer 2012/the Tungsten layer 2014 and the landing pad 2202, and therefore, so the contact resistance is reduced accordingly.
[0133] Further, as shown in FIG. 23(b), in another embodiment of the present invention, two (or more) convex structures shown in FIG. 21(b) could be combined together into a Vertical Thin Body Field-Effect Transistor with 8 channels, wherein a top landing pad 2302 will connect the source regions of two different convex structure shown in FIG. 21(b) together, and another top landing pad 2303 will connect the drain regions of two different convex structure shown in FIG. 21(b) together. In addition, FIG. 23(a) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 23(b), wherein FIG. 23(a) is a cross-section view along a cutline of a Y direction shown in FIG. 23(b).
[0134] In addition, in another embodiment of the present invention, after the STI region 402 is formed in FIG. 7(a), the STI region 402 is not etched back, so as shown in FIG. 24, the top surface of the STI region 402 is in level up to a top surface of the hardmask-oxide layer 15064. Thus, self-aligned holes will be formed and above the source regions and drain regions of two different convex structure shown in FIG. 21(b), and the top landing pads described in FIG. 23(b) will be easily deposited within those self-aligned holes.
[0135] FIG. 25 shows the TCAD simulation results of the Ion regarding the conventional FinFET and the VTBFET of the present invention, wherein the conventional FinFET (middle drawing of FIG. 25) has 8 nm fin width, 70 nm fin height, 1 nm thickness gate oxide, and the VTBFET (left drawing of FIG. 25) has Sright with 1.5 nm, Sleft with 1.5 nm, and 1 nm thickness gate oxide covering the Sleft and Sright. The conductive central pole (not shown in FIG. 25) exists between the Sleft and Sright. With suitable gate metal material to adjust the work function of the conductive central pole and/or the gate conductive material, the current density (marked by blue curve) during the ON-state of the VTBFET is 7 times of that (marked by brown dash curve) of the conventional FinFET, and Ion of the present invention is around 2 times of that of the conventional FinFET transistor. It is noticed that, due to the Sleft and Sright thin bodies, there are multiple current conductive channels in the new vertical thin body field-effect transistor.
[0136] On the other hand, FIG. 26 shows the TCAD simulation results of the Ioff regarding the conventional FinFET and the VTBFET of the present invention. Based on the same structure, as shown in right drawing of FIG. 26, the current density (marked by brown dash curve) during the Off-state of the conventional FinFET is 14 times of that (marked by blue curve) of VTBFET of the present invention, and Ioff of the conventional FinFET transistor is 34 times of that of VTBFET of the present invention. Thus, the present invention effectively improves the Ion/Ioff ratio about 68 times, as compared with the convention FinFET.
[0137] Moreover, since the width of the Sleft/Sright is around 1.52 nm (that is, the width of the surrounding Si ring is around 1.52 nm), during the selective growth the LDD and the highly doped semiconductor region at a predetermined temperature, in another example, the edge of the LDD region 2006 may be laterally shifted to contact the gate dielectric 1502, so is the edge of the LDD region 2004. Thus, in this example, the effective channel length of the VTBFET may be shorter than the effective channel length (Leff) of the VTBFET shown in FIG. 21(a).
[0138] FIG. 27 shows structure differences between the conventional FinFET and the VTBFET of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 27(a) which is corresponding to the conventional FinFET, to increase the Ion current, usually there are two (or more) independent fin structures which are separated from each other by the STI region, wherein the STI region is between the two independent fin structures. A gate dielectric layer and a gate conductive layer will cross over the two independent fin structures and the STI region therebetween. Then each terminal of the fin structure provides one seed region for selective grown epitaxy of LDD region and highly doped region. Thus, two N+ regions 2502, 2504 of the two fin structures are separately grown by the selective epitaxy growth (SEG) technique, and because the two grown N+ regions 2502, 2504 in the conventional FinFET are not limited by the STI region, those two N+ regions 2502, 2504 are gradually expanded like two separate mushrooms, and finally the two N+ regions 2502, 2504 are connected together. Thus, the transistor body of the conventional FinFET in FIG. 27(a) includes two (or more) independent fin structures, the width of each fin structure is 6 nm, the width of the STI region between the two independent fin structures could be 25 nm, and the width of the STI region between this convention FINFET and another same convention FINFET is 25 nm as well. Therefore, the pitch distance between two convention FINFETs of FIG. 25(a) is 62 nm.
[0139] However, as shown in FIG. 27(b) which is corresponding to one embodiment of the present invention, there is just one single convex structure formed based on the semiconductor substrate and one trench is formed in the convex structure such that there are two vertical thin bodies, as described previously. However, there is no STI region between those two vertical thin bodies. Then a gate dielectric layer and a gate conductive layer will cross over the two vertical thin bodies and the trench therebetween, wherein the portion of the gate conductive layer in the trench (that is, the conductive central pole as previously mentioned) is surrounded by the gate dielectric layer, especially along four sidewalls and the bottom of the trench. Under the bottom of the trench is still the semiconductor material of the substrate. Therefore, there is no STI region between two vertical thin bodies.
[0140] Even there are two vertical thin bodies, because of the existence of the surrounding Si ring as previously mentioned, one revealed terminal of the surrounding Si ring just provides one seed region, rather than two separate seed regions, for selective grown epitaxy of LDD region and highly doped region. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the N+ region 2506 of the VTBFET is grown by the selective epitaxy growth (SEG) technique in a concave limited by STI region, as described in FIG. 21. Thus, the transistor body of the VTBFET in FIG. 27(b) just includes one single convex structure (or fin structure) which has two vertical thin bodies which extend upward, and the width of the vertical thin body is around 1.5 nm and the height of the vertical thin body could be around 5070 nm. In each vertical thin body, there are two MOS structures or two conductive channels (2C shown in FIG. 27(b)) along two sidewalls of the vertical thin body. In this embodiment, the LDD region of the source/drain region contacts with the two vertical thin bodies due to the lateral shift which is caused by the thermal processes, as previously described. The width of the STI region between this VTBFET and another same VTBFET could be 12 nm. Therefore, the pitch distance between two VTBFETs of FIG. 25(b) could be as low as 22 nm. Furthermore, if necessary, two of the vertical thin bodies transistor shown in FIG. 27 (b) could be connected together to form an integrated vertical thin bodies transistor with eight MOS structures or eight conductive channels to increase Ion current capability, as described in FIG. 23(b). In this case, each convex structure with two thin bodies is surrounded by the STI region, that is, there is STI region between two convex structures, however, there is no STI region between those two vertical thin bodies of each convex structure. Moreover, the top surface of the STI region is higher than the top surface of the source/drain regions of the integrated vertical thin bodies transistor. Thus, the source/drain regions of the integrated vertical thin bodies transistor are limited by the STI region.
[0141] In addition, FIG. 27(c) is corresponding to another embodiment, and the major difference between FIG. 27(b) and FIG. 27(c) is that, N+ region 2508 is not grown in concave limited by STI region, therefore, the N+ region 2508 is gradually expanded like a single mushroom. Again, Even there are two vertical thin bodies in the single convex structure, because of the existence of the surrounding Si ring as previously mentioned, one revealed terminal of the surrounding Si ring just provides one seed region, rather than two separate seed regions, for selective grown epitaxy of LDD region and highly doped region. Furthermore, if necessary, two of the vertical thin bodies transistor shown in FIG. 27(c) could be connected together to form an integrated vertical thin bodes transistor with eight MOS structures or eight conductive channels to increase Ion capability, as described in FIG. 23(b). In this case, each convex structure with two thin bodies is surrounded by the STI region, that is, there is STI region between two convex structures, however, there is no STI region between those two vertical thin bodies of each convex structure. Moreover, the top surface of the STI region is lower than the top surface of the source/drain regions of the integrated vertical thin bodies transistor, or even lower than a bottom surface of the source/drain regions of the integrated vertical thin bodies transistor. Thus, the source/drain regions of the integrated vertical thin bodies transistor are not limited by the STI region.
[0142] In summary, there is a conductive central pole in the convex structure in the VTBFET, and the conductive central pole is encompassed by the gate dielectric. Such conductive central pole within the single convex structure can effectively suppress the leakage current path during the OFF state of the VTBFET. However, the VTBFET still has multiple vertical thin bodies (i.e. Sright and Sleft) for current conduction during the ON state. In addition, for example, the width of the Sright (or Sleft) could be around 1.52 nm. Since the conductive central pole is encompassed by a Surrounding Ring of Silicon, thus a conductive current during an ON state of the VTBFET is diverged and then converged in the conductive channel region extending from the drain region to the source region.
[0143] Moreover, the solid fence wall (such as the oxide spacer 304 and then the nitride spacer 306 shown in FIG. 6) is formed to clamp the active region or the narrow convex structure, especially the sidewalls of the convex structure. The solid fence wall could be a single layer or other composite layers to protect the narrow convex structure from collapse during the forming the source/the drain or the gate structure of the VTBFET. Furthermore, the STI region 402 (shown in FIG. 7) further encompass or clamp the active region or the narrow convex structure, especially the sidewalls of the convex structure, to protect the narrow convex structure from collapse during the forming the source/the drain or the gate of the VTBFET. Thus, even the height of the convex structure (such as 60300 nm) is far larger than the width of the convex structure (such as 37 nm) of the VTBFET, the convex structure protected by the solid fence wall of the present invention is unlikely vulnerable during the following processes (such as the source/the drain formation, gate formation, etc.).
[0144] Another advantage of the present invention is that, since the thickness of the oxide-2 spacer 1802 and the nitride-2 spacer 1804 formed on the edges of the gate region (shown in FIG. 18) is controllable, and the thickness of the oxide-3V layer 10022 and the oxide-3B layer 10024 (shown in FIG. 19) made by the thermal oxidation process is controllable as well, the edge of the source/the drain could be aligned or substantially aligned with the edge of the gate region (as shown in FIG. 21), especially the source/the drain is formed by the SEG technique. Thus, according to the present invention, the relative position or distance between the edge of the source/the drain and the edge of the gate region is controllable, and could be dependent on the thickness of spacer formed on the edges of the gate region and/or the thickness of the oxide layer (such as the oxide-3V layer 10022). Therefore, an effective channel length Leff could be controlled such that the gate-induced drain leakage (GIDL) current issue could be improved.
[0145] To sum up, the proposed VTBFET of the present invention has advantages as follows: [0146] (1) The leakage current path during the OFF state is reduced, due to the existence of the conductive central pole which is surrounded by the gate dielectric layer in the convex structure, and such a conductive central pole surrounded by the gate dielectric layer within the convex structure can effectively suppress the leakage current path during the OFF state of the transistor. Moreover, there are multiple vertical thin bodies in the convex structure, and those multiple vertical thin bodies further increase the conductive current during the ON state of the transistor. [0147] (2) By using a process with a minimum feature size of a 5 nm as example, a new vertical thin body field-effect transistor with multiple MOS structures and multiple conductive channels has its structure having the following dimensions: the first two thin bodies built up between their gates have the body of 1.5 nm, the gate dielectric thickness of 1 nm, the inside gate (conductive central pole) thickness of around 3 nm, thus requiring the starting convex thickness about 8 nm. By assuming the STI width between two convex structures is 8 nm, then the pitch (space plus width) of the vertical thin body field-effect transistor is 16 nm (=3.2 F), which is much smaller than the pitch of a state-of-the-art FinFET which has a fin width of 6 nm and the space between two fins is 24 nm, thus such a transistor pitch is 30 nm (=6 F). [0148] (3) FIG. 25, FIG. 26 show some device simulation results of the vertical thin body field-effect transistor versus the conventional FinFET (or Tri-gate). The Ion of the present vertical thin body field-effect transistor can be >2X and Ioff can be <34X, their respective absolute values are quite improved. This improvement is achievable with a device width pitch of <4 F of the vertical thin body field-effect transistor versus 6 F of the state-of-the-art FinFET. So the productivity of the vertical thin body field-effect transistor is really much better and worthwhile for executing the new structure with quite affordable processing complexity. [0149] (4) A solid fence wall is formed to clamp the active region or the narrow convex structure, especially the sidewalls of the convex structure. Thus, even the height of the convex structure (such as 60300 nm) is far larger than the width of the convex structure (such as 37 nm), the convex structure protected by the sold wall of the present invention is unlikely vulnerable. [0150] (5) The relative position or distance between the edge of the source/drain region and the edge of the gate region is controllable, dependent on the thickness of spacer formed on the edges of the gate and/or the thickness of the oxide layer (such as the oxide-3V layer). [0151] (6) The resistance of the source/drain region could be improved by forming metal-semiconductor junction in the source/drain region. [0152] (7) Most the source/drain areas are isolated by insulation materials including the bottom structure by the oxide-3B and/or Nitride-3, the junction leakage can be significantly reduced.
[0153] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
