Dielectric isolation in gate-all-around devices

• US 10,453,736 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2017
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chao, Robin Hsin Kuo, Cheng, Kangguo, Loubet, Nicolas, Montanini, Pietro, Xie, Ruilong
• Primary Examiner(s): Fernandes, Errol V
• Application Number:
  US15/727,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20190109040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76224 using trench refilling with dielectric materials trench filling with polycristalline silicon H01L21/763; together with vertical isolation, e.g. trench refilling in a SOI substrate H01L21/76264
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0653 adjoining the input or output region of a field-effect device, e.g. the source or drain region
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/40 Electrodes ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/42392 fully surrounding the channel, e.g. gate-all-around
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66439 with a one- or zero-dimensional channel, e.g. quantum wire FET, in-plane gate transistor [IPG], single electron transistor [SET], striped channel transistor, Coulomb blockade transistor with an active layer made of a group 13/15 material H01L29/66469
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/6653 using the removal of at least part of spacer, e.g. disposable spacer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66553 using inside spacers, permanent or not
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/6681 using dummy structures having essentially the same shape as the semiconductor body, e.g. to provide stability
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7853 the body having a non-rectangular crossection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78696 characterised by the structure of the channel, e.g. multichannel, transverse or longitudinal shape, length or width, doping structure, or the overlap or alignment between the channel and the gate, the source or the drain, or the contacting structure of the channel H01L29/78612 takes precedence; transistors having a drain offset region or a lightly doped drain [LDD] H01L29/78621

Abstract

A semiconductor device is fabricated with a first layer of a first sacrificial material deposited over a surface of a substrate. A first set of layers of a second sacrificial material and a second set of layers of a channel material are deposited over the first layer. A liner is deposited in a first recess, which exposes a first connection end of a layer in the second set, where the first recess reaches into the substrate for at least a fraction of a total depth of the substrate. An insulator material is filled in the first recess and etched up to a stop depth, stopping the etching at a height above the surface of the substrate. The liner is removed from at least the first connection end of the layer in the second set. An electrical connection is formed with a source/drain structure using the first connection end.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first layer comprising a first sacrificial material, wherein the first layer is deposited, over a surface of a substrate;

a first set of layers of a second sacrificial material and a second set of layers of a channel material deposited over the first layer, wherein the first sacrificial material is etchable by a process at a first rate, wherein the second sacrificial material is etchable by the process at a second rate, and wherein the first rate is greater than the second rate;

a liner deposited in a first recess, wherein the first recess exposes a first connection end of a layer in the second set, wherein the first recess reaches into the substrate for at least a fraction of a total depth of the substrate;

an insulator material filling the first recess,

wherein etching is performed on the insulator material up to a stop depth, wherein the stop depth stops the etching at a height above the surface of the substrate,

wherein the liner is removed from at least the first connection end of the layer in the second set; and

an electrical connection formed with a source/drain structure using the first connection end of the layer in the second set, wherein a remaining portion of the insulator below the height and a remaining portion of the liner in the first recess electrically isolates the source/drain structure from the substrate and increases impedance in a path of a substrate current from the source/drain structure to the substrate.

2. The semiconductor device of claim 1, further comprising:

an epitaxy structure grown in electrical connection with the first connection end of the layer in the second set, wherein the epitaxy structure operates as the source/drain structure.

3. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the height above the substrate is zero.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the height above the surface of the substrate reaches up to a substrate-facing surface of a bottom-most layer in the second set of layers.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the first layer, the first set of layers, and the second set of layers together form a stack of layers, further comprising:

the first recess and a second recess formed by recessing the stack of layers, wherein the second recess exposes a second connection end of the layer in the second set, the second connection end being on an opposite side from the connection end, wherein the first recess and the second recess each reaches into the substrate for at least the fraction of the total depth of the substrate.

6. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein a second layer immediately adjacent to the first layer comprises the second sacrificial material.

7. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein a second layer immediately adjacent to the first layer comprises the channel material.

8. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the set of layers of the channel material includes a plurality of layers.

9. A method comprising:

depositing, over a surface of a substrate, a first layer comprising a first sacrificial material;

depositing, over the first layer, a first set of layers of a second sacrificial material and a second set of layers of a channel material, wherein the first sacrificial material is etchable by a process at a first rate, wherein the second sacrificial material is etchable by the process at a second rate, and wherein the first rate is greater than the second rate;

depositing a liner in a first recess, wherein the first recess exposes a first connection end of a layer in the second set, wherein the first recess reaches into the substrate for at least a fraction of a total depth of the substrate;

filling the first recess with an insulator material;

etching the insulator material up to a stop depth, wherein the stop depth stops the etching at a height above the surface of the substrate;

removing the liner from at least the first connection end of the layer in the second set; and

enabling the first connection end of the layer in the second set to form an electrical connection with a source/drain structure, wherein a remaining portion of the insulator below the height and a remaining portion of the liner in the first recess electrically isolates the source/drain structure from the substrate and increases impedance in a path of a substrate current from the source/drain structure to the substrate.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

growing an epitaxy structure in electrical connection with the first connection end of the layer in the second set, wherein the epitaxy structure operates as the source/drain structure.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the height above the substrate is zero.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the height above the surface of the substrate reaches up to a substrate-facing surface of a bottom-most layer in the second set of layers.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first layer, the first set of layers, and the second set of layers together form a stack of layers, further comprising:

recessing the stack of layers to form the first recess and a second recess, wherein the second recess exposes a second connection end of the layer in the second set, the second connection end being on an opposite side from the connection end, wherein the first recess and the second recess each reaches into the substrate for at least the fraction of the total depth of the substrate.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein a second layer immediately adjacent to the first layer comprises the second sacrificial material.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein a second layer immediately adjacent to the first layer comprises the channel material.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the set of layers of the channel material includes a plurality of layers.

17. A semiconductor fabrication system comprising a lithography component, the semiconductor fabrication system when operated on a wafer to fabricate a semiconductor device performing operations the comprising:

depositing, over a surface of a substrate, a first layer comprising a first sacrificial material;

depositing, over the first layer, a first set of layers of a second sacrificial material and a second set of layers of a channel material, wherein the first sacrificial material is etchable by a process at a first rate, wherein the second sacrificial material is etchable by the process at a second rate, and wherein the first rate is greater than the second rate;

depositing a liner in a first recess, wherein the first recess exposes a first connection end of a layer in the second set, wherein the first recess reaches into the substrate for at least a fraction of a total depth of the substrate;

filling the first recess with an insulator material;

etching the insulator material up to a stop depth, wherein the stop depth stops the etching at a height above the surface of the substrate;

removing the liner from at least the first connection end of the layer in the second set; and

enabling the first connection end of the layer in the second set to form an electrical connection with a source/drain structure, wherein a remaining portion of the insulator below the height and a remaining portion of the liner in the first recess electrically isolates the source/drain structure from the substrate and increases impedance in a path of a substrate current from the source/drain structure to the substrate.

18. The semiconductor fabrication system of claim 17, further comprising:

growing an epitaxy structure in electrical connection with the first connection end of the layer in the second set, wherein the epitaxy structure operates as the source/drain structure.