Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cell having a buried horizontal trench capacitor by a novel fabrication method

• US 6,218,693 B1
• Filed: 09/30/1998
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation
• Inventors: Lu, Chih-Yuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Crane, Sara
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong Quang
• Application Number:
  US09/163,384
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 257/296-313, 438/243-253
• US Class Current: 257/296
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 12/038 the capacitor being in a trench in the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 12/373 the capacitor extending under or around the transistor

Abstract

An improved dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cell using a novel buried horizontal trench capacitor was achieved. A capacitor trench is etched in a silicon substrate. A first high-k dielectric layer is formed on the trench surface, and the trench is filled with a first polysilicon layer and polished back. A second high-k dielectric is deposited and patterned over the polySi-filled trench. A P⁻ epitaxy is grown on the substrate that also grows inward over the trench, while an amorphous silicon layer of decreasing top surface area grows on the dielectric over the trench. A field oxide is formed in the epi surrounding and isolating a device area aligned over the trench capacitor. A node contact hole is etched in the epi/amorphous Si to the capacitor and has an oxide liner on the sidewall. A second polySi is deposited and etched back to form the node contact to the buried trench capacitor. The gate electrode (access transistor) is formed on the epi layer over the capacitor, and adjacent to the node contact which is connected to one of the two FET source/drain (S/D) areas, while the second S/D is connected to a bit line. The surface over the cell, free for the bit line, and the FET over the capacitor reduces the cell size, while the buried horizontal trench capacitor increases capacitance.

Claims

1. A buried horizontal trench capacitor comprised of:

a P⁺ substrate having a capacitor trench etched therein, said trench is etched only in said P⁺ substrate;

a first dielectric layer on the surface in said capacitor trench, and said capacitor trench filled with a first polysilicon layer;

a patterned second dielectric layer over said first polysilicon layer in said capacitor trench and said second dielectric layer extending over said first dielectric layer on sidewalls of said capacitor trench;

a P⁻

epitaxial layer on said P⁺ substrate extending laterally inward over said patterned second dielectric layer;

said P⁻

epitaxy layer having a vertical node contact hole extending downward to said first polysilicon layer in said capacitor trench, and having an insulating liner on sidewalls in said node contact hole;

a second polysilicon layer in said node contact holes providing node contacts to said first polysilicon layer in said capacitor trench, and thereby providing a buried horizontal trench capacitor.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein said buried horizontal trench capacitor has a field effect transistor (FET) formed thereon having a first source/drain contact contacting said node contacts;

a bit line contacting a second source/drain contact of said field effect transistor and thereby providing a memory cell.

3. The structure of claim 2, wherein said field effect transistor is a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) field effect transistor comprised of a gate electrode, a gate oxide, a lightly doped drain, and source/drain contact areas.

4. The structure of claim 1, wherein said P⁺ substrate is a single-crystal silicon and is doped P⁺ with boron.

5. The structure of claim 1, wherein said first and second polysilicon layers are N⁺ doped with phosphorus.

6. The structure of claim 1, wherein said P⁻

epitaxial layer is doped with boron (B) having a dopant concentration of between about 1.0 E 15 and 1.0 E 18 atoms/cm³.

7. The structure of claim 1, wherein said P⁻

epitaxial layer has a thickness of between about 200 and 5000 Angstroms.

8. The structure of claim 1, wherein said capacitor trench has a depth of at least about 0.2 micrometers.

9. A dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cell with a buried horizontal trench capacitor comprised of:

a P⁺ substrate having a capacitor trench etched therein, said trench is etched only in said P+ substrate;

a first dielectric layer on the surface in said capacitor trench, and said capacitor trench filled with a first polysilicon layer;

a patterned second dielectric layer over said first polysilicon layer in said capacitor trench and said second dielectric layer extending over said first dielectric layer on sidewalls of said capacitor trench;

a P⁻

epitaxial layer on said P⁺ substrate is extending laterally inward over said patterned second dielectric layer;

said P⁻

epitaxy layer having a vertical node contact hole extending downward to said first polysilicon layer in said capacitor trench, and having an insulating liner on sidewalls in said node contact hole;

a second polysilicon layer in said node contact holes providing node contacts to said first polysilicon layer in said capacitor trench, and thereby providing a buried horizontal trench capacitor, and further

a field effect transistor (FET) in said epitaxy layer over said buried horizontal trench capacitor having a first source/drain contact contacting said node contacts;

a bit line contacting a second source/drain contact of said field effect transistor and thereby providing a DRAM cell.

10. The structure of claim 9, wherein said field effect transistor is a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) field effect transistor comprised of a gate electrode, a gate oxide, a lightly doped drain, and source/drain contact areas.

11. The structure of claim 9, wherein said P⁻

epitaxial layer is doped with boron (B) having a dopant concentration of between about 1.0 E 15 and 10 E 18 atoms/cm³.

12. The structure of claim 9, wherein said P⁻

epitaxial layer has a thickness of between about 200 and 5000 Angstroms.