Laterally recessed tungsten silicide gate structure used with a self-aligned contact structure including a straight walled sidewall spacer while filling recess

• US 6,448,140 B1
• Filed: 02/08/1999
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Liaw, Jhon-Jhy
• Primary Examiner(s): Booth, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): POMPEY, RON EVERETT
• Application Number:
  US09/246,423
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 438/279, 438/592, 438/701, 438/713, 438/625, 438/639, 438/303
• US Class Current: 438/279
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/28061 the conductor comprising a metal or metal silicide formed by deposition, e.g. sputter deposition, i.e. without a silicidation reaction H01L21/28052 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/28114 characterised by the sectional shape, e.g. T, inverted-T
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76897 Formation of self-aligned vias or contact plugs, i.e. involving a lithographically uncritical step self-aligned silicidation on field effect transistors H01L29/665
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/42376 characterised by the length or the sectional shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/6659 with both lightly doped source and drain extensions and source and drain self-aligned to the sides of the gate, e.g. lightly doped drain [LDD] MOSFET, double diffused drain [DDD] MOSFET
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7833 with lightly doped drain or source extension, e.g. LDD MOSFET's; DDD MOSFET's for thin film transistors H01L29/78618

Abstract

A process for fabricating composite insulator spacers, comprised of an underlying silicon oxide sidewall layer, and an overlying silicon nitride layer, formed on the sides of a polycide gate structure, has been developed. The process features initially, laterally recessing the exposed sides of a tungsten silicide component, of the polycide gate structure, via use of a selective wet etch solution. A subsequent oxidation procedure, used to thermally grow the silicon oxide sidewall layer, results in a thick silicon oxide component, located on the recessed sides of the tungsten silicide layer, while a thinner silicon oxide component is formed on the sides of the polysilicon component, of the polycide gate structure. Deposition of a silicon nitride layer, followed by an anisotropic RIE procedure, are then used to form the composite insulator spacers, on the sides of the polycide gate structure.

Claims

1. A method of forming a MOSFET device, on a semiconductor substrate, comprising sequential the steps of:

forming silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, on an underlying gate insulator layer, with a polycide layer, of said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, comprised of a metal silicide layer, underlying a silicon nitride capping layer, and overlying a polysilicon layer;

ion implanting a first conductivity imparting dopant, into a region of said semiconductor substrate, not covered by said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, to create a lightly doped source/drain region;

forming a lateral recess in the sides of said metal silicide layer;

performing a thermal oxidation procedure at a temperature between about 750 to 900°

C. in an oxygen—

steam ambient, to form a straight walled silicon oxide spacer, with a straight walled profile, on the sides of said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, with said straight walled silicon oxide spacer comprised of a thick silicon oxide component, at a thickness between about 100 to 400 Angstroms, filling said lateral recess, in said metal silicide layer, and comprised of a thin silicon oxide component, at a thickness between about 50 to 200 Angstroms, located on the sides of said polysilicon layer, and with said thermal oxidation procedure forming a silicon oxide layer, at a thickness between about 35 to 100 Angstroms, on the surface of said lightly doped source/drain region;

depositing a silicon nitride layer on said straight walled silicon oxide spacer;

anisotropic etching of said silicon nitride layer to create composite insulator spacers on the sides of said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, with said composite insulator spacers comprised of said silicon nitride layer, on said straight walled silicon oxide spacer;

ion implanting a second conductivity imparting dopant, into a region of said semiconductor substrate, not covered by said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, or by said composite insulator spacers, to create a heavily doped source/drain region;

forming a self-aligned contact opening, in an interlevel dielectric layer, exposing a top portion of silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, and exposing said heavily doped source/drain region, located between said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures; and

forming a self-aligned contact structure, in said self-aligned contact opening.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said gate insulator layer is silicon oxide, thermally grown in an oxygen—

steam ambient, to a thickness between about 30 to 200 Angstroms.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said silicon nitride capping layer, is obtained via LPCVD or PECVD procedures, at a thickness between about 1500 to 3000 Angstroms.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said metal silicide layer, of said silicon nitride capping, polycide gate structures, is a tungsten silicide layer, obtained via LPCVD procedures, at a thickness between about 300 to 1500 Angstroms, using silane and tungsten hexafluoride as reactants.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said polysilicon layer, of said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, is obtained via LPCVD procedures, at a thickness between about 500 to 2500 Angstroms, in situ doped, during deposition, via the addition of arsine, or phosphine, to a silane ambient.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structure, is formed via an anisotropic RIE procedure, using CF₄ as an etchant for said silicon nitride capping layer, and using Cl₂ as an etchant for said metal silicide layer, and for said polysilicon layer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said first conductivity imparting dopant, used to create said lightly doped source/drain region, is arsenic, or phosphorous ions, ion implanted at an energy between about 10 to 60 KeV, at a dose between about 1E13 to 3E14 atoms/cm².

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said lateral recess, in said metal silicide layer, between about 100 to 400 Angstroms, is created using a wet etch solution comprised of NH₄OH—

H₂O₂—

H₂O, at a temperature between about 25 to 80°

C.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said silicon nitride layer, of said composite insulator layer, is obtained via LPCVD or PECVD procedures, at a thickness between about 600 to 1500 Angstroms.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said second conductivity imparting dopant, used to create said heavily doped source/drain region, is arsenic, or phosphorous ions, ion implanted at an energy between about 15 to 80 KeV, at a dose between about 1E15 to 6E15 atoms/cm².

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said self-aligned contact opening, is formed in said interlevel dielectric layer, via a selective, anisotropic RIE procedure, using C₄F₈ as an etchant, with the etch rate ratio of silicon oxide to silicon nitride, of about 15 to 1.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said silicon dioxide gate insulator layer is thermally grown in an oxygen—

steam ambient, to a thickness between about 30 to 200 Angstroms.

12. A method of forming composite insulator spacers on the sides of silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, on a semiconductor substrate, comprised of a silicon nitride layer, on a thermally grown, straight walled silicon oxide spacer, and with the straight walled silicon oxide spacer comprised of a thick silicon oxide component, located in a lateral recess in a tungsten silicide component of said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, and comprised of a thin silicon oxide component, located on the sides of a polysilicon component of said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, comprising sequential the steps of:

growing a silicon dioxide gate insulator layer;

depositing an in situ doped, polysilicon layer;

depositing a tungsten silicide layer;

depositing a silicon nitride capping layer;

performing an anisotropic RIE procedure, creating said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, on underlying, said silicon dioxide gate insulator layer, with said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures comprised of said silicon nitride capping layer, of said tungsten silicide layer, and of said in situ doped polysilicon layer;

ion implanting a first conductivity imparting dopant, into a region of said semiconductor substrate not covered by said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, to create a lightly doped source/drain region;

performing a wet etch procedure, to selectively create said lateral recess between about 100 to 400 Angstroms in the sides of said tungsten silicide layer;

performing a thermal oxidation procedure in an oxygen—

steam ambient, at a temperature between about 750 to 900°

C., to form said straight walled silicon oxide spacer with a straight walled profile, comprised of said thick silicon oxide component, between about 100 to 400 Angstroms in thickness, located on the sides of said tungsten silicide layer, in said lateral recess, and comprised of said thin silicon oxide component, between about 50 to 200 Angstroms in thickness, located on the sides of said polysilicon layer, while growing a silicon oxide layer between about 35 to 100 Angstroms, on the top surface of said lightly doped source/drain region;

depositing a silicon nitride layer;

anisotropic etching of said silicon nitride layer to create said composite insulator spacers, on the sides of said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, with said composite insulator spacers comprised of said silicon nitride layer, and comprised of underlying, said straight walled silicon oxide spacer;

ion implanting a second conductivity imparting dopant, into a region of said semiconductor substrate, not covered by said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, or by said composite insulator spacers, creating a heavily doped source/drain region;

depositing an interlevel dielectric layer;

performing an anisotropic reactive ion etching (RIE), procedure, using C₄F₈ as an etchant, to define a self-aligned contact hole in said interlevel dielectric layer, exposing a portion of the top surface of said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, and exposing said heavily doped source/drain region, located between said silicon nitride capped, polycide gate structures, with an etch rate ratio of said interlevel dielectric layer to said silicon nitride layer of about 15 to 1, using said anisotropic RIE procedure; and

forming a self-aligned, metal contact structure, in said self-aligned contact hole, contacting underlying, said heavily doped source/drain region.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said in situ doped polysilicon layer is obtained via LPCVD procedures, at a thickness between about 500 to 2500 Angstroms, with the addition of arsine, or phosphorous, to a silane ambient.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said tungsten silicide layer is obtained via LPCVD procedures, at a thickness between about 300 to 1500 Angstroms.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein said silicon nitride capping layer is obtained via LPCVD or PECVD procedures, at a thickness between about 1500 to 3000 Angstroms.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein said wet etch procedure, used to selectively create said lateral recess, in said tungsten silicide layer, is performed in a solution comprised of NH₄OH—

H₂O₂—

H₂O, at a temperature between about 25 to 80°

C.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein said silicon nitride layer, used as a component of said composite insulator spacers, is obtained via LPCVD or PECVD procedures, at a thickness between about 600 to 1500 Angstroms.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein said composite insulator spacers, comprised of said silicon nitride layer, and underlying, said straight walled silicon oxide spacer, are formed via an anisotropic RIE procedure, applied to said silicon nitride layer, using CF₄ as an etchant.