Method and structure for improving device performance variation in dual stress liner technology
First Claim
1. A semiconductor structure comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate having at least one dummy gate region in proximity to at least one FET; and
a tensile stress liner or a compressive stress liner located on said substrate, wherein said stress liner covers the at least one FET and is present in part over said at least one dummy gate region such that an etched edge of the stress liner lands on top of said at least one dummy gate region.
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Abstract
A method and semiconductor structure that overcome the dual stress liner boundary problem, without significantly increasing the overall size of the integrated circuit, are provided. In accordance with the present invention, the dual stress liner boundary or gap therebetween is forced to land on a neighboring dummy gate region. By forcing the dual stress liner boundary or gap between the liners to land on the dummy gate region, the large stresses associated with the dual stress liner boundary or gap are transferred to the dummy gate region, not the semiconductor substrate. Thus, the impact of the dual stress liner boundary on the nearest neighboring FET is reduced. Additionally, benefits of device variability and packing density are achieved utilizing the present invention.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A semiconductor structure comprising:
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a semiconductor substrate having at least one dummy gate region in proximity to at least one FET; and a tensile stress liner or a compressive stress liner located on said substrate, wherein said stress liner covers the at least one FET and is present in part over said at least one dummy gate region such that an etched edge of the stress liner lands on top of said at least one dummy gate region.
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2. A semiconductor structure comprising:
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a semiconductor substrate having at least one dummy gate region in proximity to at least one nFET; and a tensile stress liner and a compressive stress liner located on said substrate, wherein said tensile stress liner covers the at least one nFET and is present in part over said at least one dummy gate region such that an boundary or gap exists between the stress liners that lands on top of said at least one dummy gate region. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5)
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6. A semiconductor structure comprising:
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a semiconductor substrate having at least one dummy gate region in proximity to at least one pFET; and a tensile stress liner and a compressive stress liner located on said substrate, wherein said compressive stress liner covers the at least one pFET and is present in part over said at least one dummy gate region such that a boundary or gap exists between the stress liners that lands on top of said at least one dummy gate region. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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10. A semiconductor structure comprising:
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a semiconductor substrate having at least one dummy gate region in proximity to at least one active gate region; and a tensile stress liner and a compressive stress liner located on said substrate, wherein said tensile stress liner and said compressive stress liner are present in part over said at least one dummy gate region such that a boundary or gap exists between the stress liners that lands on top of said at least one dummy gate region. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of forming a semiconductor structure comprising:
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providing a semiconductor substrate having at least one dummy gate region in proximity to at least one active gate region; and disposing, in any order, a tensile stress liner and a compressive stress liner on said substrate, wherein said tensile stress liner and said compressive stress liner are present in part over said at least one dummy gate region such that a boundary or gap exists between the stress liners that lands on top of said at least one dummy gate region. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification