Method of fabrication of a FinFET element

• US 8,053,299 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2009
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Xu, Jeff J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pert; Evan
• Assistant Examiner(s): AHMED, SELIM U
• Application Number:
  US12/425,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20100264468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 438/478, 438/197, 257/E21.002
• US Class Current: 438/197
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66795 with a horizontal current flow in a vertical sidewall of a semiconductor body, e.g. FinFET, MuGFET

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a FinFET element and method of fabricating a FinFET element. The FinFET element includes a germanium-FinFET element (e.g., a multi-gate device including a Ge-fin). In one embodiment, the method of fabrication the Ge-FinFET element includes forming silicon fins on a substrate and selectively growing an epitaxial layer including germanium on the silicon fins. A Ge-condensation process may then be used to selectively oxidize the silicon of the Si-fin and transform the Si-fin to a Ge-fin. The method of fabrication provided may allow use of SOI substrate or bulk silicon substrates, and CMOS-compatible processes to form the Ge-FinFET element.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a FinFET element comprising:

providing a substrate;

forming a plurality of silicon fins on the substrate, wherein each of the plurality of fins has a first portion, a second portion underlying the first portion, and a third portion underlying the second portion;

growing a SiGe epitaxial layer on the silicon fins; and

performing a germanium condensation process, wherein the germanium condensation process includes;

transferring germanium from the epitaxial layer to the first portion of each of the silicon fins to form germanium fins (Ge-fins); and

oxidizing the second portion of each of the silicon fins during the transferring germanium, wherein the third portion of each of the plurality of silicon fins remains silicon.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a silicon substrate.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forming a gate structure overlying the Ge-fins.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the germanium condensation process forms a silicon oxide layer on the first portion of the plurality of silicon fins.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the silicon oxide layer is removed by a wet etch process.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the substrate includes an SOI substrate, and the wet etch removes a portion of an insulator layer of the SOI substrate.

7. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising:

providing a substrate;

forming a silicon fin on the substrate;

forming a SiGe layer on the silicon fin;

transforming a first portion of the silicon fin to a germanium fin, wherein the transforming includes performing an oxidation to consume silicon of the silicon fin, and wherein the consumed silicon forms a silicon oxide layer on the germanium fin; and

oxidizing a second portion of the silicon fin underlying the first portion of the silicon fin during the transforming the first portion of the silicon fin to a germanium fin.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the forming the silicon fin includes etching a silicon layer of the substrate.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the substrate is a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

forming an insulator layer on the substrate.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the forming the SiGe layer includes growing a SiGe epitaxial layer.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the SiGe layer includes a composition of Si_1-xGe_x where x is between approximately 0.1 and 0.3.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

removing the silicon oxide layer formed by the oxidation.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the oxidation includes oxidation in a dry O₂ atmosphere.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the oxidation includes oxidation until the fin is substantially pure germanium.