Nonplanar device with thinned lower body portion and method of fabrication

• US 8,502,351 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Shah, Uday, Doyle, Brian, Brask, Justin K., Chau, Robert S., Letson, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maldonado, Julio J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Movva, Amar
• Application Number:
  US13/243,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20120012934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 257/618, 257/E29.259
• US Class Current: 257/618
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/823431 with a particular manufacturing method of transistors with a horizontal current flow in a vertical sidewall of a semiconductor body, e.g. FinFET, MuGFET
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/845 including field-effect transistors with a horizontal current flow in a vertical sidewall of a semiconductor body, e.g. FinFET, MuGFET
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0886 including transistors with a horizontal current flow in a vertical sidewall of a semiconductor body, e.g. FinFET, MuGFET
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1211 combined with field-effect transistors with a horizontal current flow in a vertical sidewall of a semiconductor body, e.g. FinFET, MuGFET
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/42384 for thin film field effect transistors, e.g. characterised by the thickness or the shape of the insulator or the dimensions, the shape or the lay-out of the conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66795 with a horizontal current flow in a vertical sidewall of a semiconductor body, e.g. FinFET, MuGFET
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66818 the channel being thinned after patterning, e.g. sacrificial oxidation on fin
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/785 having a channel with a horizontal current flow in a vertical sidewall of a semiconductor body, e.g. FinFET, MuGFET
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7853 the body having a non-rectangular crossection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7854 with rounded corners
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7856 with an non-uniform gate, e.g. varying doping structure, shape or composition on different sides of the fin, or different gate insulator thickness or composition on opposing fin sides H01L29/7855 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13067 FinFET, source/drain region shapes fins on the silicon surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/978 forming tapered edges on substrate or adjacent layers

Abstract

A nonplanar semiconductor device having a semiconductor body formed on an insulating layer of a substrate. The semiconductor body has a top surface opposite a bottom surface formed on the insulating layer and a pair of laterally opposite sidewalls wherein the distance between the laterally opposite sidewalls at the top surface is greater than at the bottom surface. A gate dielectric layer is formed on the top surface of the semiconductor body and on the sidewalls of the semiconductor body. A gate electrode is formed on the gate dielectric layer on the top surface and sidewalls of the semiconductor body. A pair of source/drain regions are formed in the semiconductor body on opposite sides of the gate electrode.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a semiconductor body formed on an insulating layer of a substrate, the semiconductor body having;

a bottom surface formed directly on the insulating layer;

a top surface opposite the bottom surface;

a pair of laterally opposite sidewalls extending between the top surface and the bottom surface;

an upper body portion adjacent the top surface in which the laterally opposite sidewalls are substantially vertical, and

a lower body portion extending from the upper body portion to the bottom surface in which the laterally opposite sidewalls continually taper inward from the upper body portion to the bottom surface such that the distance between the laterally opposite sidewalls at the top surface is greater than at the bottom surface;

a gate dielectric layer formed on and in direct contact with the top surface and the sidewalls of the semiconductor body from the top surface to the bottom surface;

a gate electrode formed on the gate dielectric layer on the top surface and sidewalls of the semiconductor body; and

a pair of source/drain region formed in the semiconductor body on opposite sides of the gate electrode.

2. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the distance between the sidewalls at the bottom surface of the semiconductor body is approximately ½

to ⅔

of the distance between the sidewalls at the top surface of the semiconductor body.

3. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the distance between the sidewalls at the bottom portion of the semiconductor body is made sufficiently small so as to improve the short channel effects of the transistor.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the distance between the laterally opposite sidewalls at the top surface of the semiconductor body is approximately 20-30 nm.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the distance between the laterally opposite sidewalls near the bottom portion of the semiconductor body is approximately 10-15 nm.

6. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the pair of laterally opposite sidewalls include a pair of facets continually extending from the upper body portion to the bottom surface.

7. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the semiconductor body comprises silicon.

8. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the distance between the sidewalls at the bottom surface of the semiconductor body is approximately 50-66% of the distance between the sidewalls at the top surface of the semiconductor body.

9. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the composition of the gate dielectric layer formed on the top surface is the same composition as the gate dielectric layer formed on the sidewalls.

10. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the gate dielectric layer is a continuous gate dielectric layer formed on and in direct contact with the top surface and the sidewalls of the semiconductor body.

11. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the top portion meets the bottom portion at approximately a midpoint of a height of the semiconductor body.