Abstract: A narrow groove is formed over a substrate. To form such a narrow groove, a first material is formed over a substrate, the first material having a sidewall. A spacer is formed abutting the sidewall. Subsequently a second material is formed adjacent to the spacer. The spacer is removed leaving a groove between the first material and second material. In one embodiment, the groove is filled with material for a narrow feature, such as a gate, and the first material and second material are removed. As a result a gate or other narrow feature is formed having a length defined by the width of a spacer. In another embodiment, an implant is performed through the small groove, resulting in a small localized implant.

Abstract: Sub-micron-dimensioned, asymmetrically-configured MOS and/or CMOS transistors are fabricated using removable sidewall spacers made of a material, such as UV-nitride, one of which is selectively treated subsequent to deposition, e.g., by ion implantation, to augment the etch rate thereof with a room temperature etchant, e.g., dilute aqueous HF. The treated spacer is removed with the dilute, aqueous HF prior to implantation of asymmetrically-configured, moderately or heavily-doped source/drain regions but prior to any post-implantation annealing processing, in order not to increase the etch resistance of the spacer material by thermally-induced densification.

Abstract: Submicron-dimensioned MOS and/or CMOS transistors are fabricated by a process employing removable sidewall spacers made of a material, such as UV-nitride, which is readily etched in its as-deposited, undensified state but difficult-to-etch in its thermally annealed, densified state. The as-deposited, undensified spacers are removed by etching with dilute aqueous HF after implantation of heavily-sloped source/drain junction regions but prior to annealing of the implant for dopant diffusion/activation and lattice damage relaxation. Lightly-or moderately doped, shallow-depth source/drain extensions are implanted and annealed after spacer removal.

Abstract: Transient enhanced diffusion (TED) of ion implanted dopant impurities within a silicon semiconductor substrate is eliminated or substantially reduced by displacing “knocked-on” oxygen atoms from an overlying oxygen-containing layer into the substrate by ion implantation. The “knocked-on” oxygen atoms getter silicon interstitial atoms generated within the substrate by dopant implantation, which are responsible for TED.

Abstract: A method of increasing ion source lifetime in an ion implantation system uses the introduction of an inert gas, such as argon or xenon, into the halide-containing source gas. Inert gas constituents have a cleansing effect in the plasma ambient by enhancing sputtering.

Abstract: A semiconductor device with shallow junctions is obtained by forming shallow source/drain extensions followed by forming a film over the gate electrode and the semiconductor substrate. The film is formed having a targeted thicknesses to facilitate gate electrode doping and source/drain formation. Ion implantation is then conducted to fully dope the gate electrode and form moderately or heavily doped source/drain implants, thereby reducing gate depletion.

Abstract: A semiconductor device is provided with a gate electrode having a substantially rectangular profile by forming a dielectric film prior to depositing the gate electrode layer. The dielectric film is patterned and etched to form regions having a rectangular profile separated by open regions. A gate electrode layer is then deposited followed by planarization to form gate electrodes having a substantially rectangular profile.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit to optimize the contact resistance between impurity diffusing layers and silicide is disclosed herein. The method includes implanting a first material to a layer of semiconductor to create a buried amorphous silicon layer; implanting a second material in the layer of semiconductor and buried amorphous layer, forming a dopant profile region with a curved shape; depositing a layer of metal on the layer of semiconductor; melting the buried amorphous layer to reconfigure the curved shape to a substantially vertical profile of maximum dopant concentration; and forming silicide with the layer of semiconductor and layer of metal, the bottom of the silicide located in the vertical shape on the dopant profile region.

Abstract: A CMOS semiconductor device having shallow source/drain junctions is formed by ion implanting antimony to form lightly doped source/drain regions of an N-channel transistor, thereby reducing channeling for a shallower projected junction depth as compared to conventional N-type impurity implantations. Upon growing a thermal oxide screen layer to protect the substrate from subsequent ion implantations, the implanted antimony experiences oxidation-retarded diffusion, further reducing the projected junction depth. After ion implanting N-type impurities to form moderately or heavily doped source/drain regions and activation annealing, the resulting semiconductor device exhibits the desirably shallow LDD junctions.

Abstract: A method of performing tilted implantation for pocket, halo and source/drain extensions in ULSI dense structures. The method overcomes the process limit, due to shadowing effects, in dense structures, of using large angle tilted implant techniques in ULSI circuits. A gate opening in an oxide layer is defined and partially filled by insertion of nitride spacers to define an actual gate window opening. The small angle tilted implant technique has the equivalent doping effect of large angle tilted implants, and circumvents the maximum angle limit (&thgr;MAX) that occurs in the large angle implant method. The small angle tilted implant technique also automatically provides self alignment of the pocket/halo/extension implant to the gate of the device.

Abstract: An ultra-low thermal budget process is provided for channel implant by using a reverse process sequence where a conventional MOS transistor is formed without the channel implant. The originally deposited polysilicon gate is removed, a nitride film deposition and etch is used to form a nitride spacer with a predetermined configuration, and a self-aligned channel implant is performed. After the channel implantation, anneal and super-retrograded doping, the nitride spacer and the gate oxide are removed for subsequent regrowth of a second gate oxide and a polysilicon deposition to form a second polysilicon gate.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having reduced hot carrier degradation is achieved by doping the semiconductor substrate and gate oxide with deuterium. A conventional semiconductor device is formed with sequentially deposited metal layers and dielectric layers and a topside protective dielectric layer deposited thereon. Deuterium is introduced to the semiconductor device by using deuterium-containing reactants in at least one of the semiconductor manufacturing steps to passivate dangling silicon bonds at the silicon/oxide interface region.

Abstract: Impurities are formed in the active region of a semiconductor substrate by diffusion from a gate electrode sidewall spacer. A gate electrode is formed on a semiconductor substrate with a gate dielectric layer therebetween. Sidewall spacers are formed on the side surfaces of the gate electrode. Dopant atoms are subsequently introduce to transform the spacers into solid dopant sources. Dopant atoms are diffused from the spacers into the semiconductor substrate to form first doped regions.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of removing fluorine from a gate conductor involving the steps of providing a semiconductor device containing a substrate, a gate insulator layer overlying a portion of the substrate, a gate conductor containing fluorine overlying the gate insulator layer, and a source and a drain region adjacent the gate insulator layer; and laser annealing the semiconductor device at an energy level sufficient to melt at least a portion of the gate conductor thereby inducing the removal of fluorine from the gate conductor. In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of making a transistor involving the steps of forming a gate conductor overlying a gate insulator layer, wherein the gate conductor and the gate insulator layer overlie a portion of a substrate, doping the substrate and gate conductor with BF.sub.2.sup.

Abstract: Lightly doped regions are implanted into an amorphous region in the semiconductor substrate to significantly reduce transient enhanced diffusion upon subsequent activation annealing. A sub-surface non-amorphous region is also formed before activation annealing to substantially eliminate end-of-range defects on crystallization of amorphous region containing the lightly doped implants.

Abstract: A process in accordance with the invention enables the manufacturability of raised source-drain MOSFETs. In accordance with the invention, a raised source-drain material, having a window therein, is formed over the substrate. A gate oxide and window sidewall oxides are subsequently formed. Dopants are diffused into the substrate. A gate is formed within the window.

Abstract: A method of forming a region of impurity in a semiconductor substrate with minimal damage. The method includes the steps of: forming a reaction-inhibiting impurity region in the semiconductor substrate to a depth below the semiconductor substrate; and applying laser energy to the semiconductor substrate at a sufficient magnitude to liquify the semiconductor substrate in the region.

Abstract: A process in accordance with the invention minimizes the number of heat steps to which an source-drain extension region is exposed, thus minimizing source-drain extension region diffusion and allowing more precise control of source-drain extension region thickness over conventional processes. In accordance with the invention, spacers are formed abutting the gate and then heavily doped source and drain regions are formed. The gate and source and drain regions are silicided. The spacers are subsequently removed and source-drain extension regions are then formed. In one embodiment of the invention, a laser doping process is used to form the source-drain extension regions.

Abstract: A method of forming a transistor includes the steps of forming a gate structure (56) overlying a gate oxide layer (54), wherein the gate structure (56) and gate oxide layer (54) overlie a substrate (50), thereby separating the substrate (50) into a first region (90) and a second region (92) with a channel region therebetween. The method also includes doping the gate structure (56), the first region (90) and the second region (92) and annealing the doped gate structure (56) with a laser anneal, thereby driving the dopant through a substantial depth of the gate structure (56). Lastly, a source region (94) and a drain region (96) are formed in the first region (90) and the second region (92), respectively, wherein the dopant is further driven into the gate structure (56). Consequently, the dopant is driven substantially deeper in the gate structure (56) than in the shallow source region (94) and drain region (96) junctions to allow decoupling of poly depletion from the need for shallow junctions.

Abstract: A method of forming a titanium silicide (69) includes the steps of forming a transistor having a source region (58), a drain region (60) and a gate structure (56) and forming a titanium layer (66) over the transistor. A first anneal is performed with a laser anneal at an energy level that causes the titanium layer (66) to react with the gate structure (56) to form a high resistivity titanium silicide phase (68) having substantially small grain sizes. The unreacted portions of the titanium layer (66) are removed and a second anneal is performed, thereby causing the high resistivity titanium silicide phase (68) to convert to a low resistivity titanium silicide phase (69). The small grain sizes obtained by the first anneal allow low resistivity titanium silicide phase (69) to be achieved at device geometries less than about 0.25 micron.