Abstract: A highly localized diffusion barrier is incorporated into a polysilicon line to allow the doping of the polysilicon layer without sacrificing an underlying material layer. The diffusion barrier is formed by depositing a thin polysilicon layer and exposing the layer to a nitrogen-containing plasma ambient. Thereafter, the deposition is resumed to obtain the required final thickness. Moreover, a polysilicon line is disclosed, having a highly localized barrier layer.

Abstract: The surface area of silicon lines which receives a silicide portion is increased to decrease the line resistance in narrow polysilicon lines, such as gate electrodes. Sidewall spacers are formed such that an upper portion of the line sidewall is exposed so as to react with a refractory metal to form a low resistance silicide. The upper portion may be exposed by overetching the dielectric layer deposited to form the sidewall spacers.

Abstract: An SOI transistor element and a method of fabricating the same is disclosed, wherein a high concentration of stationary point defects is created by including a region within the active transistor area that has a slight lattice mismatch. In one particular embodiment, a silicon germanium layer is provided in the active area having a high concentration of point defects due to relaxing the strain of the silicon germanium layer upon heat treating the transistor element. Due to the point defects, the recombination rate is significantly increased, thereby reducing the number of charged carriers stored in the active area.

Abstract: An epitaxially grown channel layer is provided on a well structure after ion implantation steps and heat treatment steps are performed to establish a required dopant profile in the well structure. The channel layer may be undoped or slightly doped, as required, so that the finally obtained dopant concentration in the channel layer is significantly reduced compared to a conventional device to thereby provide a retrograde dopant profile in a channel region of a field effect transistor. Additionally, a barrier diffusion layer may be provided between the well structure and the channel layer to reduce up-diffusion during any heat treatments carried out after the formation of the channel layer. The final dopant profile in the channel region may be adjusted by the thickness of the channel layer, the thickness and the composition of the diffusion barrier layer and any additional implantation steps to introduce dopant atoms in the channel layer.

Abstract: In one aspect of the present invention, a layer stack comprising at least three material layers is provided on a silicon-containing conductive region to form a silicide portion on and in the silicon-containing conductive region, wherein the layer next to the silicon provides the metal atoms for the chemical reaction, and wherein the following layers provide for a sufficient inertness of the chemical reaction. The method may be carried out as an in situ method, thereby significantly improving throughput and deposition tool performance compared to typical prior art processes, in which at least two deposition chambers have to be used.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method of forming metal silicide regions on a gate electrode (23) and on the source/drain regions (25) of a semiconductor device (100). In one illustrative embodiment, the method comprises forming a gate stack (17) above a semiconducting substrate (20), the gate stack (17) being comprised of a gate electrode (23) and a protective layer (24), forming a plurality of source/drain regions (25) in the substrate (20), and forming a first metal silicide region (28) above each of the source/drain regions (25). The method further comprises removing the protective layer (24) from above the gate electrode (23) and forming a second metal silicide region (31) above the gate electrode (23).

Abstract: In a method for fabricating a semiconductor device different types of a metal-semiconductor compound are formed on or in at least two different conductive semiconductor regions so that for each semiconductor region the metal-semiconductor compound region may be formed to obtain an optimum overall performance of the semiconductor device. On one of the two semiconductor regions, the metal-semiconductor compound is formed of at least two different metal layers, whereas the metal-semiconductor compound in or on the other semiconductor region is formed from a single metal layer.

Abstract: The surface area of silicon lines which receives a silicide portion is increased to decrease the line resistance in narrow polysilicon lines, such as gate electrodes. Sidewall spacers are formed such that an upper portion of the line sidewall is exposed so as to react with a refractory metal to form a low resistance silicide. The upper portion may be exposed by overetching the dielectric layer deposited to form the sidewall spacers.

Abstract: A method is disclosed in which differing metal layers are sequentially deposited on silicon-containing regions so that the type and thickness of the metal layers may be adapted to specific characteristics of the underlying silicon-containing regions. Subsequently, a heat treatment is performed to convert the metals into metal silicides so as to improve the electrical conductivity of the silicon-containing regions. In this way, silicide portions may be formed that are individually adapted to specific silicon-containing regions so that device performance of individual semiconductor elements or the overall performance of a plurality of semiconductor elements may significantly be improved. Moreover, a semiconductor device is disclosed comprising at least two silicon-containing regions having formed therein differing silicide portions, wherein at least one silicide portion comprises a noble metal.

Abstract: A method is disclosed in which differing metal layers are sequentially deposited on silicon-containing regions so that the type and thickness of the metal layers may be adapted to specific characteristics of the underlying silicon-containing regions. Subsequently, a heat treatment is performed to convert the metals into metal silicides so as to improve the electrical conductivity of the silicon-containing regions. In this way, silicide portions may be formed that are individually adapted to specific silicon-containing regions so that device performance of individual semiconductor elements or the overall performance of a plurality of semiconductor elements may be significantly improved. Moreover, a semiconductor device is disclosed comprising at least two silicon-containing regions having formed therein differing silicide portions, wherein at least one silicide portion comprises a noble metal.

Abstract: A method of forming oxide layers of different thickness on a substrate is disclosed, wherein the oxide layers preferably serve as gate insulation layers of field effect transistors. The method allows to form very thin, high quality oxide layers with a reduced number of masking steps compared to the conventional processing, wherein the thickness difference can be maintained within a range of some tenths of a nanometer. The method substantially eliminates any high temperature oxidations and is also compatible with most chemical vapor deposition techniques used for gate dielectric deposition in sophisticated semiconductor devices.

Abstract: This invention provides methods of forming a field-effect transistor in an integrated circuit using self-aligning technology on the basis of a sidewall spacer masking procedure, both for defining the device isolation features and the source and drain regions. The active region is defined after patterning the gate electrode by means of deposition and etch processes instead of overlay alignment technique. Thus, the present invention enables an increase of the integration density of semiconductor devices, a minimization of the parasitic capacitances in field-effect transistor devices, and a quicker manufacturing process.

Abstract: A field effect transistor comprises a gate electrode contact of a highly conductive material that contacts the gate electrode and extends in the transistor width dimension at least along a portion of the channel. Thus, the gate resistance and the gate signal propagation time for a voltage applied to the gate contact is significantly reduced even for devices with an extremely down scaled gate length. Moreover, a method for fabricating the above FET is disclosed.

Abstract: A transistor device is disclosed, having an insulating material disposed between the gate electrode and the drain and source lines, wherein the dielectric constant of the insulating material is 3.5 or less. Accordingly, the capacitance between the gate electrode and the drain and source lines can be reduced, thereby improving signal performance of the field effect transistor with decreased cross talk noise.

Abstract: There is provided a semiconductor device comprising an insulating layer which is partly formed of porous material, and a method for fabricating the device. A stray capacitance of adjacent wiring lines is significantly reduced by reducing the amount of material, i.e., by using porous material in the insulating layer of a metallization layer. In one embodiment, the porous layer may be fabricated separately on a further substrate and is subsequently transferred to the product wafer while the further substrate and the product wafer are appropriately aligned to each other. In this way, fabrication of complete metallization layers having a reduced dielectric constant in advance or concurrently with the product wafer carrying the MOS structure is possible. Due to the reduced capacitance of the wiring lines of the metallization layer, signal performance and/or power consumption of an integrated circuit is improved.

Abstract: A method for forming a reliable and ultra-thin oxide layer, such as a gate oxide layer of an MOS transistor, comprises an annealing step immediately performed prior to oxidizing a substrate. The annealing step is performed in an inert gas ambient to avoid oxidation of the semiconductor surface prior to achieving a required low oxidizing temperature. Preferably, the annealing step and the oxidizing step are carried out as an in situ process, thereby minimizing the thermal budget of the overall process.

Abstract: The method disclosed herein comprises initially providing a tool comprised of a process chamber, a lid above the process chamber, an RF coil for assisting in generating a plasma in the chamber, a substrate support, and a power supply coupled to the substrate support. The method continues with the step of positioning a substrate in the tool adjacent the substrate support, introducing a noble gas into the chamber, and forming a layer of material above the substrate by sputtering the lid material by performing at least the following steps: applying approximately 200-300 watts of power to the RF coil at a frequency of approximately 400 KHz and applying approximately 20-60 watts of power to the substrate at a frequency of approximately 13.56 MHz.

Abstract: This invention provides methods of forming a field-effect transistor in an integrated circuit using self-aligning technology on the basis of a gate electrode and sidewall spacer masking procedure both for forming the device isolation features and the source and drain regions. This invention enables an increase of the integration-density of semiconductor devices, a minimization of the parasitic capacitances in field-effect transistor devices, and a quicker manufacturing process.

Abstract: A method is provided for fabricating a semiconductor device on a structure, the method including forming a dielectric layer adjacent a gate conductor of the semiconductor device and above an LDD region of the structure and removing a first portion of the dielectric layer above the gate conductor and above the LDD region. The method also includes forming a first conductive layer above the gate conductor, adjacent the dielectric layer and above the LDD region and saliciding the first conductive layer above the gate conductor and above the LDD region to form a salicided first conductive layer.

Abstract: A method of monitoring the temperature of a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process and a test wafer for use in this process are disclosed. The method includes the step of forming a distorted surface region in a crystalline semiconductor wafer and the mounting of the wafer in a process chamber for performing the RTA process in a reaction gas containing ambient. The distorted surface region of the semiconductor wafer enables higher diffusion rates of reaction gas components into the wafer surface and therefore a higher growth rate of a reaction product film. The increase of the reaction product film thickness enables an increase of the film thickness measurement accuracy and thus the accuracy in determining the RTA temperature homogeneity. In one embodiment, a distorted surface region in a crystalline silicon test wafer is produced by implanting ions at low doses into a wafer substrate up to a pre-amorphization level of the surface crystalline lattice.