Method for forming semiconductor structure

Abstract

The present application provides a method for forming a semiconductor structure. The method includes providing dummy gate structures disposed over a device region and over an isolation region adjacentthe active region, first gate spacers disposed along sidewalls of the dummy gate structures in the active region, and second gate spacers disposed along sidewalls of the dummy gate structures in theisolation region, removing top portions of the second, but not the first gate spacers, forming a first dielectric layer over the first gate spacers and remaining portions of the second gate spacers, replacing the dummy gate structures with metal gate structures after the forming of the first dielectric layer, removing the first gate spacers after the replacing of the dummy gate structures, and forming a second dielectric layer over top surfaces of the metal gate structures and of the first dielectric layer.

Description

technical field [0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a spacer for a high dielectric constant gate dielectric layer and a metal gate structure and a method for forming the same. Background technique [0002] The semiconductor integrated circuit industry has experienced exponential growth. Technological advances in integrated circuit materials and design have resulted in each generation of integrated circuits having smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. In the evolution of integrated circuits, functional density (eg, the number of interconnect devices per chip area) generally increases as geometric dimensions (eg, the smallest component or circuit that a process can produce) shrink. Dimension-reduced processes facilitate increased throughput and lower associated costs. Dimensional shrinkage also increases the complexity of processing and forming integrated circuits. [0003] For example, many approaches have been developed to intro...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

While these approaches are generally adequate, they still cannot satisfy all aspects of

Images