Planar substrate with selected semiconductor crystal orientations formed by localized amorphization and recrystallization of stacked template layers

Abstract

A method utilizing localized amorphization and recrystallization of stacked template layers is provided for making a planar substrate having semiconductor layers of different crystallographic orientations. Also provided are hybrid-orientation semiconductor substrate structures built with the methods of the invention, as well as such structures integrated with various CMOS circuits comprising at least two semiconductor devices disposed on different surface orientations for enhanced device performance.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to high-performance complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuits in which carrier mobility is enhanced by utilizing different semiconductor surface orientations for p-type field effect transistors (FETs) and n-type FETs. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods for fabricating planar substrate structures with different surface crystal orientations, and to the hybrid-orientation substrate structures produced by such methods. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The CMOS circuits of current semiconductor technology comprise n-type FETs (nFETs), which utilize electron carriers for their operation, and p-type FETs (pFETs), which utilize hole carriers for their operation. CMOS circuits are typically fabricated on semiconductor wafers having a single crystal orientation. In particular, most of today's semiconductor devices are built on Si having a (100) surface orientation. [0003] It is known that elec...

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Benefits of technology

[0022] The basic steps of the present invention can be easily adapted in whole or in part to form planar hybrid-orientation semiconductor structures on different substrates (e.g., bulk, thin or thick BOX, insulating or high resistivity substrates), or to form planar hybrid-orientation semiconductor substrate structures having three or more surface orientations.

Problems solved by technology

Such structures are possible, but not easy, to produce by variations of the method of FIGS. 3A-3I.

However, the use of two BOX layers adds extra complexity to the process and produces structures where one of the hybrid orientations is significantly thicker than the other (a disadvantage when both layers need to be thin).

In addition, selective epitaxial Si growth can be tricky; defects are likely to nucleate on the sides of sidewall spacers 300 (shown in FIGS. 3E-3F), especially when openings 290 are small (e.g., less than 500 nm in diameter).

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