Multiple vertical thin-body transistor structures

Abstract

To provide a new transistor structure to solve various problems of a conventional transistor.SOLUTION: A transistor structure includes a body and a gate structure. The body has a single convex structure, the convex structure is made of a first semiconductor material, and a trench is formed in the single convex structure. The gate structure has a gate conductive layer and a gate dielectric layer, the gate conductive layer is over the single convex structure, and a portion of the gate conductive layer is filled into the trench.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transistor structure, in particular to a transistor structure having multiple vertical thin semiconductor bodies (or "VTBs"), which can not only effectively reduce leakage current paths during the off-state of the transistor structure, but also dramatically enhance the conduction current during the on-state of the transistor. [Background technology]

[0002] Monolithic integration of silicon integrated circuits (ICs) will achieve over 50 billion transistors per die in 2021, ushering in the era of gigabit-scale integration (GSI), or over billions of transistors per die, from very large-scale integration (VLSI), which has millions of transistors per die. This achievement, which allows for higher integration of transistors per die, rapidly enables more powerful microsystems with significantly improved performance, power, area, and cost (PPAC). This, in turn, creates many powerful chips, such as central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), systems-on-chips (SOCs), static random access memories (SRAMs), and dynamic random access memories (DRAMs), which enhance system capabilities to continue supporting Moore's Law, which has formed the foundation for exponential economic growth.

[0003] With such high productivity generated from GSI to foster new applications that stimulate rapid economic growth, there is a strong demand for integrating more transistors on a die. Therefore, the semiconductor industry is expected to make every effort toward TSI (Tera-Scale Integration), i.e., integrating more than one trillion transistors on a chip die. Therefore, how to significantly improve transistors to meet this TSI challenge requires the invention and engineering of several fundamentally altered transistor structures with better power dissipation (PPAC). For example, if a chip integrates one trillion transistors on a die, and each transistor is configured to achieve a standby current (or Ioff) of approximately 0.5 pA (short for amperes), a total of one trillion transistors would result in a die Ioff approaching 0.5 amperes.

[0004] State-of-the-art transistors using sub-20 nm technologies can barely achieve this 0.5 pA Ioff, but even by using various transistor structures such as FinFET or tri-gate designs, some Ioff can be as high as 5-10 pA. How to continue to shrink device dimensions and simultaneously reduce Ioff (to less than 1 pA, for example) is a significant challenge.

[0005] An example of a state-of-the-art field-effect transistor (FinFET) with an active region formed as a fin structure is shown in Figure 1. The transistor's gate structure 5, which uses some conductive material (such as metal, polysilicon, or polycide) on top of an insulator or dielectric layer (such as oxide, oxide / nitride, or some high-k dielectric), is formed on the fin structure or three-dimensional convex silicon surface. Using an NMOS transistor as an example, the source region 11 and drain region 12 are formed by ion implantation and thermal annealing techniques to implant heavily doped n-type dopants into a p-type substrate (or p-well), resulting in two isolated n+ / p junction regions. Furthermore, to reduce impact ionization and hot carrier injection before the heavily doped n+ / p junction, it is common to form a lightly doped drain (LDD) region 13 before the heavily doped n+ source / drain regions by ion implantation and thermal annealing techniques. Such ion implantation and thermal annealing techniques often penetrate the LDD region 13 beneath the gate structure, as shown in Figure 1. Therefore, it is inevitable that the length of the effective channel 14 between the LDD regions 13 becomes shorter.

[0006] Meanwhile, advances in manufacturing process technology continue to advance rapidly by shrinking device geometries in both horizontal and vertical dimensions (e.g., minimum feature size, called lambda (λ), shrinking from 28 nm to 5 nm or 3 nm). However, such geometric scaling of FinFETs or Tri-Gates introduces or exacerbates a number of problems:

[0007] (1) As device gate lengths become smaller, it becomes increasingly difficult to reduce their off-state current (Ioff). Higher leakage current paths (dashed rectangular area 16 in Figure 2, which is a cross-section) form within the fin structure, rather than only along its surface. These leakage current paths were evaluated and simulated as shown in Figure 3. Figure 3(a) shows the 3D FinFET structure under technical computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation, Figure 3(b) shows the cross-section of the 3D FinFET structure corresponding to the red dotted rectangle 18 in Figure 3(a), and Figure 3(c) shows the off-state current distribution ("Impact of Current Flow Shape in Tapered (Versus Rectangular) FinFET on Threshold Voltage Variation Induced by Work-Function Variation," IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRON DEVICES, VOL. 61, NO. 6, JUNE 2014). (See

[0008] (2) As device dimensions shrink, it becomes increasingly difficult to perfectly align the LDD junction edge (or source / drain edge) with the edge of the gate structure using conventional self-alignment methods using gate, spacer, and ion implantation. Furthermore, thermal annealing processes to remove ion implantation damage require high-temperature processes such as rapid thermal annealing (RTA) and other heat treatment processes using various energy sources. Therefore, while it is necessary to suppress gate-induced drain leakage (GIDL) to reduce leakage current, it is difficult to suppress GIDL leakage. Furthermore, it is difficult to control the effective channel length, making it difficult to suppress the short channel effect (SCE). It is difficult to adjust the relative positions between the source / drain edges and the edge of the gate structure to better control GIDL.

[0009] (3) The ion implantation to form the LDD structure (or the n+ / p junction of NMOS, or the p+ / n junction of PMOS) acts like a bombardment, inserting ions straight from the top of the silicon surface toward the substrate. This causes the dopant concentration to be unevenly distributed vertically from the top surface, which has a higher doping concentration, toward the junction region, which has a lower doping concentration. This makes it difficult to form a uniform material interface with lower defects from the source and drain regions toward the channel and substrate body regions.

[0010] (4) As device dimensions shrink to 7 nm, 5 nm, or even 3 nm, the height of the fin structure of the NMOS transistor (e.g., 40–100 nm) becomes much larger than the width of the fin structure of the NMOS transistor (e.g., 3–10 nm), resulting in the fin structure becoming weak or even collapsing during subsequent processes (e.g., source / drain formation, gate formation). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] Therefore, the present invention discloses a new 3D transistor structure to solve the above-mentioned shortcomings of traditional transistors, for example, the new 3D transistor structure can reduce the Ioff current by 10-100 times. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention provides a transistor structure, the transistor structure including a body and a gate structure, the body having a single convex structure, the convex structure being made of a first semiconductor material, and a trench being formed in the single convex structure, the gate structure having a gate conductive layer and a gate dielectric layer, the gate conductive layer overlying the single convex structure, and a portion of the gate conductive layer filling the trench.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, the bottom and sidewalls of the trench are covered by a gate dielectric layer.

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, the convex structure includes a first outer wall and a second outer wall covered with a gate conductive layer, and further includes a first inner wall and a second inner wall within the trench, and the length of the first inner wall or the second inner wall is shorter than the length of the first outer wall or the second outer wall.

[0015] According to one aspect of the present invention, the bottom of the gate conductive layer outside the single convex structure is lower than the bottom of the portion of the gate conductive layer filled in the trench.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the single convex structure includes two vertical thin bodies, and the gate dielectric layer is disposed between the gate conductive layer and the two vertical thin bodies.

[0017] According to one aspect of the present invention, the edge of the source region is in contact with two vertical thin bodies, and the edge of the drain region is in contact with two vertical thin bodies.

[0018] According to one aspect of the present invention, the transistor structure further includes a source region, a drain region, a first recess, and a second recess. The source region contacts a first end of the single protruding structure. The drain region contacts a second end of the single protruding structure. The first recess accommodates the source region. The second recess accommodates the drain region. Sidewalls of the first recess and sidewalls of the second recess are surrounded by an STI region.

[0019] According to one aspect of the present invention, the edge of the source region contacts the two vertical thin bodies, and the edge of the drain region contacts the two vertical thin bodies.

[0020] According to one aspect of the present invention, the source region includes an LDD region, a heavily doped region, and a metal region. The LDD region contacts the two vertical thin bodies. The heavily doped region extends laterally from the LDD region. The metal region is within the first recess and contacts a sidewall of the heavily doped region.

[0021] According to one aspect of the present invention, the transistor structure further includes an oxide layer and a nitride layer. The oxide layer is located within the first recess, and the oxide layer includes a vertical portion and a lateral portion covering a bottom of the first recess, with an upper surface of the vertical portion being higher than an upper surface of the lateral portion. The nitride layer is on the oxide layer.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the width of one vertical thin body is 3 nm or less.

[0023] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a transistor structure. The transistor structure includes a body, a source region, a drain region, a trench, a central pole, and a gate region. The body has a convex structure having an original surface, the body being made of a first semiconductor material, and the convex structure having a plurality of conductive channels. The source region contacts a first end of the convex structure. The drain region contacts a second end of the convex structure. The gate region has a gate conductive layer over the convex structure. A first portion of the gate conductive layer is within the convex structure and below the original surface, and a second portion of the gate conductive layer is above the original surface, with the second portion of the gate conductive layer having a length greater than the first portion of the gate conductive layer.

[0024] According to one aspect of the present invention, a trench is formed in the protruding structure and between the first end and the second end, and a first portion of the gate conductive layer is filled in the trench.

[0025] The convex structure includes two upwardly extending thin bodies, each of which includes two conductive channels along the sidewalls of the thin body.

[0026] A trench filled with a first portion of the gate conductive layer is between the two thin bodies.

[0027] According to one aspect of the present invention, the transistor structure further includes a gate dielectric layer, the gate dielectric layer overlying the convex structure, and the first portion of the gate conductive layer being surrounded by the gate dielectric layer within the trench.

[0028] According to one aspect of the present invention, the gate conductive layer is surrounded by a gate dielectric layer along the four sidewalls and bottom of the trench.

[0029] According to one aspect of the invention, directly below the bottom of the trench is a body semiconductor material, and the gate dielectric layer along the bottom of the trench is in direct contact with the body semiconductor material.

[0030] According to one aspect of the present invention, the transistor structure further includes an isolation wall clamping the sidewall of the convex structure, and the STI layer surrounds the isolation wall.

[0031] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a transistor structure including a semiconductor body having a single convex structure including at least four upwardly extending conductor-oxide-semiconductor interfaces, the at least four upwardly extending conductor-oxide-semiconductor interfaces being horizontally shifted relative to one another.

[0032] According to one aspect of the invention, the single convex structure includes two upwardly extending thin bodies, each of the upwardly extending thin bodies including two upwardly extending conductor-oxide-semiconductor interfaces.

[0033] According to one aspect of the invention, a single convex structure has a trench formed therein to separate two upwardly extending thin bodies.

[0034] According to one aspect of the present invention, the transistor structure further includes a single source region and a single drain region, wherein the single source region is selectively grown from a first end of the single convex structure and the single drain region is selectively grown from a second end of the single convex structure.

[0035] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a transistor structure, the transistor structure including a semiconductor body and a trench. The semiconductor body has a convex structure, the convex structure including at least two upwardly extending bodies, the semiconductor body being made of a first semiconductor material. A trench is formed in the single convex structure to separate the two upwardly extending bodies, and no STI region exists between the two upwardly extending bodies.

[0036] According to one aspect of the invention, the bottom of the trench is in direct contact with the first semiconductor material.

[0037] According to one aspect of the present invention, the transistor structure further includes a source region, a drain region, and a gate region, wherein the source region contacts a first end of the convex structure, the drain region contacts a second end of the convex structure, and the gate region includes a gate conductive layer, the gate conductive layer overlying the convex structure.

[0038] These and other objects of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0039] The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this application with color drawing(s) will be provided upon Office request and payment of the necessary fee.

[0040] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a FinFET according to the prior art. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates higher leakage current paths formed within the fin structure. [Figure 3] 3D FinFET structure under TCAD (Technology Computer-Aided Design) simulation, cross-sectional view of the 3D FinFET structure, and off-state current distribution. [Figure 4A]1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for fabricating a vertical thin body field effect transistor (VTBFET) according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating FIG. 4A. [Figure 4C] FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating FIG. 4A. [Figure 4D] FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating FIG. 4A. [Figure 4E] FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating FIG. 4A. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 shows the pad oxide layer being grown, the pad nitride layer being deposited, and the trench being formed. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 shows oxide spacers deposited on a p-type well and nitride spacers deposited on the oxide spacers. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 illustrates a shallow trench isolation (STI) being formed and a thin nitride layer being deposited. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 shows a gate region overlying an active area and defined isolation regions. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 shows the photolithography (PR) mask being removed. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the nitride spacer-2 formed to form the trench and based on the nitride spacer-2. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 shows that a thermal oxide is grown to fill the trench and form the center pole, and then a nitride cap is formed on top of the center pole. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 shows the etch-back of the exposed STI to form a fin shape. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 shows that the nitride cap and nitride spacer-2 in the central pole related region are removed. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 shows that the pad oxide layer in the central pole related area and the oxide spacer covering the fin shape have been removed, and the STI corresponding to the gate area has also been etched. [Figure 15]FIG. 1 shows the central pole removed, exposing trench 2. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 shows a gate dielectric formed in the gate region and a gate material deposited in the gate region. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 shows that a cap layer is deposited and then the STI is etched. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 shows that the pad nitride and pad oxide layers are etched away, a portion of the STI is etched back, and oxide-2 and nitride-2 spacers are formed on the edges of the gate structure. [Figure 19] FIG. 1 shows several exposed silicon areas being etched away to create shallow trenches for the source and drain, using a thermal oxidation process to grow an oxide-3 layer, depositing nitride, and using CVD to etch back the nitride. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 shows a tungsten layer being deposited followed by a TiN layer being deposited thereon. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 shows that part of the oxide-3V layer is etched away to expose the silicon sidewall, then an n-type LDD, an n+ doped source, and an n+ doped drain are formed, and then a TiN layer, a tungsten layer are deposited. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 shows that landing pads are formed on an n+ doped source and an n+ doped drain. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 shows TCAD simulation results of Ion for a conventional FinFET and a VTBFET of the present invention. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 shows TCAD simulation results of Ioff for a conventional FinFET and a VTBFET of the present invention. [Figure 25] FIG. 1 illustrates the structural differences between conventional FinFETs and VTBFETs of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0041] 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22, FIG. 4A is a flowchart illustrating a method for fabricating a vertical thin-body field-effect transistor (VTBFET) according to an embodiment of the present invention, which enables the VTBFET to have lower standby current, lower gate-induced drain leakage (GIDL) current, and lower short-channel effect (SCE), and can form a solid fence wall to clamp the active region or narrow convex structure of the VTBFET. Detailed steps of the method for fabricating a VTBFET (taking N-type as an example) are as follows:

[0042] Step 10: Start.

[0043] Step 20: Based on the semiconductor substrate 200, an active region is defined, and a convex structure having a plurality of current conducting channels or a plurality of vertical thin bodies is formed.

[0044] Step 30: Form the gate structure of the VTBFET.

[0045] Step 40: Form the source and drain regions of the VTBFET.

[0046] Step 50: Finish.

[0047] See Figures 4B, 4C, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15. Step 20 includes:

[0048] Step 102: Grow a pad oxide layer 204 and deposit a pad nitride layer 206.

[0049] Step 104: Define the active area by a photolithography mask, and remove portions of the semiconductor material (such as silicon) outside the active area to form a raised structure.

[0050] Step 106: Deposit nitride spacers 306 (or oxide spacers 304 and nitride spacers 306) surrounding the active region, and etch back the nitride spacers 306 (or oxide spacers 304 and nitride spacers 306).

[0051] Step 108: Deposit an oxide layer and remove excess oxide layer using chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) techniques to form shallow trench isolation (STI) regions 402.

[0052] Step 110: Deposit a thin nitride layer 802.

[0053] Step 112: Utilizing a photolithography (PR) mask 902, define a gate region over the active area and STI regions 402, and etch away the thin nitride layer 802 and pad nitride layer 206 corresponding to the gate region.

[0054] Step 114: The photolithography mask 902 is removed to define the center pole related area in the active region.

[0055] Step 116: Deposit a SiCOH layer (or a combination oxide / nitride layer) to form SiCOH spacers-2 1102.

[0056] Step 118: Based on the SiCOH spacer-2 1102 and the thin nitride layer 802, an anisotropic etching technique is used to form a recess (or trench) 1202 in the convex structure.

[0057] Step 120: Fill the recess 1202 with a dielectric layer (such as thermal oxide) as the central pole 1302.

[0058] Step 122: Deposit nitride layer-3 and etch back nitride layer-3 to form nitride cap 1402.

[0059] Step 124: Etch back the exposed STI 402 to form a raised structure in the defined gate area.

[0060] Step 126: Remove the nitride cap 1402 and SiCOH spacer-2 1102 near the center pole-related region, the thin nitride layer 802, and the nitride spacer 306.

[0061] Step 128: Remove the pad oxide layer 204 near the center pole associated region, the oxide spacer 304, and the center pole 1302.

[0062] See Figure 4D and Figures 16, 17 and 18. Step 30 includes:

[0063] Step 130: Form a gate dielectric 1502 in the gate region.

[0064] Step 132: Deposit gate material 1504 in the gate region, and then etch back the gate material 1504.

[0065] Step 138: Etch away the pad nitride layer 206 and the pad oxide layer 204 to expose the OHS.

[0066] Step 140: Form oxide-2 spacers 1802 and nitride-2 spacers 1804 on the edges of the gate material 1504 and cap layer 1506.

[0067] See Figure 4E and Figures 19, 20, 21 and 22. Step 40 includes:

[0068] Step 142: Etch away exposed silicon.

[0069] Step 144: Thermally grow oxide-3 layer 1002.

[0070] Step 146: Form a nitride layer 1904.

[0071] Step 148: Form a tungsten layer 1906.

[0072] Step 150: Form a TiN layer 1908.

[0073] Step 152: Etch away a portion of the oxide-3 layer 1002.

[0074] Step 154: Form n-type lightly doped drains (LDDs) 2004, 2006, followed by forming an n+ doped source 2008 and an n+ doped drain 2010.

[0075] A detailed description of the above manufacturing method is as follows. Using an NMOS transistor for illustrative purposes, starting from a well-designed doped p-type well 202 placed in a p-type semiconductor substrate 200 (in another embodiment of the present invention, instead of starting from the p-type well 202, one can start from the p-type substrate 200), in one example, the p-type well 202 has its upper surface measured from the OHS by a thickness of about 500 nm. Also, for example, the p-type substrate 200 is 1×10 16 dopant / cm 3 The actual dopant concentrations will be determined by final mass production optimization.

[0076] In step 102, as shown in FIG. 5(a), a pad oxide layer 204 having a properly designed thickness is grown on the OHS, and a pad nitride layer 206 having a properly designed thickness is deposited on top of the pad oxide layer 204.

[0077] In step 104, as shown in Figure 5(a), photolithography mask technology is used to define the active region of the VTBFET by anisotropic etching, and materials such as silicon outside the active region are removed by anisotropic etching to form trenches, for example, about 300 nm deep, as needed for future shallow trench isolation (STI), and form a convex structure in the active region. Figure 5(b) is a top view corresponding to Figure 5(a), and Figure 5(a) is a cross-sectional view along the X-direction cut line shown in Figure 5(b).

[0078] In step 106, as shown in FIG. 6( a), oxide spacers 304 are deposited at the edges of the active region, and then nitride spacers 306 are deposited on the oxide spacers 304 (or only the nitride spacers 306 are deposited at the edges of the active region). The oxide spacers 304 and nitride spacers 306 are etched back using an anisotropic etching technique to level the top surfaces of the oxide spacers 304 and nitride spacers 306 with the OHS, so that the oxide spacers 304 and nitride spacers 306 are outside the active region. Therefore, the key point here is that the oxide spacers 304 and then the nitride spacers 306 (or only the nitride spacers 306) form a solid fence wall for clamping the active region or narrow convex structures, especially the sidewalls of the convex structures. The solid clamping wall may be a single layer (such as the nitride spacer 306) or another composite layer (such as the oxide spacer 304 and the nitride spacer 306) to prevent the narrow convex or fin structures from collapsing during the formation of the source / drain or gate of the VTBFET.

[0079] 7(a), in step 108, a thick oxide layer is deposited to completely fill the trench surrounding the active area, and the excess oxide layer is removed using a CMP technique to form STI regions 402, the top surfaces of which are flush with the top surface of the pad nitride layer 206. Again, the STI regions 402 further contain or clamp the active area or narrow convex structures, especially the convex structure VTBFETs, to prevent the narrow convex structures from collapsing during the formation of the source / drain or gate walls.

[0080] In step 110, as shown in Figure 7(a), a thin nitride layer 802 is deposited over the pad nitride layer 206 and the STI regions 402. Also, Figure 7(b) is a top view corresponding to Figure 7(a), and Figure 7(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the X-direction cut line shown in Figure 7(b).

[0081] In step 112, as shown in Figure 8(a), a photolithography (PR) mask 902 is used to define a gate region on the active region and STI region 402, and the thin nitride layer 802 and the pad nitride layer 206 corresponding to the gate region are removed to form a recess 904. Also, Figure 8(b) is a top view corresponding to Figure 8(a), Figure 8(a) is a cross-sectional view along the X-direction cut line shown in Figure 8(b), and Figure 8(c) is a cross-sectional view along the Y-direction cut line shown in Figure 8(b).

[0082] In step 114, the photolithography (PR) mask 902 is removed, as shown in Figure 9(a). Thus, smooth edges along the thin nitride layer 802 and the pad nitride layer 206 for the gate region of the VTBFET are achieved, and the area related to the central pole is also defined within the active region. Also, Figure 9(b) is a top view corresponding to Figure 9(a), and Figure 9(a) is a cross-sectional view along the X-direction cut line shown in Figure 9(b).

[0083] In step 116, as shown in FIG. 10(a), a SiCOH layer (or a combination of oxide / nitride layers) is deposited in the central pole-related region and etched back to form SiCOH spacer-2 1102 (e.g., the width of SiCOH spacer-2 1102 can be 1-3 nm). As shown in FIG. 10(b), the SiCOH spacer-2 1102 on the four peripheral edges in the central pole-related region, and the SiCOH spacer-2 1102 protect the underlying original silicon region, which will become the peripheral ring of silicon (or peripheral Si ring) on ​​the future central pole, named SRS-CP.

[0084] 10(a), based on the SiCOH spacer-2 1102 and the thin nitride layer 802, the pad oxide layer 204 and the semiconductor material of the substrate 200 are etched in the central pole-related region using an anisotropic etching technique to form a recess (or trench) 1202 having a depth of about 50 to 80 nm (e.g., 75 nm) in the exposed silicon region. That is, the SiCOH spacer-2 1102 and the thin nitride layer 802 act as a mask so that the exposed pad oxide layer 204 in the central pole-related region can be removed, and the exposed silicon in the central pole-related region is also removed by a depth of about 75 nm to form the recess 1202 in the central pole-related region. The SiCOH spacer-2 1102 acts like an awning to protect the SRS-CP to be created. 10(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 10(a), FIG. 10(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the X-direction cut line shown in FIG. 10(b), and FIG. 10(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the Y-direction cut line shown in FIG. 10(b).

[0085] Step 120: As shown in FIG. 11(a), form a dielectric layer (e.g., by rapid thermal oxide growth or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) deposition) and fill the recess 1202 with a center pole 1302, also referred to as a center oxide pole or column pole (CP).

[0086] In step 122, as shown in Figure 11(a), a nitride layer 3 is deposited and etched back to form a nitride cap 1402 on the central pole 1302 to protect the central pole 1302. Also, Figure 11(b) is a top view corresponding to Figure 11(a), Figure 11(a) is a cross-sectional view along the X-direction cut line shown in Figure 11(b), and Figure 11(c) is a cross-sectional view along the Y-direction cut line shown in Figure 11(b).

[0087] In step 124, as shown in FIG. 12(a), the exposed STI regions 402 are etched back to a depth of about 50 to 80 nm to form a vertical convex structure in the defined gate region, and the STI regions 402 in the defined gate region are etched back to a depth of about 75 nm to form a convex height, which in one example is the same as or substantially the same as the height of the central pole 1302 calculated from the original horizontal surface (OHS) of the p-type well 202 to the bottom of the central pole 1302. Also, FIG. 12(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 12(a), and FIG. 12(a) is a cross-sectional view along the Y-direction cut line shown in FIG. 12(b).

[0088] In step 126, as shown in FIG. 13(a), etching is used to remove the nitride cap 1402 and SiCOH spacer-2 1102 near the central pole-related region, the thin nitride layer 802, and the nitride spacer 306 covering the protruding structure of the defined gate region. Thus, the previously defined central pole-related region is again revealed. Also, FIG. 13(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 13(a), FIG. 13(a) is a cross-sectional view along the X-direction cut line shown in FIG. 13(b), and FIG. 13(c) is a cross-sectional view along the Y-direction cut line shown in FIG. 13(b).

[0089] In step 128, as shown in FIG. 14(a), etching is used to remove the pad oxide layer 204 near the center-pole-related region and the oxide spacer 304 covering the convex structure. The STI region 402 outside the gate region may also be etched by a certain amount (e.g., a depth of 40 to 80 nm), so that the top surface of the STI region 402 is lower than the top surface of the pad nitride layer 206. This exposes the two outer sides of the single-crystal silicon of the convex structure, as shown in FIG. 14(c). More importantly, as shown in FIG. 14(b), there is a peripheral ring of silicon on the center pole (SRS-CP) 1302. Also, FIG. 14(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 14(a), FIG. 14(a) is a cross-sectional view along the X-direction cut line shown in FIG. 14(b), and FIG. 14(c) is a cross-sectional view along the Y-direction cut line shown in FIG. 14(b).

[0090] Then, as shown in FIG. 15(a), the central pole 1302 is removed to expose the trench-2 1501. As shown in FIG. 15(c), there are two vertical thin silicon bodies S and S in the convex structure for conducting current during the on-state of the VTBFET. The vertical thin body S has one outer sidewall and one inner sidewall adjacent to the trench-2 1501, as does the vertical thin body S. The inner sidewall of the vertical thin body S faces the inner sidewall of the vertical thin body S in the trench-2 1501. FIG. 15(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 15(a), FIG. 15(a) is a cross-sectional view along the X-direction cut line shown in FIG. 15(b), and FIG. 15(c) is a cross-sectional view along the Y-direction cut line shown in FIG. 15(b).

[0091] In step 130, a gate dielectric (such as a high-K dielectric material or oxide) 1502 is formed in the gate region, as shown in FIG. 16(a).

[0092] In step 132, as shown in FIG. 16(a), a gate conductive material (such as polysilicon, a metal such as tungsten on a TiN layer, or another metal with an appropriate work function) 1504 is subsequently deposited in the gate region, and the excess gate conductive material 1504 is removed using CMP techniques. The gate conductive material 1504 is then etched back / polished. Of course, if a gate-last process is used, the previously formed gate conductive material 1504 can be removed and replaced with another appropriate gate conductive material. The portion of the gate conductive material 1504 in trench-2 1501 is sometimes referred to as the "conductive center pole," and the conductive center pole is surrounded by the gate dielectric 1502 in trench-2 1501. Also, FIG. 16(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 16(a), FIG. 16(a) is a cross-sectional view along the X-direction cut line shown in FIG. 16(b), and FIG. 16(c) is a cross-sectional view along the Y-direction cut line shown in FIG. 16(b).

[0093] 17(a), a cap layer 1506, which may be composed of a nitride layer 15062 and a hard mask oxide layer 15064, is deposited in the gate region on top of the gate material 1504, and the cap layer 1506 is used to protect the gate conductive material 1504. Then, the cap layer 1506 is polished using a CMP technique to make the top surface of the cap layer 1506 flush with the top surface of the pad nitride film 206.

[0094] In step 136, as shown in Figure 17(a), the STI regions 402 (including the gate dielectric 1502 on the STI regions 402, if present) are etched to bring the top surfaces of the STIs 402 down to the top surface of the pad oxide layer 204. Also, Figure 17(b) is a top view corresponding to Figure 17(a), and Figure 17(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the X-direction cut line shown in Figure 17(b).

[0095] In step 138, as shown in Figure 18(a), the pad nitride layer 206 and the pad oxide layer 204 are etched away to expose the OHS, and a portion of the STI region 402 is etched back to bring the top surface of the STI 402 down to the OHS.

[0096] In step 140, as shown in Figure 18(a), an oxide-2 layer is deposited on the edges of the gate material 1504 and the cap layer 506 to form oxide-2 spacers 1802 and a nitride-2 layer is deposited on the edges of the gate material 1504 and the cap layer 506 to form nitride-2 spacers 1804. Also, Figure 18(b) is a top view corresponding to Figure 18(a), and Figure 18(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the X-direction cut line shown in Figure 18(b).

[0097] In step 142, as shown in FIG. 19(a), portions of the exposed silicon regions of the active area are then etched away to form shallow trenches 1902 for the source and drain regions of the VTBFET (e.g., about 50 nm to 60 nm deep).

[0098] In step 144, as shown in FIG. 19( a), a thermal oxidation process called the Oxidation-3 process is used to grow an Oxidation-3 layer 1002 (including both an Oxidation-3V layer 10022 through the bulk vertical VTBFET walls (assuming they have a sharp (110) crystal orientation) and an Oxidation-3B layer 10024 on the bottom of the shallow trench 1902). Because the portion of the VTBFET in the shallow trench 1902 has a vertical composite of Oxidation-2 spacers 1802 and Nitride-2 spacers 1804, and those sidewalls of the shallow trench 1902 further surround the STI region 402, the Oxidation-3 process grows very little oxide (i.e., Oxidation-3 layer 1002) on these walls, and as a result, the width of the source / drain walls is practically unaffected by the thermal oxidation process. 19(a) and subsequent figures illustrate the thicknesses of the 3V oxide layer 10022 and the 3B oxide layer 10024 for illustrative purposes only, and their shapes are not proportional to the dimensions of the STI region 402 shown. For example, the thicknesses of the oxide-3V layer 10022 and the oxide-3B layer 10024 may be approximately 10 to 30 nm, while the vertical height of the STI region 402 may be approximately 200 to 250 nm. Based on the oxide-3 process, the thickness of the oxide-3V layer 10022 can be very accurately controlled under precisely controlled thermal oxidation temperature, timing, and growth rate. Since thermal oxidation on a well-defined silicon surface should result in 40% of the thickness of the oxide-3V layer 10022 being removed, the thickness of the exposed (110) silicon surface at the vertical walls of the bulk body of the VTBFET and the remaining 60% of the thickness of the oxide-3V layer 10022 are counted as additions outside the vertical walls of the bulk body of the VTBFET. In one embodiment, the edges of the oxide-3V layer 10022 may be aligned or substantially aligned with the edges of the gate structure.

[0099] In step 146, as shown in Figure 19(a), nitride is deposited on top of oxide-3B layer 10024 using CVD, and the nitride is etched back to form nitride layer 1904. Also, Figure 19(b) is a top view corresponding to Figure 19(a), and Figure 19(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the X-direction cut line shown in Figure 19(b).

[0100] In step 148, tungsten is deposited and etched back to form a tungsten layer 1906 on top of nitride layer 1904, as shown in Figure 20(a).

[0101] In step 150, as shown in FIG. 20(a), TiN is deposited (e.g., by atomic layer deposition, ALD) and the TiN is etched back to form a TiN layer 1908 above the top surface of tungsten layer 1906. Also, FIG. 20(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 20(a), and FIG. 20(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the X-direction cut line shown in FIG. 20(b).

[0102] In step 152, as shown in FIG. 21(a), using the top surface of the TiN layer 1908 as a reference, a portion of the oxide-3V layer 10022 is etched away to expose the silicon sidewalls 2002 (which have a (110) crystal orientation of the silicon region).

[0103] In another example, the step of forming tungsten layer 1906 and TiN layer 1908 in FIG. 20 can be omitted, and the step of etching portions of oxide-3V layer 10022 in FIG. 21 can be used with the top surface of nitride layer 1904 as a reference.

[0104] 21(a), a selective growth technique (e.g., selective epitaxy growth (SEG) technique) is used to form n-type LDDs 2004, 2006, and then form an n+ doped source 2008 and an n+ doped drain 2010. It is worth mentioning that no ion implantation is required to form all the n-type LDDs 2004, 2006, the n+ doped source 2008, and the n+ doped drain 2010 of the proposed VTBFET, and no high temperature thermal annealing is required to remove damage caused by strong bombardment to form the n+ doped source 2008 and the n+ doped drain 2010.

[0105] Finally, as shown in FIG. 21(a), a TiN layer 2012 and a tungsten layer 2014 are deposited (which may be performed, for example, by atomic layer deposition), and the TiN layer 2012 and the tungsten layer 2014 are etched back. In one example, as shown in FIG. 21(a), the bottom of the conductive center pole is lower than the bottom of the oxide-3B layer 10024. The heights of the n+ doped source 2008 and the n+ doped drain 2010 are about 40-60 nm.

[0106] In one example, the height of the protrusion (about 75 nm) is about 10 to 30 nm (e.g., 20 nm) higher than the height of the n+ doped source 2008 and the n+ doped drain 2010 (or the height of the TiN layer 2012 and the tungsten layer 2014). Thus, the gap between the bottom of the gate structure and the n+ doped source 2008 and the n+ doped drain 2010 (or the bottom of the TiN layer 2012 and the tungsten layer 2014) is about 10 to 30 nm (e.g., 20 nm), i.e., the bottom of the gate structure (either the gate dielectric 1502 or the gate material 1504) is lower than the bottom of the n+ doped source 2008 and the n+ doped drain 2010 (or the bottom of the TiN layer 2012 and the tungsten layer 2014).

[0107] As shown in FIG. 21(c), the VTBFET surface has three vertical gate conductive portions G1-G3 connected by the upper gate conductive portion 15042 of the gate material 1504. As previously described, there are four vertical sidewalls of a convex structure covered by the gate dielectric 1502 and the gate material 1504. In the vertical gate conductive portion G1, the gate conductive material, oxide (i.e., the gate dielectric 1502), and semiconductor material (i.e., the p-type well 202) along one outer sidewall form a conductor-oxide-semiconductor structure 2102 similar to a MOS structure. In the vertical gate conductive portion G3, the gate conductive material, oxide (i.e., the gate dielectric 1502), and semiconductor material (i.e., the p-type well 202) along another outer sidewall form a conductor-oxide-semiconductor structure 2104. Similarly, in the vertical gate conductive portion G2 (or conductive center pole), the gate conductive material, oxide, and semiconductor material along the inner sidewalls form another two conductor-oxide-semiconductor structures 2106 and 2108. Thus, there are four conductor-oxide-semiconductor structures (or MOS structures) 2102, 2104, 2106, and 2108. According to the present invention, the uniqueness of the above embodiment is that there are four conductor-oxide-semiconductor structures 2102, 2104, 2106, and 2108 that share one common source and one common drain in a vertical thin-body field-effect transistor. However, the present invention can be applied to other multiple MOS structures (6 or 8) within a single convex structure.

[0108] In another example, the material of the vertical gate conductive portion G2 can be different or the same as the material of the other vertical gate conductive portions G1, G3, or the top gate conductive portion 15042.

[0109] As shown in FIG. 21(a), the length "B" of the gate conductive layer on the OHS is longer than the length "A" of the conductive center pole due to the presence of a peripheral ring portion made of semiconductor within the convex structure. The lateral length of the outer sidewall of the convex structure is longer than the lateral length of the inner sidewall of the convex structure. FIG. 21(b) is a top view corresponding to FIG. 21(a), FIG. 21(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the X-direction cut line shown in FIG. 21(b), and FIG. 21(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the Y-direction cut line shown in FIG. 21(b).

[0110] Also, as shown in FIG. 22, when landing pads 2202 are formed on the n+ doped source 2008 and the n+ doped drain 2010, at least two sides (one sidewall and the top surface) of the n+ doped drain 2010 (or the n+ doped source 2008) are contacted by the TiN layer 2012 / tungsten layer 2014 and the landing pad, and therefore the contact resistance is reduced accordingly.

[0111] Figure 23 shows TCAD simulation results for Ion for a conventional FinFET (center panel of Figure 23) with an 8-nm fin width, a 70-nm fin height, and a 1-nm-thick gate oxide, and a VTBFET (left panel of Figure 23) with a 1.5-nm Sright, a 1.5-nm Sleft, and a 1-nm-thick gate oxide covering Sleft and Sright. Using appropriate gate metal materials to adjust the work function of the conductive center pole and / or gate conductive material, the current density during the on-state of the VTBFET (shown by the blue curve) is seven times that of the conventional FinFET (shown by the brown dashed curve), and the Ion of the present invention is approximately twice that of the conventional FinFET transistor. It is noted that due to the thin bodies of Sleft and Sright, the new vertical thin-body field-effect transistor has multiple current-conducting channels.

[0112] Meanwhile, Figure 24 shows the TCAD simulation results of Ioff for the conventional FinFET and the VTBFET of the present invention. Based on the same structure, as shown in the right diagram of Figure 24, the current density during the off state of the conventional FinFET (shown by the brown dashed curve) is 17 times that of the VTBFET of the present invention (shown by the blue curve), and the Ioff of the conventional FinFET transistor is 34 times that of the VTBFET of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention effectively improves the Ion / Ioff ratio by about 68 times compared with the conventional FinFET.

[0113] Also, because the size of Sleft / Sright is about 1.5 to 3 nm (i.e., the size of the surrounding Si ring is about 1.5 to 3 nm), in another example, while the LDD and heavily doped regions are selectively grown at the preset temperature, the edge of the LDD region 2006 shifts laterally to contact the gate dielectric 1502, and the edge of the LDD region 2008 also shifts laterally to contact the gate dielectric 210. Therefore, in this example, the effective channel length of the VTBFET may be shorter than the effective channel length (Leff) of the VTBFET shown in FIG. 21(a).

[0114] FIG. 25 illustrates the structural differences between a conventional FinFET and the VTBFET of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 25(a), which corresponds to a conventional FinFET, to increase ion current, there are typically two (or more) independent fin structures separated from each other by an STI region, with the STI region located between the two independent fin structures. A gate dielectric layer and a gate conductive layer cross the two independent fin structures and the STI region between them. Each terminal of the fin structure then provides one seed region for selective epitaxy of the LDD and heavily doped regions. In this way, the two N+ regions 2502, 2504 of the two fin structures are grown separately by selective epitaxy (SEG) technology. Because the two grown N+ regions 2502, 2504 in the conventional FinFET are not limited by the STI region, these two N+ regions 2502, 2504 gradually expand like two separate mushrooms, and eventually the two N+ regions 2502, 2504 are connected to each other. Therefore, the transistor body of the conventional FinFET in FIG. 25(a) includes two (or more) independent fin structures, each fin structure having a width of 6 nm, the STI region between the two independent fin structures having a width of 25 nm, and the STI region between this conventional FinFET and another identical conventional FinFET also having a width of 25 nm. Therefore, the pitch distance between the two conventional FINFETs in FIG. 25(a) is 62 nm.

[0115] However, as shown in FIG. 25(b), which corresponds to one embodiment of the present invention, there is only one single convex structure formed based on the semiconductor substrate, and one trench is formed in the convex structure so that there are two vertical thin bodies, as described above. However, there is no STI region between these two vertical thin bodies. A gate dielectric layer and a gate conductive layer then cross the two vertical thin bodies and the trench between them, and the portion of the gate conductive layer within the trench (i.e., the aforementioned conductive central pole) is surrounded by the gate dielectric layer, particularly along the four sidewalls and bottom of the trench. There is still semiconductor material of the substrate below the bottom of the trench. Therefore, there is no STI region between the two vertical thin bodies.

[0116] Even though two vertical thin bodies are present, due to the presence of the surrounding Si ring as described above, one exposed end of the surrounding Si ring only provides one seed region, rather than two separate seed regions, for selective epitaxy of the LDD and heavily doped regions. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the N+ region 2506 on the VTBFET surface is grown by selective epitaxy growth (SEG) within the recess confined by the STI regions, as shown in FIG. 21 . Therefore, the transistor body of the VTBFET in FIG. 25(b) only includes one single convex structure (or fin structure) with two vertical thin bodies extending upward, each of which has a width of approximately 1.5 nm and a height of approximately 50-70 nm. Each vertical thin body has two MOS structures or two conductive channels ("2C" shown in FIG. 25(b)) along its two sidewalls. In this example, the LDD regions of the source / drain regions contact two vertical thin bodies due to the lateral shift caused by the thermal process, as described above. The width of the STI region between this VTBFET and another identical VTBFET is 12 nm. Therefore, the pitch distance between the two VTBFETs in Figure 25(b) can be as small as 22 nm.

[0117] 25(c) corresponds to another embodiment, and the main difference between FIG. 25(b) and FIG. 25(c) is that the N+ region 2508 does not grow in the recess limited by the STI region, and therefore the N+ region 2508 gradually expands like a single mushroom. Also, even if there are two vertical thin bodies in a single convex structure, due to the presence of the surrounding Si ring as described above, one exposed end of the surrounding Si ring only provides one seed region, not two separate seed regions, for the selective growth epitaxy of the LDD region and the heavily doped region.

[0118] In summary, a VTBFET has a conductive central pole in a convex structure, surrounded by a gate dielectric. Such a conductive central pole within a single convex structure can effectively suppress leakage current paths during the VTBFET's off-state. However, the VTBFET still has multiple vertical thin bodies (i.e., Sright and Sleft) for current conduction during the on-state. For example, the width of Sright (or Sleft) can be approximately 1.5 to 2 nm. Because the conductive central pole is surrounded by a peripheral ring of silicon, the conductive current during the VTBFET's on-state is diverged and then converged in the conductive channel region extending from the drain region to the source region.

[0119] Furthermore, solid fence walls (such as oxide spacers 304 and then nitride spacers 306 shown in FIG. 6 ) are formed to clamp the active region or narrow convex structures, particularly the sidewalls of the convex structures. The solid fence walls may be a single layer or other composite layers to prevent the narrow convex structures from collapsing during the formation of the source / drain or gate structures of the VTBFET. Furthermore, STI regions 402 (shown in FIG. 7 ) further contain or clamp the active region or narrow convex structures, particularly the convex VTBFET, to prevent the narrow convex structures from collapsing during the formation of the source / drain or gate walls. Therefore, even if the height of the convex structures (e.g., 60-300 nm) is much larger than the thickness of the convex VTBFET structures (e.g., 3-7 nm), the convex structures protected by the solid fence walls of the present invention are less likely to be vulnerable during subsequent processes (e.g., source / drain formation, gate formation, etc.).

[0120] Another advantage of the present invention is that because the thicknesses of the oxide-2 spacers 1802 and nitride-2 spacers 1804 formed on the edges of the gate region (shown in FIG. 18 ) are controllable, and the thicknesses of the oxide-3V layer 10022 and oxide-3B layer 10024 (shown in FIG. 19 ) created by a thermal oxidation process are also controllable, the edges of the source / drain can be aligned or substantially aligned with the edges of the gate region (as shown in FIG. 21 ), especially when the source / drain is formed by the SEG technique. Therefore, according to the present invention, the relative position or distance between the edges of the source / drain and the edges of the gate region is controllable and may depend on the thickness of the spacers and / or the thickness of the oxide layer (such as the oxide-3V layer 10022) formed on the edges of the gate region. Therefore, the effective channel length Leff can be controlled so that the gate-induced drain leakage (GIDL) current problem can be improved.

[0121] In summary, the VTBFET of the present invention has the following advantages:

[0122] (1) The existence of the conductive central pole surrounded by the gate dielectric layer in the convex structure reduces the leakage current path during the off-state, and such conductive central pole surrounded by the gate dielectric layer in the convex structure can effectively suppress the leakage current path during the off-state of the transistor. In addition, there are multiple vertical thin bodies in the convex structure, and these multiple vertical thin bodies further increase the conduction current during the on-state of the transistor.

[0123] (2) Using a process with a minimum feature size of 5 nm as an example, a new vertical thin-body field-effect transistor (VFT) with multiple MOS structures and multiple conductive channels has the following dimensions: the first two thin-body structures built between them have a 1.5 nm body, a 1 nm gate dielectric thickness, and an inner gate (conductive center pole) thickness of approximately 3 nm, thus requiring a starting convex thickness of approximately 8 nm. Assuming an 8 nm STI width between the two convex structures, the pitch (space + width) of the vertical thin-body field-effect transistor is 16 nm (= 3.2F), which is much smaller than the pitch of a state-of-the-art FinFET with a 6 nm fin width and a 24 nm space between the two fins. Therefore, the transistor pitch is 30 nm (= 6F).

[0124] (3) Figures 23 and 24 show some device simulation results of vertical thin-body field-effect transistors versus conventional FinFETs (or tri-gates). The Ion and Ioff of the vertical thin-body field-effect transistors of the present invention are >2X and <34X, respectively, with significant improvements in absolute values. This improvement is achievable with a device width pitch of <4F for vertical thin-body field-effect transistors compared to 6F for state-of-the-art FinFETs. Thus, the manufacturability of vertical thin-body field-effect transistors is indeed much better, making it worthwhile to implement the new structures with very reasonable processing complexity.

[0125] (4) A solid fence wall is formed to clamp the active region or narrow convex structures, especially the sidewalls of the convex structures. Therefore, even if the height of the convex structure (e.g., 60-300 nm) is much larger than the width of the convex structure (e.g., 3-7 nm), the convex structure protected by the solid wall of the present invention is less likely to be fragile.

[0126] (5) The relative position or distance between the edge of the source / drain region and the edge of the gate region can be controlled depending on the thickness of the spacer and / or the thickness of the oxide layer (such as an oxide-3V layer) formed on the edge of the gate.

[0127] (6) The resistance of the source / drain regions can be improved by forming metal-semiconductor junctions in the source / drain regions.

[0128] (7) The bulk of the source / drain regions are isolated by insulating materials, including oxide-3B and / or nitride-3 bottom structures, which can significantly reduce junction leakage.

[0129] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments thereof, it is not intended that the present invention be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but rather to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A transistor structure comprising: a body having a single convex structure, the single convex structure being made of a first semiconductor material, a trench being formed in the single convex structure, the single convex structure including two vertical thin bodies located on two opposite sides of the trench, respectively; a gate structure having a gate conductive layer and a gate dielectric layer, the gate conductive layer overlying the single convex structure and a portion of the gate conductive layer filling the trench; a single protruding structure including a first outer wall and a second outer wall covered by the gate conductive layer, the single protruding structure further including a first inner wall and a second inner wall within the trench, and a length of the first inner wall or the second inner wall is shorter than a length of the first outer wall or the second outer wall.

2. The transistor structure of claim 1 , wherein the bottom and sidewalls of the trench are covered by the gate dielectric layer.

3. 2. The transistor structure of claim 1, wherein a bottom of the gate conductive layer outside the single convex structure is lower than a bottom of the portion of the gate conductive layer filled in the trench.

4. The transistor structure of claim 1 , wherein the gate dielectric layer is disposed between the gate conductive layer and the two vertical thin bodies.

5. a source region contacting a first end of the single convex structure; a drain region contacting the second end of the single convex structure; a first recess accommodating the source region; a second recess that accommodates the drain region; 5. The transistor structure of claim 4, wherein sidewalls of the first recess and sidewalls of the second recess are surrounded by STI regions, and no STI region is present between the two vertical thin bodies.

6. 6. The transistor structure of claim 5, wherein an edge of the source region contacts the two vertical thin bodies and an edge of the drain region contacts the two vertical thin bodies.

7. The source region is an LDD region in contact with the two vertical thin bodies; a heavily doped region extending laterally from the LDD region; a metal region in the first recess and in contact with a sidewall of the heavily doped region.

8. an oxide layer located within the first recess, the oxide layer including a vertical portion and a lateral portion covering a bottom of the first recess, the top surface of the vertical portion being higher than the top surface of the lateral portion; 6. The transistor structure of claim 5, further comprising: a nitride layer overlying said oxide layer.

9. 5. The transistor structure of claim 4, wherein the width of one vertical thin body is 3 nm or less.

10. A transistor structure comprising: a body having a single convex structure with an original surface, the body being made of a semiconductor material, the single convex structure having a plurality of conductive channels; a source region contacting a first end of the single convex structure; a drain region contacting the second end of the single convex structure; a gate region having a gate conductive layer over the single convex structure, a first portion of the gate conductive layer in a trench formed in the single convex structure and below the original surface, a second portion of the gate conductive layer above the original surface, and a bottom of the portion of the gate conductive layer outside the single convex structure being lower than a bottom of the first portion of the gate conductive layer within the single convex structure; a length of the second portion of the gate conductive layer between two spacers covering a gate conductive layer structure is longer than a length of the first portion of the gate conductive layer corresponding to a long side of the trench along an extension direction of the single convex structure.

11. A transistor structure as described in claim 10, wherein the trench is between the first end and the second end, and the first portion of the gate conductive layer is filled within the trench.

12. 12. The transistor structure of claim 11, wherein the single convex structure includes two upwardly extending thin bodies, each of the thin bodies including two conductive channels along sidewalls of the thin body.

13. 13. The transistor structure of claim 12, wherein the trench filled with the first portion of the gate conductive layer is between the two thin bodies.

14. 14. The transistor structure of claim 13, further comprising a gate dielectric layer overlying the single convex structure, the first portion of the gate conductive layer being surrounded by the gate dielectric layer within the trench.

15. 15. The transistor structure of claim 14, wherein the gate conductive layer is surrounded by the gate dielectric layer along four sidewalls and a bottom of the trench.

16. 16. The transistor structure of claim 15, wherein the bottom of the trench is directly beneath the semiconductor material of the body, and the gate dielectric layer along the bottom of the trench is in direct contact with the semiconductor material of the body.

17. The transistor structure of claim 10 , further comprising an isolation wall clamping a sidewall of the single convex structure, and an STI layer surrounding the isolation wall.

18. A transistor structure comprising: a semiconductor body having a single convex structure, the single convex structure including two upwardly extending thin bodies having at least four upwardly extending conductor-oxide-semiconductor interfaces; a single source region in contact with a first end of the single protruding structure and within the first recess, the single source region comprising: an LDD region in contact with the two upwardly extending thin bodies; a heavily doped region extending laterally from the LDD region; a single source region including a metal region in the first recess and in contact with a sidewall of the heavily doped region; The at least four upwardly extending conductor-oxide-semiconductor interfaces are horizontally shifted relative to one another.

19. The transistor structure of claim 18, wherein each upwardly extending thin body includes two upwardly extending conductor-oxide-semiconductor interfaces.

20. 20. The transistor structure of claim 19, wherein said single convex structure has a trench formed therein to separate said two upwardly extending thin bodies.

21. The transistor structure of claim 18, further comprising a single drain region selectively grown from a second end of the single convex structure.

22. A transistor structure comprising: a semiconductor body having a single convex structure including at least two upwardly extending bodies, said semiconductor body being made of a first semiconductor material; a source region in contact with a first end of the single convex structure and within the first recess; an oxide layer located within the first recess, the oxide layer including a vertical portion and a lateral portion covering a bottom of the first recess, the top surface of the vertical portion being higher than the top surface of the lateral portion; a nitride layer overlying the lateral portion of the oxide layer; and a trench formed in the single convex structure to separate two upwardly extending bodies; A transistor structure wherein there are no STI regions between the two upwardly extending bodies.

23. A drain region in contact with a second end of the single convex structure; 23. The transistor structure of claim 22, further comprising: a gate region having a gate conductive layer, the gate conductive layer overlying the single convex structure.

24. 23. The transistor structure of claim 22, wherein the bottom of the trench is in direct contact with the first semiconductor material.

Images