Methods of forming semiconductor structures and semiconductor devices

Abstract

To provide a method of forming a semiconductor device, and a resulting device.SOLUTION: The method may include forming a source / drain on an exposed portion of a semiconductor layer of a layered nanosheet. The method may include forming a sacrificial material on the source / drain. The method may include forming a dielectric layer covering the sacrificial material. The method may include replacing the sacrificial material with a contact liner. The semiconductor device may include a first gate nanosheet stack and a second gate nanosheet stack. The semiconductor device may include a first source / drain in contact with the first nanosheet stack, and a second source / drain in contact with the second nanosheet stack. The semiconductor device may include a source / drain dielectric located between the first source / drain and the second source / drain. The semiconductor device may include a contact liner in contact with the first source / drain, the second source / drain and the source / drain dielectric.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to semiconductor structures, and more particularly to forming nanosheet transistors on bulk materials. [Background technology]

[0002] The fin field effect transistor (FinFET) is an emerging technology that may provide a solution to field effect transistor (FET) scaling issues at the 22 nm node and below. A FinFET structure may include a narrow semiconductor fin gated on at least two sides of each of the semiconductor fins, and source and drain regions adjacent to the fin on opposite sides of the gate. A FinFET structure with n-type source and drain regions may be referred to as an nFinFET, and a FinFET structure with p-type source and drain regions may be referred to as a pFinFET. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] The degree of control of electron transport in the channel region of a field-effect transistor is a major factor determining the level of leakage current. A wrap-around gate, such as that in a nanosheet field-effect transistor, is a configuration that improves the control of electron transport in the channel region of a field-effect transistor. However, integration methods employing semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrates increase production costs because SOI substrates are more expensive than bulk substrates. Embodiments of the present disclosure aim to provide a nanosheet transistor with a wrap-around contact. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] One embodiment includes a method for forming a semiconductor device. The method can include forming a source / drain on an exposed portion of a semiconductor layer of a layered nanosheet, the layered nanosheet including multiple layers. The method can include forming a sacrificial material on the source / drain. The method can include forming a dielectric layer covering the sacrificial material. The method can include removing the sacrificial material to form a contact gap. The method can include depositing a contact liner in the contact gap.

[0005] One embodiment includes a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device may include a first gate nanosheet stack. The semiconductor device may include a second gate nanosheet stack. The semiconductor device may include a first source / drain in contact with the first nanosheet stack. The semiconductor device may include a second source / drain in contact with the second nanosheet stack. The semiconductor device may include a source / drain dielectric disposed between the first source / drain and the second source / drain. The semiconductor device may include a contact liner in contact with the first source / drain, the second source / drain, and the source / drain dielectric. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 10 illustrates a gate across a nanosheet stack with the x- and y-axes representing the cross-section used in subsequent figures, according to one exemplary embodiment. [Figure 2] 1A is a cross-sectional view along the x-axis showing a starting substrate having alternating layers of sacrificial and semiconductor materials according to one example embodiment; FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view along the y-axis showing a starting structure having alternating layers of sacrificial and semiconductor materials formed as fins on a substrate with shallow trench isolation (STI) separating each fin; [Figure 3] 1A and 1B illustrate the formation of a dummy gate and gate spacers according to an example embodiment, where (A) is a cross-sectional view along the x-axis, and (B) is a cross-sectional view along the y-axis. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B illustrate the formation of spacers in nanosheet regions according to an exemplary embodiment, where (A) is a cross-sectional view along the x-axis and (B) is a cross-sectional view along the y-axis. [Figure 5] 1A and 1B illustrate the formation of source / drains and sacrificial source / drain materials according to an example embodiment, where (A) is a cross-sectional view along the x-axis, and (B) is a cross-sectional view along the y-axis. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B illustrate deposition of a dielectric layer according to an exemplary embodiment, where (A) is a cross-sectional view along the x-axis and (B) is a cross-sectional view along the y-axis. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B illustrate the formation of a source / drain dielectric according to an example embodiment, where (A) is a cross-sectional view along the x-axis, and (B) is a cross-sectional view along the y-axis. [Figure 8] 1A and 1B illustrate cross-sectional views along the x-axis and y-axis, respectively, of deposition of an interlevel dielectric according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 9] 1A and 1B illustrate the formation of a replacement metal gate according to an example embodiment, where (A) is a cross-sectional view along the x-axis, and (B) is a cross-sectional view along the y-axis. [Figure 10] 1A and 1B illustrate cross-sectional views along the x-axis and y-axis, respectively, of interlayer dielectric removal according to an example embodiment. [Figure 11] 1A and 1B illustrate the removal of a sacrificial source / drain layer according to an example embodiment, where (A) is a cross-sectional view along the x-axis, and (B) is a cross-sectional view along the y-axis. [Figure 12] 1A and 1B illustrate the formation of a contact liner according to an exemplary embodiment, where (A) is a cross-sectional view along the x-axis, and (B) is a cross-sectional view along the y-axis. [Figure 13] 1A and 1B illustrate the formation of electrical contacts according to an exemplary embodiment, where (A) is a cross-sectional view along the x-axis and (B) is a cross-sectional view along the y-axis. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Elements in the drawings are not necessarily to scale and are not intended to portray specific parameters of the present invention. Dimensions of elements may be exaggerated for clarity and simplicity of illustration. For exact dimensions, please refer to the detailed description. The drawings are intended to illustrate only typical embodiments of the present invention and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present invention. Like numbers refer to like elements in the drawings.

[0008] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in more detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings in which exemplary embodiments are shown. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. In this description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure the present embodiments.

[0009] In the following description, the terms "top," "bottom," "right," "left," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," and their derivatives refer to the disclosed structures and methods as oriented in the drawings. The terms "above," "overlying," "above," "on," "located on," or "located on" mean that a first element, such as a first structure, is above a second element, such as a second structure, where an intervening element, such as an interface structure, may be present between the first and second elements. The term "direct contact" means that a first element, such as a first structure, and a second element, such as a second structure, are connected without any intermediate conductive, insulating, or semiconducting layer at the interface between the two elements. The terms "substantially," "substantially similar," or "about" refer to cases where the difference in length, height, or orientation is insignificant between the explicitly defined description (e.g., phrases without the term "substantially similar") and the substantially similar variation. In one embodiment, substantial (and its derivatives) refers to variations due to commonly accepted engineering or manufacturing tolerances for similar devices, for example, up to a 10% deviation in value or a 10° deviation in angle.

[0010] In order to avoid obscuring the presentation of the embodiments of the present invention, in the following detailed description, some process steps or operations known in the art may be grouped together for presentation and illustration purposes and may not be described in detail in some cases. Also, some process steps or operations known in the art may not be described at all. It should be noted that the following description instead focuses on the distinctive features or elements of various embodiments of the present invention.

[0011] As CMOS continues to scale, a trade-off persists between reducing contact resistance between the source / drain and the chip's interconnects (which may involve increasing the contact surface area between elements) and reducing capacitance between the gate and source / drain as more metal (or conductive material) is placed in the source / drain region. While wraparound contacts have been used in the past, they can lead to increased capacitance between the gate and source / drain. Therefore, techniques can be used to minimize the additional conductive material in the source / drain region by using a sacrificial layer over the source / drain to define the contact thickness of the contact material, thus replacing the excess contact material with a filler dielectric (which reduces the capacitance between the gate and source / drain).

[0012] 2(A) and 2(B), a semiconductor structure can be formed from a starting structure 10 having a layered configuration, such as a substrate 100, an isolation layer 110, a semiconductor layer 120, and a sacrificial layer 130. Other embodiments having additional semiconductor and sacrificial layers are also contemplated.

[0013] In some embodiments, substrate 100 may be a bulk substrate. Substrate 100 may be made of any semiconductor material commonly known in the art, including, for example, silicon, germanium, silicon-germanium alloys, silicon carbide, silicon-germanium carbide alloys, and compound (e.g., III-V and II-VI) semiconductor materials. Non-limiting examples of compound semiconductor materials include gallium arsenide, indium arsenide, and indium phosphide. Furthermore, semiconductor layer 120 may be formed of the same type of material as substrate 100. In some embodiments, semiconductor layer 120 may be the same material as substrate 100.

[0014] The sacrificial layer 130 may comprise a selected material that can be selectively removed without damaging the substrate 100 and the semiconductor layer 120. In one exemplary embodiment, the sacrificial layer 130 may be selected as silicon-germanium, and the substrate 100 and the semiconductor layer 120 comprise silicon.

[0015] 2(A) and 2(B) can be achieved by epitaxially growing alternating sacrificial and semiconductor materials on a substrate 100. The sacrificial layer 130 may have a thickness ranging from 4 nm to about 10 nm. The semiconductor layer 120 may have a thickness ranging from 4 nm to about 10 nm.

[0016] Isolation layer 110 may be an oxide of the SOI starting material, a replacement dielectric of a sacrificial material (such as a high-Ge material that is selectively removable relative to semiconductor layer 120 and sacrificial layer 130), or a dielectric formed by any other suitable means. Isolation layer 110 may comprise any suitable dielectric material, such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, hydrogenated silicon dioxide, silicon-based low-k dielectrics, flowable oxides, porous dielectrics, or organic dielectrics, including porous organic dielectrics, and may be formed using any suitable deposition technique, including ALD, CVD, plasma-enhanced CVD, spin-on deposition, or PVD. However, in another embodiment, isolation layer 110 is not present, and sacrificial layer 130 is formed directly on substrate 100.

[0017] Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a dummy gate may be formed above the first structure 20 and the second structure 30. When forming the dummy gate, a dummy gate layer may be formed above the first structure 20 and the second structure 30 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. In such an embodiment, the dummy gate layer may be composed of any suitable sacrificial material, such as amorphous or polycrystalline silicon. The dummy gate layer may have a thickness ranging from about 30 nm to about 200 nm. The dummy gate layer may be deposited by any suitable deposition technique known in the art, including atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), molecular beam deposition (MBD), pulsed laser deposition (PLD), or liquid mist chemical deposition (LSMCD).

[0018] Following deposition of the dummy gate layer, a dummy gate structure can be formed, including a gate hard mask 140, a dummy gate 150, and spacers 160. Formation of the dummy gate structure can be performed, for example, by lithographically patterning the required gate region using the gate hard mask 140 as a pattern, and then etching away the dummy gate layer from the unpatterned regions. Suitable lithographic materials include, for example, a photoresist layer. Etching can be performed by any suitable technique, such as reactive ion etching (RIE) or wet stripping. Suitable materials for the dummy gate 150 include, but are not limited to, polysilicon (poly-Si) and / or amorphous silicon (a-Si). Processes such as CVD, ALD, or PVD can be employed to deposit a sacrificial gate material on top of the nanosheet device stack 105. Suitable materials for the gate hard mask 140 include, but are not limited to, nitride hard mask materials such as SiN, SiON, or SiCN, or combinations thereof, or oxide hard mask materials such as SiOx, or combinations thereof.

[0019] After the formation of the dummy gate 150, spacers 160 may be formed surrounding the hard mask 140 and the dummy gate 150. The spacers 160 may be formed of any suitable material, such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, or a combination thereof, and may have a thickness ranging from 2 nm to approximately 100 nm, preferably from approximately 2 nm to approximately 25 nm. The spacers may be made of an insulating material, such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, or a combination thereof. The spacers 160 may be formed by any method known in the art, such as depositing a conformal silicon nitride layer over the dummy gate 150 and removing unwanted material from the conformal silicon nitride layer using an anisotropic etching process, such as reactive ion etching (RIE) or plasma etching (not shown). Methods of forming spacers are well known in the art, and other methods are expressly contemplated. Additionally, in various embodiments, the spacers 160 may include one or more layers.

[0020] 3(A) and 3(B), an anisotropic etch can be performed to remove material between each dummy gate structure. After the anisotropic etch, the gate buffer layer 113, the first gate sacrificial layer 133, the second gate sacrificial layer 136, the first gate semiconductor layer 123, and the second gate semiconductor layer 126 remain only below the dummy gate structures. The anisotropic etch can be performed by any suitable technique, such as reactive ion etching (RIE).

[0021] 4(A) and 4(B), an isotropic etch can be performed to pull back or selectively remove material of the first gate sacrificial layer 133 and the second gate sacrificial layer 136 while leaving the first gate semiconductor layer 123 and the second gate semiconductor layer 126, thereby forming a pulled back first gate sacrificial layer 134 and a pulled back second gate sacrificial layer 137. The pull back staggers the vertical interfaces created during the anisotropic etch such that the vertical interfaces between the pulled back gate buffer layer 114, the pulled back first gate sacrificial layer 134, and the pulled back second gate sacrificial layer 137 are not the same as the vertical interfaces between the first gate semiconductor layer 123 and the second gate semiconductor layer 126. The isotropic etching can be performed by any suitable technique that can selectively remove the gate buffer layer 113, the first gate sacrificial layer 133, and the second gate sacrificial layer 136, such as wet and dry etching techniques.

[0022] 4(A) and 4(B), a conformal deposition of an insulating layer 170 can be performed. The insulating layer 170 can be formed by conformally depositing an insulating material on the exposed surfaces of the structure shown in FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B). Also, in various embodiments, the insulating layer 170 can include one or more layers. The insulating layer 170 can be any suitable oxide, nitride, or oxynitride material, such as silicon nitride.

[0023] The removal of the insulating layer covering the first gate semiconductor layer 123 and the second gate semiconductor layer 126 can be performed by any combination of known techniques, such as RIE, wet strip, and plasma etching, etc. Due to the anisotropy of the etching, the insulating layer 170 is maintained along the pulled back first gate sacrificial layer 134 and the pulled back second gate sacrificial layer 137.

[0024] 5(A) and 5(B), epitaxial growth can be used to form source / drains 190 on the exposed surfaces of the first gate semiconductor layer 123 and the second gate semiconductor layer 126, and a sacrificial source / drain layer 180 can be formed on the source / drains 190. The source / drains 190 may be formed such that the surfaces of the source / drains 190 in contact with the seed layer (i.e., the first gate semiconductor layer 123 and the second gate semiconductor layer 126) are slightly larger than the seed layer. Furthermore, because epitaxial growth is used, {111} planes can be created, and growth can be stopped so that the source / drains 190 formed from the first gate semiconductor layer 123 do not contact the source / drains 190 formed from the second gate semiconductor layer 126 or to prevent the successive semiconductor layers of the nanosheet from coalescing, resulting in a triangular cross-section as shown in FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B). However, in some embodiments, the source / drains 190 may be grown together, but not so much as to completely fill the space between the first and second gates so that there are no voids between the source / drain 190 structures, or to merge the source / drains of each semiconductor layer of the nanosheet. In some implementations, the source / drains 190 may be silicon-germanium. In such embodiments, the semiconductor material may contain, for example, about 20% to about 100% germanium and about 0% to about 80% silicon, and may be doped with a p-type dopant, such as boron, to a concentration of about 1×10. 20 atoms / cm 3 to approximately 2 × 10 21 atoms / cm 3 In another exemplary embodiment, the semiconductor material may be carbon-doped silicon. In such an embodiment, the semiconductor material may contain, for example, about 0.5% to about 2.5% carbon, about 97.5% to about 99.5% silicon, and may be doped with an n-type dopant, such as arsenic or phosphorus, at a concentration ranging from about 1×10 to about 1×10. 20 atoms / cm 3 to approximately 2 × 10 21 atoms / cm 3The masking layer 180 may be doped at a concentration of 0.1 to 0.25 μm. After epitaxial growth, removal of the masking layer 180 and the portions of the masking layer 183 in the second region may be performed. A sacrificial source / drain layer 180 may be epitaxially grown on the surface of the source / drains 190. The material of the sacrificial source / drain layer 180 may be selected so that it can be removed selectively to the source / drains 190 in a later step. The sacrificial source / drain layer 180 may have a thickness of about 1 nm to about 10 nm.

[0025] The terms "epitaxial growth and / or deposition" and "epitaxial formation and / or growth" refer to the growth of a semiconductor material on a deposition surface of a semiconductor material, where the grown semiconductor material may have the same crystalline characteristics as the semiconductor material on the deposition surface. In an epitaxial deposition process, chemical reactants supplied by source gases are controlled and system parameters are set so that the deposited atoms arrive at the deposition surface of the semiconductor substrate with sufficient energy to move about the deposition surface and become oriented to match the crystalline arrangement of the atoms on the deposition surface. Thus, the epitaxial semiconductor material may have the same crystalline characteristics as the deposition surface on which it is formed. For example, epitaxial semiconductor material deposited on a {100} crystal plane may have a {100} orientation. In some embodiments, the epitaxial growth and / or deposition process may be selective to formation on semiconductor surfaces and not deposit material on dielectric surfaces, such as silicon dioxide or silicon nitride surfaces.

[0026] 6(A) and 6(B), a conformal deposition of a source / drain dielectric layer 200 can be performed. The source / drain dielectric layer 200 can be made of any insulating material, such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, or a combination thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, SiBCN can be selected as the source / drain dielectric layer 200. The source / drain dielectric layer 200 can be formed by any method known in the art, including conformal deposition. The source / drain dielectric layer 200 can be in contact with the insulating layer 170 to deposit and stabilize the source / drain dielectric layer 200 between the gate structures.

[0027] 7(A) and 7(B), source / drain dielectric layer 200 can be reduced to below sacrificial source / drain layer 180, thereby forming source / drain dielectric layer 205. Removal of material from the previous conformal process can be accomplished using an isotropic etch appropriate for the material.

[0028] Referring to FIGS. 8(A) and 8(B), an interlayer dielectric (ILD) 210 can be formed surrounding the gate. Suitable ILD materials include, but are not limited to, oxide low-k materials, such as silicon oxide (SiOx) and / or oxide ultra-low-k interlayer dielectric (ULK-ILD) materials, having a dielectric constant κ of less than 2.7. Note that silicon dioxide (SiO2) has a dielectric constant κ value of 3.9. Suitable ultra-low-k dielectric materials include, but are not limited to, porous organosilicate glass (pSiCOH). Processes such as CVD, ALD, or PVD can be employed to deposit the ILD 210. After deposition, the ILD 210 can be planarized using a process such as chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP).

[0029] 9(A) and 9(B), the sacrificial gate 150, the pulled-back first gate sacrificial layer 134, and the pulled-back second gate sacrificial layer 137 may be removed and replaced with a replacement metal gate (RMG) 220. The dummy gate 150 may be removed by any suitable etching process known in the art that can selectively remove the dummy gate 150 without substantially removing material from the surrounding structure. In one exemplary embodiment, the dummy gate 150 may be removed by a reactive ion etching (RIE) process that can selectively remove silicon.

[0030] 9(A) and 9(B), selective removal of the pulled-back first gate sacrificial layer 134 and the pulled-back second gate sacrificial layer 137 can be performed. Any suitable etching process known in the art that can selectively remove the pulled-back first gate sacrificial layer 134 and the pulled-back second gate sacrificial layer 137 while leaving the first gate semiconductor layer 123 and the second gate semiconductor layer 126 can be used, and the selection of the etching process may depend on the particular material considered.

[0031] 9(A) and 9(B), an RMG 220 may be formed within the cavity. Formation of the RMG 220 may include deposition of a dielectric, a work function metal, and a gate electrode. In one embodiment, the dielectric layer is silicon dioxide (Si x O y ) or, for example, hafnium oxide (Hf x O y ), zirconium oxide (Zr x O y ), aluminum oxide (Al x O y ), titanium oxide (Ti x O y ), lanthanum oxide (La x O y ), strontium titanium oxide (Sr x Ti y O z), lanthanum aluminum oxide (La x Al y O z The dielectric layer may comprise a high-k oxide, such as a SiO 2 film, a SiO 3 film, a SiO 4 film, a SiO 5 film, a SiO 6 film, a SiO 2 film, a SiO 2 film, a SiO 3 film, a SiO 4 film, a SiO 5 film, a SiO 6 film, a SiO 2 film, a SiO 2 film, a SiO 3 film, a SiO 4 film, a SiO 5 film, a SiO 6 film, a SiO 2 film, a SiO 2 film, a SiO 3 film, a SiO 4 film, a SiO 2 ...

[0032] After deposition of the dielectric layer, in some embodiments, a work function metal layer may be deposited. The work function metal layer may include, for example, aluminum, lanthanum oxide, magnesium oxide, titanium oxide, strontium oxide, TiN, or TaN. The work function metal layer may be formed using any suitable metal deposition technique, including, for example, CVD, PVD, ALD, sputtering, and plating. In some embodiments, a high temperature anneal may be performed prior to deposition of the gate electrode.

[0033] A gate electrode can be deposited over the dielectric layer or work function metal layer. The gate electrode can be composed of a gate conductor material, including, but not limited to, zirconium, tungsten, tantalum, hafnium, titanium, aluminum, ruthenium, metal carbides, metal nitrides, transition metal aluminides, tantalum carbide, titanium carbide, tantalum magnesium carbide, or combinations thereof. The gate electrode can be formed using any suitable metal deposition technique, including, for example, CVD, PVD, ALD, sputtering, and plating. Additionally, a sacrificial cap 230 can be filled into the remaining portion of the gate opening. The sacrificial cap 230 can be formed using any suitable deposition technique, including ALD, CVD, plasma-enhanced CVD, spin-on deposition, or PVD. The sacrificial cap 230 can comprise any suitable dielectric material, such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, hydrogenated silicon oxide carbon, silicon-based low-k dielectrics, flowable oxides, porous dielectrics, or organic dielectrics, including porous organic dielectrics. After the RMG 220 is formed, the sacrificial cap 230 can be formed using any suitable dielectric.

[0034] 10(A) and 10(B), the ILD 210 may be removed to expose the sacrificial source / drain layer 180. Removal of the ILD 210 may be performed using any suitable etching technique, such as, for example, reactive ion etching (RIE).

[0035] 11(A) and 11(B), the sacrificial source / drain layer 180 can be selectively removed, leaving a gap between the source / drain 190 and the source / drain dielectric 205. The sacrificial source / drain layer 180 can be selectively removed using any suitable etching technique, based on the chemical nature of the sacrificial source / drain layer 180 and the source / drain 190.

[0036] 12(A) and 12(B), contact liners 240 can be formed in the gaps formed during removal of the sacrificial source / drain layer 180. After conformal deposition of the metal liner, source / drain metal silicidation can be performed on the contact liners 240. The metal liner can include metals such as Co, Ti, Ni, W, Mo, and Ta.

[0037] 13(A) and 13(B), electrical contacts 250 can be deposited. The electrical contacts 250 can be deposited on the source / drain regions. The electrical contacts 250 can comprise, for example, copper, aluminum, titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, or tungsten. The electrical contacts 250 can be formed using a filling technique such as electroplating, electroless plating, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, or a combination of methods.

[0038] Following the above steps, a device can be formed that has reduced contact resistance (by increasing the contact surface area) and reduced capacitance between the gate and source / drain. The resulting structure includes source / drains 190 that are not fully merged with other portions of the source / drain 190 on a continuous semiconductor layer (e.g., the first gate semiconductor layer 123) or on semiconductor layers on opposing devices (e.g., the first gate semiconductor layer 123 and the second gate semiconductor layer 126). A layer of contact liner 240 is disposed on the surface of the source / drain 190, and the contact liner 240 can maintain a high contact area, indicative of a wraparound contact. The contact liner 240 may have a uniform or substantially uniform thickness around each source / drain 190, with the remainder of this region within the source / drain region being filled with source / drain dielectric 205. Although the source / drain dielectric 205 reduces the total volume that can be filled with the contact liner 240, the contact liner 240 provides a similar contact surface area as if there was complete filling of this region with the contact liner 240. This allows for a lower overall capacitance between the gate and source / drain of the wrap-around contact by reducing unnecessary conductive material in the source / drain region, thereby reducing the capacitance caused by that region.

[0039] The description of various embodiments of the present invention has been provided for illustrative purposes and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terms used in this specification have been selected to best explain the principles of the embodiments and technical improvements of the technology found in practical applications or on the market, or to enable those skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the exact forms and details described and shown, but fall within the scope of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 10 Start structure 20 First Structure 30 Second Structure 100 boards 110 Separation layer 113 Gate buffer layer 114 Gate buffer layer 120 Semiconductor layer 123 First gate semiconductor layer 126 Second gate semiconductor layer 130 Sacrificial Layer 133 First gate sacrificial layer 134 First gate sacrificial layer 136 Second gate sacrificial layer 137 Second gate sacrificial layer 140 Gate Hard Mask 150 Dummy Gate 160 spacer 170 Insulating Layer 180 Sacrificial source / drain layer 190 Source / Drain 200 Source / Drain Dielectric Layer 205 Source / Drain Dielectric Layer 210 Interlayer Dielectric (ILD) 220 Replacement Metal Gate (RMG) 230 Sacrificial Cap 240 Contact Liner 250 Electrical Contacts

Claims

1. A first gate nanosheet stack in which a first gate portion and a first spacer are formed between two adjacent nanosheets; a second gate nanosheet stack; and a first source / drain in contact with the first gate nanosheet stack; a second source / drain in contact with the second gate nanosheet stack; a source / drain dielectric disposed between the first source / drain and the second source / drain, the source / drain dielectric being in contact with the first spacer of the first gate nanosheet stack; and a contact liner in contact with the first source / drain, the second source / drain, and the source / drain dielectric; 1. A semiconductor structure comprising:

2. 10. The structure of claim 1, wherein the contact liner has a thickness of about 1 nm to about 10 nm.

3. A structure as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first source / drain includes a first portion on a first nanosheet of the first gate nanosheet stack and a second portion on a second nanosheet adjacent to the first nanosheet, and the first portion of the first source / drain is separated from the second portion of the first source / drain.

4. The structure of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first source / drain is in contact with the second source / drain.

5. The structure of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first source / drain is not in contact with the second source / drain.

6. 6. The structure of claim 5, wherein the contact liner is a continuous layer in contact with the first source / drain and the second source / drain.

7. A structure described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the second gate nanosheet stack has a second gate portion and a second spacer formed between two adjacent nanosheets, and the source / drain dielectric is further in contact with the second spacer of the second gate nanosheet stack.

8. 1. A method of forming a semiconductor device, comprising: forming a source / drain on an exposed portion of the semiconductor layer of the first layered nanosheet, wherein a first gate sacrificial layer and a first spacer are formed between two adjacent semiconductor layers; forming a sacrificial material on the source / drain; forming a dielectric layer covering the sacrificial material, the dielectric layer being in contact with the first spacer of the first layered nanosheet; removing the sacrificial material to form a contact gap; depositing a contact liner within said contact gap; A method comprising:

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the contact liner material comprises a silicide.

10. 10. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein the contact liner has a thickness of about 1 nm to 10 nm.

11. A method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the source / drain includes a first portion on a first semiconductor layer of the first layered nanosheet and a second portion on a second semiconductor layer adjacent to the first semiconductor layer of the first layered nanosheet, and the first portion of the source / drain is separated from the second portion of the source / drain.

12. A method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, comprising a step of preparing a structure on which the first layered nanosheet and the second layered nanosheet are formed, wherein the second layered nanosheet has a second gate sacrificial layer and a second spacer formed between two adjacent semiconductor layers, and the dielectric layer is further in contact with the second spacer of the second layered nanosheet.

13. 1. A method of forming a semiconductor device, comprising: forming a first gate stack and a second gate stack on a substrate, each of the first gate stack and the second gate stack including a plurality of semiconductor nanosheets, and a spacer and a gate portion formed between two adjacent semiconductor nanosheets; forming a first source / drain on the first surface of the first semiconductor nanosheet of the first gate stack and a second source / drain on the second surface of the second semiconductor nanosheet of the second gate stack, the first surface facing the first semiconductor nanosheet of the first gate stack and the second surface facing the second semiconductor nanosheet of the second gate stack; forming a sacrificial material over the first source / drain and the second source / drain; forming a dielectric layer overlying the sacrificial material, the dielectric layer in contact with the spacers of the first gate stack; removing the sacrificial material to form a contact gap; depositing a contact liner within said contact gap; A method comprising:

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the contact liner material comprises a silicide.

15. 15. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein the contact liner has a thickness of about 1 nm to about 10 nm.

16. A method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the first source / drain includes a first portion on the first semiconductor nanosheet of the first gate stack and a second portion on a third semiconductor nanosheet adjacent to the first semiconductor nanosheet, and the first portion of the first source / drain is separated from the second portion of the first source / drain.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the dielectric layer is in contact with the spacer of the second gate stack.

18. The method of any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the first source / drain is not in contact with the second source / drain.

19. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the contact liner is a continuous layer contacting the first source / drain and the second source / drain.

20. The method of any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the first source / drain contacts the second source / drain.

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