Backside MIM Capacitors With High-k Dielectrics for Power Rail Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
As the semiconductor industry continues to reduce minimum feature sizes to improve integration density, additional challenges arise, such as the need for more effective stabilization of power supply lines and electrical ground lines in semiconductor devices.
Innovation Solution
The formation of metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors using high-k dielectric materials in the back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) process of semiconductor devices, specifically on the backside of a semiconductor die, to stabilize power supply lines and electrical ground lines, allowing for increased charge holding capacity while minimizing capacitor size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional capacitors are used to stabilize power supply lines and ground lines, then power supply stabilization is achieved, but the capacitor size becomes large and occupies excessive area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the dielectric constant parameter by using high-k dielectric materials (such as barium strontium titanate, lead zirconate titanate, or silicon oxide with high-k treatment) instead of conventional low-k dielectric materials. This parameter change increases the capacitance density, allowing smaller capacitor structures to achieve the same capacitance value, thereby reducing the area occupied by capacitors while maintaining power supply stabilization functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures combining metal electrodes (such as aluminum, copper, or tungsten) with high-k dielectric materials to form metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors. This composite structure provides both the electrical functionality required for power supply stabilization and the space efficiency needed to reduce capacitor area, resolving the contradiction between reliability and area
2Productivity
If integration density is increased by reducing minimum feature sizes, then more components can be integrated into a given area, but additional challenges arise in stabilizing power supply lines and ground lines
Solution Approach 1:
By changing the dielectric constant parameter to high-k materials, the patent enables higher capacitance values to be achieved in smaller volumes. This allows decoupling capacitors to be effectively integrated even as feature sizes are reduced, maintaining power supply line stabilization capability while supporting increased integration density
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes vertical stacking and three-dimensional capacitor structures instead of only planar configurations. By extending capacitor structures in the vertical dimension (through multiple layers and stacked configurations), the patent achieves sufficient capacitance for power supply stabilization without increasing planar footprint, thus supporting higher integration density while maintaining reliability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The implementation of MIM capacitors with high-k dielectric materials enhances device performance by stabilizing power supply lines and electrical ground lines, enabling greater charge holding capacity while reducing the size of the capacitors, thus addressing the challenges of increased integration density.
Implementation Method 1
The formation of metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors using high-k dielectric materials in the back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) process of semiconductor devices
Data Source
AI summary
A method of forming a semiconductor device includes: forming a device layer that includes nanostructures and a gate structure around the nanostructures; forming a first interconnect structure on a front-side of the device layer; and forming a second interconnect structure on a backside of the device layer, which includes: forming a dielectric layer along the backside of the device layer using a first dielectric material; forming a first conductive feature and a second conductive feature in the dielectric layer; form an opening in the dielectric layer between the first and the second conductive features; forming a first barrier layer and a second barrier layer along a first sidewall of the first conductive feature and along a second sidewall of the second conductive feature, respectively; and forming a second dielectric material different from the first dielectric material in the opening between the first barrier layer and the second barrier layer.