Capacitor Plug Structure for High-Capacitance IC Miniaturization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing integrated circuit devices face challenges in maintaining desired electrical characteristics and capacitance as capacitors are miniaturized, necessitating a structure that ensures increased capacitance and excellent electrical performance despite reduced size.
Innovation Solution
The integrated circuit device incorporates a conductive multifunction plug with an extended landing pad portion and an extended lower electrode portion, along with a dielectric layer, to enhance the height of the lower electrode, thereby maintaining capacitance and electrical characteristics even with miniaturization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the size of a capacitor is reduced according to miniaturization, then the integrated circuit device achieves higher integration density, but the capacitance value decreases and electrical characteristics deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the lower electrode in the vertical direction by forming an extended lower electrode portion that protrudes from the main body of the lower electrode. This dimensional extension increases the effective capacitance area without increasing the horizontal footprint, thereby maintaining capacitance values despite overall capacitor miniaturization for higher integration density
Solution Approach 2:
The lower electrode is segmented into two distinct portions: a main body portion and an extended lower electrode portion. The extended portion protrudes vertically and is selectively covered by the dielectric layer, creating additional capacitance-forming surfaces. This segmentation allows the capacitor to achieve higher capacitance in a reduced footprint by utilizing the extended vertical surface area
2Reliability
If the height of the lower electrode is increased to maintain capacitance, then the capacitance value is preserved, but the device height increases and miniaturization benefits are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The dielectric layer is applied selectively rather than uniformly across the entire lower electrode structure. It covers the main body portion and part of the extended lower electrode portion, but not the tip portion. This localized dielectric coverage creates capacitance in specific regions while allowing other regions to remain open, maintaining capacitance without requiring uniform height increase throughout the entire structure
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing capacitance by uniformly increasing the height of the entire lower electrode, the patent extends only a portion of the lower electrode horizontally and applies dielectric selectively. This approach increases capacitance through extended surface area in the horizontal plane and selective vertical coverage, rather than requiring a uniform vertical height increase that would increase overall device height
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated circuit device includes a substrate having an active region, a conductive landing pad at a first vertical level above the substrate and connected to the active region, a capacitor including a lower electrode at a second vertical level higher than the first vertical level above the substrate, and a conductive multifunction plug including an extended landing pad portion at a third vertical level between the first vertical level and the second vertical level and contacting the conductive landing pad, and an extended lower electrode portion integrally connected to the extended landing pad portion and contacting the lower electrode. The capacitor further includes a dielectric layer covering a surface of the lower electrode and the extended lower electrode portion of the conductive multifunction plug.