Conductive Metal Layer for Source/Drain Gouging Immunity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor structures face challenges in system complexity, cost, and performance due to issues like source/drain region gouging, parasitic capacitance, and contact resistance, which affect switching speed and power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A conductive metal layer is formed over the source/drain region to prevent gouging, reduce contact resistance, and pattern air spacers to minimize parasitic capacitance, thereby enhancing the semiconductor structure's performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If materials are removed above source/drain region, then parasitic capacitance is reduced, but source/drain region gouging occurs
Solution Approach 1:
A conductive metal layer is introduced as an intermediary between the material removal process and the source/drain region. This layer acts as a protective mediator that prevents direct contact between removal tools and the source/drain region, thereby preventing gouging while allowing parasitic capacitance reduction through controlled material removal above the conductive layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive metal layer is formed over the source/drain region before the material removal process. This preliminary action establishes protection in advance, ensuring that when materials are subsequently removed to reduce parasitic capacitance, the source/drain region remains intact and free from gouging damage.
2Reliability
If conductive metal layer is formed over source/drain region, then contact resistance is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive metal layer serves multiple functions simultaneously: it reduces contact resistance by providing a low-resistance path between contacts and source/drain regions, prevents gouging during material removal, and can be integrated with existing conductive layers in the device architecture. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate protective layers, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
3Reliability
If multiple discrete devices are used for different functions, then device performance is optimized, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive metal layer structure and fabrication method can be applied universally across different device types and functions within the same semiconductor device. This allows a single integrated structure to support multiple device functions rather than requiring separate discrete devices, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining optimized performance through the common protective and conductive infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
There is set forth herein a method of fabricating a semiconductor structure, the method including forming a conductive metal layer over a source/drain region. The conductive metal layer in one aspect can prevent gouging of a source/drain region during removal of materials above a source/drain region. The conductive metal layer in one aspect can be used to pattern an air spacer for reduced parasitic capacitance. The conductive metal layer in one aspect can reduce a contact resistance between a source/drain region and a contact above a source/drain region.