Semiconductor Contact Isolation Profiles for Dense FET Layouts
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing demand for high-performance, high-speed, and multifunctional semiconductor devices requires improved integration density, which poses challenges in manufacturing fine patterns and addressing the limitations of planar metal oxide semiconductor FETs, particularly in achieving enhanced electrical properties and productivity.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device design featuring a substrate with active regions, gate structures, source/drain regions, and isolation insulating patterns, where the isolation insulating patterns have distinct side surface profiles to optimize electrical properties and prevent leakage current, allowing for improved integration density and productivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If integration density is increased to meet high-performance demands, then device functionality and speed are improved, but manufacturing complexity and difficulty of implementing fine patterns increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into multiple active regions (first, second, third, fourth active regions) with corresponding gate structures and source/drain regions. This segmentation allows for independent optimization of each region while achieving high overall integration density, making the manufacturing process more manageable despite the complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Different isolation insulating patterns are applied to different regions: the first isolation insulating pattern is spaced apart from source/drain regions, while the second isolation insulating pattern is in direct contact with source/drain regions. This local differentiation optimizes electrical properties in specific areas while maintaining high integration density across the entire device
2Productivity
If planar metal oxide semiconductor FET size is reduced to increase integration, then integration density is improved, but electrical properties and operation performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The device transitions from planar to three-dimensional architecture with active regions extending in multiple directions and gate structures positioned to control multiple active regions simultaneously. This dimensional change allows maintaining larger effective channel areas for good electrical properties while achieving high integration density through vertical and lateral spatial utilization
Solution Approach 2:
The isolation insulating patterns exhibit asymmetric configurations relative to different active regions. The first isolation insulating pattern between the first and second contact plugs is spaced apart from source/drain regions, while the second isolation insulating pattern between the third and fourth contact plugs is in direct contact with source/drain regions, creating optimized electrical characteristics for each region
Data Source
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AI summary
A semiconductor device includes a substrate, active regions extending in a first horizontal direction on the substrate, and including first and second active regions spaced apart from each other in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction, and third and fourth active regions spaced apart from each other in the second horizontal direction, first to fourth source/drain regions on the first to fourth active regions, first to fourth contact plugs connected to the first to fourth source/drain regions, a first isolation insulating pattern disposed between the first and second contact plugs, and a second isolation insulating pattern disposed between the third and fourth contact plugs, wherein a first length of the first isolation insulating pattern is smaller than a second length of the second isolation insulating pattern in a vertical direction.