Gate Insulating Support Structure for Tight Gate Spacing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The decreasing interval between transistor gates in semiconductor devices leads to deficiencies in electrical connections, affecting the reliability and performance of these devices due to increased integration demands.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device is designed with a gate insulating support structure that isolates adjacent gate electrodes, extending in a direction different from the gate structures, to improve electrical isolation and reliability, and a method for fabricating this device involves forming a trench and depositing an insulating support within the trench to ensure proper isolation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the interval between transistor gates is decreased to achieve higher integration, then the integration density is improved, but the electrical connection reliability deteriorates due to insufficient isolation between adjacent gate electrodes
Solution Approach 1:
An insulating support structure is introduced as an intermediary element between adjacent gate electrodes. This support extends in the first direction (gate length direction) and provides electrical isolation, enabling the gates to be placed closer together without compromising insulation reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating support structure extends not only in the first direction (along the gate length) but also in the second direction (transverse direction), creating a three-dimensional isolation barrier. This multi-directional extension ensures comprehensive electrical isolation between adjacent gates, allowing for reduced gate spacing while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If the gate insulating support extends sufficiently in the transverse direction to ensure complete isolation between adjacent gates, then the electrical isolation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating support structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides electrical isolation between adjacent gates, maintains mechanical stability of the gate structure, and enables higher integration density. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating support is integrated with the existing gate structure and interlayer insulating film formation processes. The support structure is formed as part of the gate fabrication sequence, merging multiple functions into a single integrated component rather than adding separate isolation elements.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device capable of improving operation performance and reliability, may include a gate insulating support to isolate gate electrodes that are adjacent in a length direction. The semiconductor device includes a first gate structure on a substrate, the first gate structure extending lengthwise in a first direction to have two long sides and two short sides, relative to each other, and including a first gate spacer; a second gate structure on the substrate, the second gate structure extending lengthwise in the first direction to have two long sides and two short sides, relative to each other, and including a second gate spacer, wherein a first short side of the second gate structure faces a first short side of the first gate structure; and a gate insulating support disposed between the first short side of the first gate structure and the first short side of the second gate structure and extending lengthwise in a second direction different from the first direction, a length of the gate insulating support in the second direction being greater than a width of each of the first gate structure and the second gate structure in the second direction.