Gate Structure With Protruding Parts for Low-Resistance Contacts
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of effectively connecting the gate and contact structure becomes critical as the gate size shrinks, necessitating improved methods for manufacturing semiconductor structures.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of an initial gate with a mask layer, sidewall layers, and patterning to create integrated gates with protruding parts for enhanced contact structures, ensuring accurate and reliable electrical connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the gate size is continuously shrunk to increase memory density, then the memory capacity is improved, but the effective connection between the gate and contact structure becomes difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The gate structure is extended in the vertical dimension by forming protruding parts that rise from the gate body surface. This dimensional extension allows the contact structure to connect to the gate at multiple levels, effectively solving the connection difficulty caused by gate shrinkage while maintaining high memory density.
Solution Approach 2:
Sidewall layers are formed on the gate structure before the final contact structure is created. These sidewall layers serve as preliminary guiding structures that define the position and shape of the protruding parts, ensuring precise connection alignment is achieved before the actual contact formation process.
2Productivity
If the gate size is reduced to increase device density, then the productivity is improved, but the contact area between gate and contact structure decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing contact area in the horizontal plane (which would reduce device density), the solution extends the gate vertically to create protruding parts. This allows the contact structure to wrap around and connect to the gate at multiple vertical levels, increasing effective contact area without compromising horizontal device density.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact structure is designed to wrap around and enclose the protruding parts of the gate, creating a nested configuration. This nesting arrangement maximizes the contact interface between the contact structure and gate, providing low-resistance electrical connection while maintaining compact device footprint.
3Device complexity
If conventional gate structures are used with continuous shrinkage, then the manufacturing process remains simple, but the electrical connection reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The gate structure is segmented into a horizontal gate body and vertical protruding parts. This segmentation allows the contact structure to interact with different segments at different locations, creating multiple connection points that collectively improve electrical connection reliability while maintaining a relatively simple overall manufacturing process.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure and the semiconductor structure are provided. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure includes: providing an activated region; forming an initial gate located on the activated region; forming a first mask layer on a top surface of the initial gate, in which a first opening penetrating the first mask layer is provided in the first mask layer, and the first opening at least has opposite two sides extending along a first direction; forming sidewall layers located at least on sidewalls of both sides of the first opening extending in the first direction; removing the first mask layer; patterning the initial gate with the sidewall layers on both sides of the first opening as a mask to form gates.