Semiconductor Active Contact with Vertical Sub-Contact Extension
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current semiconductor devices face challenges in achieving high reliability and complexity in manufacturing processes, particularly in ensuring effective contact areas and reducing misalignment during the formation of active contacts and vias, which affects the overall performance and integration of semiconductor devices.
Innovation Solution
The semiconductor device design incorporates active contacts with a first and second sub-contact configuration, where the second sub-contact extends vertically towards the substrate between adjacent active patterns, separated by insulating material, and is connected to the first sub-contact to form a unitary member, enhancing contact area and reliability while simplifying the manufacturing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional single-sub-contact structure is used, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the contact area is reduced and reliability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The active contact is divided into two distinct sub-contacts: a first sub-contact that contacts the source/drain region and a second sub-contact that extends downward separated from adjacent active patterns by insulating material. This segmentation increases the total contact area and improves reliability by providing separate contact paths, while the insulating material manages the complexity by clearly defining boundaries between contact regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The second sub-contact extends vertically downward from the first sub-contact, utilizing the vertical dimension to increase contact area without expanding the horizontal footprint. This dimensional transition allows the contact structure to achieve greater surface area for improved reliability while maintaining compact lateral dimensions suitable for integrated circuits.
2Reliability
If the contact area is increased to improve reliability, then the manufacturing precision requirements increase due to alignment complexity
Solution Approach 1:
Insulating material is introduced as an intermediary element between the second sub-contact and adjacent active patterns. This insulating layer simplifies manufacturing by providing a clear boundary that guides alignment during fabrication, reducing the precision requirements compared to directly positioning contact structures adjacent to each other without such intermediary guidance features.
3Ease of manufacture
If a unitary member structure is used for sub-contacts, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the contact area expansion is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The unitary member structure is extended vertically downward in the third dimension, allowing the contact area to expand without requiring additional lateral positioning steps. This vertical extension maintains the simplicity of forming a single continuous structure while achieving greater total contact area compared to a purely planar configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device includes a substrate including first and second active patterns thereon, a first gate electrode intersecting the first and second active patterns, first and second source/drain regions on the first and second active patterns, respectively, at one side of the first gate electrode, and an active contact on the first source/drain region so as to be electrically connected to the first source/drain region. The active contact includes a first sub-contact and a second sub-contact. The second sub-contact includes a vertical extension vertically extending toward the substrate. A bottom surface of the vertical extension is lower than a bottom surface of the first sub-contact.