Suspended Semiconductor Fin via Sacrificial Layer Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manufacturing high-performance semiconductor devices with semiconductor materials of higher mobility than silicon is challenging due to difficulties in forming high-quality semiconductor materials.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of a fin-shaped structure on a substrate, with a supporting layer connecting it to the substrate, and growing a second semiconductor layer with the first semiconductor layer as a seed, allowing for stress relaxation and defect suppression, ultimately using the second semiconductor layer as the device fin.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional methods are used to form high-mobility semiconductor materials, then device performance can be improved, but manufacturing difficulty increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by first forming a sacrificial semiconductor layer and supporting structure before growing the high-mobility semiconductor layer. This preparatory configuration enables subsequent easy removal and formation of suspended structures, resolving the manufacturing difficulty while maintaining device performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a sacrificial semiconductor layer as an intermediary element that facilitates the formation of suspended high-mobility semiconductor structures. This intermediary is temporarily retained during growth and then removed to create the desired suspended configuration, solving the manufacturing challenge
2Reliability
If high-mobility semiconductor materials are formed using conventional methods, then device performance improves, but defect density increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the high-mobility semiconductor layer from direct contact with the substrate by removing the sacrificial layer beneath it. This extraction creates a suspended structure that relaxes stress and reduces defect density, allowing high device performance with fewer defects
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of stress accumulation in high-mobility semiconductor layers into a benefit by using the sacrificial layer removal process to create suspended structures. This stress relaxation mechanism reduces defect density while maintaining the high-mobility properties needed for device performance
3Object-generated harmful factors
If suspended semiconductor structures are formed, then stress relaxation and defect suppression improve, but manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the semiconductor structure into multiple functional layers: a sacrificial semiconductor layer, a supporting layer, and a high-mobility semiconductor layer. This segmentation allows each layer to serve its specific purpose and enables the suspended structure formation through selective removal, achieving defect suppression with manageable process complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs the discarding principle by removing the sacrificial semiconductor layer after it has served its purpose as a support during growth. This temporary structure is discarded to create the suspended configuration, achieving stress relaxation and defect suppression without requiring permanent complex structures
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the creation of semiconductor devices with high mobility semiconductor materials, reducing defects and improving performance by relaxing stresses and suppressing defects in the semiconductor layers.
Implementation Method 1
growing a second semiconductor layer with the first semiconductor layer as a seed layer
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device may include: forming a fin-shaped structure on a substrate; forming a supporting layer on the substrate having the fin-shaped structure formed thereon, and patterning the supporting layer into a supporting portion extending from a surface of the substrate to a surface of the fin-shaped structure and thus physically connecting them; removing a portion of the fin-shaped structure close to the substrate to form a first semiconductor layer spaced apart from the substrate; growing a second semiconductor layer with the first semiconductor layer as a seed layer; and in at least a fraction of the longitudinal extent, removing the first semiconductor layer, and cutting off the second semiconductor layer on sides of the first semiconductor layer away from the substrate and close to the substrate, respectively, so that the cut-off second semiconductor layer acts as a fin of the device.