Vertical Capacitor Structure for Semiconductor Area Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor devices use high-capacitance capacitors that occupy excessive space, reducing area efficiency due to their design, which is not suitable for high integration needs.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device is designed with a capacitor having a vertical structure in the peripheral circuit region, formed simultaneously with contact plugs and metal wires in the cell region, allowing for a reduced area footprint while maintaining sufficient capacitance by optimizing the arrangement and structure of conductive layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a high-capacitance capacitor is used to ensure sufficient capacitance, then the capacitance requirement is met, but the area occupied by the capacitor increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a planar capacitor structure to a vertical three-dimensional structure. The capacitor electrodes are formed extending in the vertical direction (thickness direction of interlayer insulating layer) rather than only in the horizontal plane, effectively utilizing the third dimension to increase capacitance without proportionally increasing footprint area
Solution Approach 2:
The capacitor structure is integrated within the existing peripheral circuit region by nesting the capacitor electrodes between conductive layers that are already part of the device architecture. The capacitor formation is embedded within the same interlayer insulating layer structure used for other circuit elements, achieving space-efficient integration
2Ease of manufacture
If a capacitor is formed in the peripheral circuit region using the same process as contact plugs and metal wires, then additional processing steps are avoided, but the capacitor structure must be integrated with existing circuit elements
Solution Approach 1:
The capacitor formation process is merged with the existing contact plug and metal wire formation processes. The same interlayer insulating layer is used for both capacitor isolation and circuit wiring, and the same conductive material deposition and patterning steps are utilized to form both capacitor electrodes and interconnect structures, eliminating the need for separate capacitor-specific processing steps
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive layers and interlayer insulating structures serve multiple functions simultaneously: they form capacitor electrodes, provide electrical interconnects, and act as isolation layers. This multi-functionality allows a single set of processing steps to create both capacitive elements and circuit interconnections without requiring dedicated structures for each function
Data Source
AI summary
The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having a cell region and a peripheral circuit region defined therein, semiconductor memory elements formed over the semiconductor substrate in the cell region, an interlayer insulating layer formed over the semiconductor substrate in the peripheral circuit region, first conductive layers substantially vertically passing through the interlayer insulating layer, and arranged in a matrix, and second conductive layers coupling the first conductive layers in rows or columns, each pair of the second conductive layers and the first conductive layers coupled to the each pair of the second conductive layers, respectively, forming electrodes of a capacitor.