# US 10,319,858 B2 · Semiconductor devices having lower and upper fins and method for fabricating the same

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- Number: US 10,319,858 B2
- Document ID: US10319858B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/128,152
- Filed: 2018-09-11
- Published: 2019-01-10
- Granted: 2019-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2014-07-07
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Sung-Min Kim; Kyung-Seok Oh; Cheol Kim; Heon-Jong Shin; Jong-Ryeol Yoo; Hyun-Jung Lee; Seong-Hoon Jeong
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10319858B2

## CPC

- H10D 30/62: Fin field-effect transistors [FinFET]
- H10D 30/024: {of fin field-effect transistors [FinFET]}
- H10D 30/6735: {having gates fully surrounding the channels, e.g. gate-all-around}
- H10D 86/011: {comprising FinFETs}
- H10D 86/215: {comprising FinFETs}
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

## Abstract

Provided are a semiconductor device and a method for fabricating the same. The semiconductor device includes a lower fin that protrudes from a substrate and extends in a first direction, an oxide film the lower fin, an upper fin that protrudes from the oxide film and that is spaced apart from the lower fin at a position corresponding to the lower fin, and a gate structure the upper fin that extends in a second direction to intersect the upper fin, wherein germanium (Ge) is included in a portion of the oxide film located between the lower fin and the upper fin.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising:
preparing a substrate that has a fin structure that includes a first material layer and a second material layer protruding upwardly therefrom;
forming an oxide film on the substrate and on at least a portion of the fin structure;
annealing the fin structure to convert the fin structure into a lower fin and an upper fin that is spaced apart from the lower fin;
removing a portion of the oxide film; and
forming a gate structure on the upper fin that intersects the upper fin.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising, before forming the oxide film, recessing the first material layer that is included in the fin structure.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein recessing the first material layer includes removing a portion of a side surface of the first material layer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the fin structure includes an upwardly protruding portion of the substrate, the first material layer that is on the upwardly protruding portion of the substrate, and the second material layer that is on the first material layer opposite the upwardly protruding portion of the substrate, and
wherein the first material layer includes a material that is not included in the second material layer or in the upwardly protruding portion of the substrate.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the second material layer includes germanium (Ge).

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the upwardly protruding portion of the substrate and the second material layer include different materials.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein annealing the fin structure to convert the fin structure into the lower fin and the upper fin that is spaced apart from the lower fin comprises:
sequentially performing a first annealing process and a second annealing process, wherein the second annealing process is performed at a higher temperature than the first annealing process.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein a curved portion is formed in an upper portion of the lower fin and a lower portion of the upper fin by the second annealing process.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the upper fin includes a portion of the second material layer,
and further comprising:
before removing a portion of the oxide film, removing the second material layer included in the upper fin; and
forming an epitaxial layer on the second material layer which is exposed.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the epitaxial layer is formed by performing an epitaxial process using the second material layer as a seed layer.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the epitaxial layer includes germanium or III-V group compound semiconductor material.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first material layer includes silicon germanium (SiGe).

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the first material layer is formed by varying a concentration of silicon (Si) in the first material layer as a function of height above the substrate.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the lower fin and a bottom surface of the upper fin are substantially parallel to each other.

### Claim 15

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising:
forming a lower fin that protrudes upwardly from a substrate and that extends in a first direction;
forming an upper fin that extends in the first direction above the lower fin;
forming an oxide film that includes germanium (Ge) between the lower fin and the upper fin to electrically separate the upper fin from the lower fin; and
forming a gate structure on the upper fin that extends in a second direction to intersect the upper fin,
wherein an upper surface of the lower fin and a bottom surface of the upper fin are substantially parallel to each other.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein forming the oxide film comprises:
performing a first annealing process to oxidize silicon germanium (SiGe) layer; and
performing a second annealing process at a higher temperature than the first annealing process, after performing the first annealing process.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the second annealing process is a laser annealing process.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein forming the upper fin comprises:
forming a first material layer that includes silicon germanium (SiGe); and
forming a second material layer that is free of germanium on the first material layer.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein the second material layer comprises a III-V group compound semiconductor material.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the lower fin and the upper fin comprise different materials.