# US 10,504,897 B2 · Integrated circuit comprising balanced cells at the active

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- Number: US 10,504,897 B2
- Document ID: US10504897B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/706,935
- Filed: 2017-09-18
- Published: 2018-03-22
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2016-09-19
- Assignees: Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives; STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
- Applicants: Commissariat A L'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives; Stmicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
- Inventors: Francois Andrieu; Remy Berthelon
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10504897B2

## CPC

- H10D 84/856: {the complementary IGFETs having different architectures than each other, e.g. high-voltage and low-voltage CMOS}
- H10D 30/751: {having composition variations in the channel regions}
- H10D 30/791: {Arrangements for exerting mechanical stress on the crystal lattice of the channel regions}
- H10D 62/834: further characterised by the dopants
- H10D 84/0167: {Manufacturing their channels}
- H10D 84/038: {using silicon technology, e.g. SiGe}
- H10D 84/85: Complementary IGFETs, e.g. CMOS
- H10D 89/10: Integrated device layouts
- H10D 62/832: being Group IV materials comprising two or more elements, e.g. SiGe
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

## Abstract

An integrated circuit is provided, including a first pair including a first nMOS transistor and a first pMOS transistor; a second pair including a second nMOS transistor and a second pMOS transistor; the first and second pMOS transistors including a channel that is subjected to compressive stress and made of an SiGe alloy, and a gate of said transistors being positioned at least 250 nm from a border of an active zone of said transistors; a third pair including a third nMOS transistor having a same construction as the first nMOS transistor and a third pMOS transistor having a same construction as the second pMOS transistor and exhibiting a compressive stress that is lower by at least 250 MPa, the gate of said transistors of the third pair being positioned at most 200 nm from the border.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An integrated circuit, comprising:
a first pair including a first nMOS transistor and a first pMOS transistor aligned adjacently in a first direction, the first pMOS transistor being arranged in and on an active silicon zone, the first pMOS transistor including a source, a drain, and a channel region that is subjected to compressive stress designed to be formed in a direction going from the source to the drain, the channel region including a SiGe alloy, the first nMOS transistor and the first pMOS transistor having a same threshold voltage level in terms of absolute value;
a second pair including a second nMOS transistor and a second pMOS transistor aligned adjacently in the first direction, the second pMOS transistor being arranged in and on an active silicon zone, the second pMOS transistor including a source, a drain, and a channel region that is subjected to compressive stress designed to be formed in said direction, the channel region including a SiGe alloy, the second nMOS transistor and the second pMOS transistor having a same threshold voltage level in terms of absolute value that is lower than the threshold voltage level of the first nMOS transistor and of the first pMOS transistor; and
a third pair including a third nMOS transistor having a same construction as the first nMOS transistor and a third pMOS transistor having a same construction as the second pMOS transistor, the third nMOS transistor and the third pMOS transistor being aligned adjacently in the first direction, said third pMOS transistor being arranged in and on an active silicon zone, the channel region of the third pMOS transistor exhibiting a compressive stress in said direction that is lower than that of the channel region of the first pMOS transistor a gate of the third pMOS transistor being positioned at a distance from the border of its active zone in said direction that is smaller than a distance between a gate of the first pMOS transistor and the border of its active zone, the third pair aligned with the first pair in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gate of the third pMOS transistor is positioned at a distance at most equal to 200 nm from said border of its active zone in said direction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein gates of the first and second pMOS transistors are positioned at a distance at least equal to 250 nm from the borders of their respective active zones in said direction.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the channel regions of the first and second pMOS transistors each comprise a molar proportion of germanium of between 15% and 40%.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the channel region of the transistors of the second pair is of a not intentionally doped type.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein dopants in the channel region of the transistors of the first pair are of opposing type and a concentration of the dopants is identical.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first pMOS transistor and the second pMOS transistor differ through at least one of the following parameters:
concentration of dopant in their channel region,
work function of their gate material,
type of doping of a well arranged underneath the transistor, and
bias of a well arranged underneath the transistor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the channel region of the first nMOS transistor has a p-type doping with a concentration of between 1*1018 cm −3 and 3*1018 cm−3.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 8, wherein the p-type doping of the first nMOS transistor includes boron.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 7, wherein a concentration of n- type dopant in the channel region of the second pMOS transistor is at least twice as low as that of the channel region of the first pMOS transistor.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gates of the transistors of the third pair are coupled.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the channel region of the third pMOS transistor exhibits a compressive stress in said direction that is lower by at least 250 MPa than said compressive stress of the channel region of the first pMOS transistor.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein gates of the second pMOS transistor and the second nMOS transistor are positioned at a distance of at least 400 nm from a border of their respective active zone in said direction.