Contact structure and method of fabricating the same

A device comprising:

• a first drain/source region and a second drain/source region in a substrate and on opposite sides of a first gate, wherein the second drain/source region and the first gate are separated by a first gate spacer;
• a third drain/source region and the second drain/source region in the substrate and on opposite sides of a second gate, wherein the second drain/source region and the second gate are separated by a second gate spacer;
• a dielectric layer on the substrate, wherein an upper surface of the first gate, an upper surface of the second gate, and an upper surface of the dielectric layer are level;
• a first protection layer formed along a sidewall of the first gate spacer, wherein the first protection layer is over the second drain/source region, wherein a first width of the first protection layer along a direction parallel to the upper surface of the dielectric layer decreases as the first protection layer extends away from the second drain/source region;
• a second protection layer formed along a sidewall of the second gate spacer, wherein the second protection layer is over the second drain/source region;
• a lower drain contact between the first protection layer and the second protection layer;
• and
• an upper drain contact over the lower drain contact and between the first gate and the second gate, wherein a width of the upper drain contact is greater than a width of the lower drain contact.

An apparatus comprising:

• a first source and a common drain on opposite sides of a first gate;
• a second source and the common drain on opposite sides of a second gate, wherein:
• the first gate and the second gate are in an interlayer dielectric layer over a substrate;
• and
• the first gate and the second gate are surrounded by a first gate spacer and a second gate spacer respectively;
• a first protection layer formed along a sidewall of the first gate spacer, wherein the first protection layer is over the common drain and a top surface of the first protection layer has a first slope, the first protection layer extending no higher than an upper surface of the first gate spacer;
• a second protection layer formed along a sidewall of the second gate spacer, wherein the second protection layer is over the common drain and a top surface of the second protection layer has a second slope;
• and
• a first drain contact formed between the first gate and the second gate, wherein a width of an upper portion of the first drain contact is greater than a width of a lower portion of the first drain contact, the first drain contact completely covers the first protection layer in a cross-section view extending between the first gate and the second gate.