# US 11,908,890 B2 · Isolation structure for stacked vertical transistors

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- Number: US 11,908,890 B2
- Document ID: US11908890B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/346,806
- Filed: 2021-06-14
- Published: 2021-09-30
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2019-04-17
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: Juntao Li; Kangguo Cheng; Chen Zhang; Zhenxing Bi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11908890B2

## CPC

- H10D 62/115: {Dielectric isolations, e.g. air gaps}
- H10D 30/025: {of vertical IGFETs (of VDMOS H10D30/0291; of vertical TFTs H10D30/0318)}
- H10D 30/611: {having multiple independently-addressable gate electrodes influencing the same channel (FinFETs having multiple distinct gate electrodes H10D30/6215; multi-gate TFT H10D30/6733)}
- H10D 30/63: Vertical IGFETs (H10D30/66 {, H10D30/6728, H10D30/689, H10D30/693} take precedence)
- H10D 30/6728: {Vertical TFTs}
- H10D 62/822: comprising only Group IV materials heterojunctions, e.g. Si/Ge heterojunctions
- H10D 64/691: {comprising metallic compounds, e.g. metal oxides or metal silicates (insulators comprising nitrogen H10D64/693)}
- H10D 84/0172: {Manufacturing their gate conductors}
- H10D 84/0177: {the gate conductors having different materials or different implants}
- H10D 84/0188: {Manufacturing their isolation regions}
- H10D 84/0195: {the components including vertical IGFETs}
- H10D 84/038: {using silicon technology, e.g. SiGe}
- H10D 84/839: {comprising VDMOS}
- H10D 84/85: Complementary IGFETs, e.g. CMOS
- H10D 88/00: Three-dimensional [3D] integrated devices
- H10D 88/01: {Manufacture or treatment}
- H10P 50/242: {of Group IV materials}
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a first vertical transistor on a semiconductor substrate, and forming a second vertical transistor stacked on the first vertical transistor. In the method, an isolation layer is formed between the first and second vertical transistors. The isolation layer includes a rare earth oxide.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A semiconductor device, comprising:
a first vertical transistor comprising a first lower source/drain region and a first upper source/drain region disposed on a semiconductor substrate;
a second vertical transistor comprising a second lower source/drain region and a second upper source/drain region stacked on the first vertical transistor;
an isolation layer disposed between the first upper source/drain region of the first vertical transistor and the second lower source/drain region of the second vertical transistor;
at least one dielectric layer distinct from the isolation layer, wherein the at least one dielectric layer is disposed on lateral sides of the isolation layer and disposed on the first vertical transistor and the second vertical transistor;
wherein the isolation layer has a greater lateral width than a lateral width of the first upper source/drain region and a lateral width of the second lower source/drain region;
wherein an entirety of respective ones of lateral sides of the first upper source/drain region and of the second lower source/drain region are recessed with respect to the lateral sides of the isolation layer; and
wherein the isolation layer comprises a rare earth oxide.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein:
the first vertical transistor further comprises:
a first channel region extending vertically from the first lower source/drain region, wherein the first upper source/drain region is disposed on an upper portion of the first channel region; and
a first gate region disposed around the first channel region; and
the second vertical transistor further comprises:
a second channel region extending vertically from the second lower source/drain region, wherein the second upper source/drain region is disposed on an upper portion of the second channel region; and
a second gate region disposed around the second channel region.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the first gate region comprises a first gate metal layer having a first doping type, and the second gate region comprises a second gate metal layer having a second doping type different from the first doping type.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The semiconductor device according to claim 2, further comprising:
a first lower spacer region formed around portions of the first lower source/drain region and the first channel region; and
a first upper spacer region formed around portions of the first upper source/drain region and the first channel region.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the first lower spacer region is formed below the first gate region and the first upper spacer region is formed over the first gate region.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The semiconductor device according to claim 4, further comprising:
a second lower spacer region formed around portions of the second lower source/drain region and the second channel region; and
a second upper spacer region formed around portions of the second upper source/drain region and the second channel region.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the second lower spacer region is formed below the second gate region and the second upper spacer region is formed over the second gate region.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first vertical transistor comprises an n-type field-effect transistor (nFET) and the second vertical transistor comprises a p-type field-effect transistor (pFET).

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the rare earth oxide comprises at least one of erbium oxide (Er2O3), neodymium oxide (Nd2O3), praseodymium oxide (Pr2O3), cerium oxide (CeO2), lanthanum oxide (La2O3), yttrium oxide (Y2O3) and gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3).

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first vertical transistor comprises a first doping type and the second vertical transistor comprises a second doping type different from the first doping type.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The semiconductor device according to claim 10, wherein the first doping type is n-type and the second doping type is p-type.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one dielectric layer comprises a dielectric liner layer.

### Claim 13

A semiconductor device, comprising:
a first vertical transistor comprising a first doping type;
a second vertical transistor stacked on the first vertical transistor, wherein the second vertical transistor comprises a second doping type different from the first doping type;
an isolation layer vertically stacked between source/drain regions of the first and second vertical transistors; and
at least one dielectric layer distinct from the isolation layer, wherein the at least one dielectric layer is disposed on lateral sides of the isolation layer and disposed on the first vertical transistor and the second vertical transistor;
wherein the isolation layer has a greater lateral width than lateral widths of the source/drain regions of the first and second vertical transistors;
wherein an entirety of respective ones of lateral sides of the source/drain regions of the first and second vertical transistors are recessed with respect to the lateral sides of the isolation layer; and
wherein the isolation layer comprises a rare earth oxide.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein:
the first vertical transistor comprises:
a first lower source/drain region;
a first channel region extending vertically from the first lower source/drain region;
a first upper source/drain region disposed on an upper portion of the first channel region; and
a first gate region disposed around the first channel region; and
the second vertical transistor comprises:
a second lower source/drain region disposed on the isolation layer;
a second channel region extending vertically from the second lower source/drain region;
a second upper source/drain region disposed on an upper portion of the second channel region; and
a second gate region disposed around the second channel region.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The semiconductor device according to claim 14, wherein the first gate region comprises a first gate metal layer having the first doping type, and the second gate region comprises a second gate metal layer having the second doping type.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The semiconductor device according to claim 14, further comprising:
a first lower spacer region formed around portions of the first lower source/drain region and the first channel region; and
a first upper spacer region formed around portions of the first upper source/drain region and the first channel region.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The semiconductor device according to claim 16, wherein the first lower spacer region is formed below the first gate region and the first upper spacer region is formed over the first gate region.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The semiconductor device according to claim 16, further comprising:
a second lower spacer region formed around portions of the second lower source/drain region and the second channel region; and
a second upper spacer region formed around portions of the second upper source/drain region and the second channel region.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The semiconductor device according to claim 18, wherein the second lower spacer region is formed below the second gate region and the second upper spacer region is formed over the second gate region.

### Claim 20 (depends on 13)

The semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the at least one dielectric layer comprises a dielectric liner layer.