# US 12,183,796 B2 · Semiconductor device

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- Number: US 12,183,796 B2
- Document ID: US12183796B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/189,615
- Filed: 2021-03-02
- Published: 2022-02-03
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2020-07-29
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Junbeom Park; Sangsu Kim; Junggil Yang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12183796B2

## CPC

- H10D 30/6735: {having gates fully surrounding the channels, e.g. gate-all-around}
- H10D 62/121: {oriented parallel to substrates}
- H10D 30/0195: {forming inner spacers between adjacent channels, e.g. changing their shapes or sizes}
- H10D 30/507: {characterised by inner spacers between adjacent channels}
- H10D 64/251: {Source or drain electrodes for field-effect devices}
- H10D 84/013: {Manufacturing their source or drain regions, e.g. silicided source or drain regions}
- H10D 84/0151: {Manufacturing their isolation regions}
- H10D 84/038: {using silicon technology, e.g. SiGe}
- H10D 84/8312: {the IGFETs characterised by having different source or drain region structures, e.g. IGFETs having symmetrical source or drain regions integrated with IGFETs having asymmetrical source or drain regions}
- H10D 84/832: {comprising IGFETs having stacked nanowire, nanosheet or nanoribbon channels}
- B82Y 10/00: Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
- H10D 62/151: {of IGFETs (of IGFETs having LDD or DDD structure H10D30/601; of thin film transistors H10D30/6713)}
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES

## Abstract

A semiconductor device includes a first source/drain structure having a first length in a horizontal direction, as viewed in a planar cross-sectional view, the horizontal direction being perpendicular to a vertical direction, a second source/drain structure having a second length in the horizontal direction, as viewed in the planar cross-sectional view, the second length being less than the first length, channels extending between the first source/drain structure and the second source/drain structure, the channels being spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, at least one sacrificial pattern between adjacent ones of the channels, and a trench penetrating the channels and the at least one sacrificial pattern.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A semiconductor device, comprising:
a first source/drain structure having a first length in a horizontal direction, as viewed in a planar cross-sectional view, the horizontal direction being perpendicular to a vertical direction;
a second source/drain structure having a second length in the horizontal direction, as viewed in the planar cross-sectional view, the second length being less than the first length;
boundary channels extending between the first source/drain structure and the second source/drain structure, the boundary channels being spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction;
at least one sacrificial pattern between the boundary channels; and
a trench penetrating the boundary channels and the at least one sacrificial pattern, such that the at least one sacrificial pattern includes:
a first portion along the first source/drain structure, the first portion having a first length in the horizontal direction, and
a second portion along the second source/drain structure, the second portion having a second length in the horizontal direction, the second length being less than the first length.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one sacrificial pattern includes a plurality of sacrificial patterns between some adjacent ones of the boundary channels, the trench penetrating the plurality of sacrificial patterns, and each of the plurality of sacrificial patterns including the first and second portions.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one sacrificial pattern includes a plurality of sacrificial patterns between all adjacent ones of the boundary channels, respectively, the trench penetrating the plurality of sacrificial patterns, and each of the plurality of sacrificial patterns including the first and second portions.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a boundary gate structure in contact with an uppermost one of the boundary channels and extending in the horizontal direction, the trench penetrating the boundary gate structure and extending in the horizontal direction along the boundary gate structure.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 4, further comprising spacers on opposite side surfaces of the boundary gate structure.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an internal spacer between the at least one sacrificial pattern and each of the first and second source/drain structures.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one sacrificial pattern includes silicon-germanium (SiGe).

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein:
the first source/drain structure is part of a first transistor, the first transistor further including first channels and a first gate structure surrounding the first channels, and
the second source/drain structure is part of a second transistor, the second transistor further including second channels and a second gate structure surrounding the second channels.

### Claim 9

A semiconductor device, comprising:
a first source/drain structure;
a second source/drain structure;
first channels respectively extending from the first source/drain structure, the first channels being spaced apart from each other in a vertical direction;
second channels respectively extending from the second source/drain structure, the second channels being apart from each other in the vertical direction;
third channels respectively extending between the first source/drain structure and the second source/drain structure, the third channels being spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction;
a first gate structure surrounding the first channels, the first gate structure extending in a horizontal direction;
a second gate structure surrounding the second channels, the second gate structure extending in the horizontal direction;
at least one sacrificial pattern between adjacent ones of the third channels; and
a trench penetrating the at least one sacrificial pattern and the third channels, the trench extending in the horizontal direction,
wherein each of the third channels includes:
a first portion in contact with the first source/drain structure, the first portion having a first length in the horizontal direction, and
a second portion in contact with the second source/drain structure the second portion having a second length in the horizontal direction, the second length being less than the first length.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 9, wherein a first width in the horizontal direction of one of the first channels is greater than a second width in the horizontal direction of one of the second channels.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 9, wherein a number of the third channels equals a number of the first channels, and equals a number of the second channels.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 9, wherein a distance between adjacent ones of the third channels in the vertical direction equals a distance between adjacent ones of the first channels in the vertical direction, and equals a distance between adjacent ones of the second channels in the vertical direction.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 9, wherein a thickness of each of the third channels in the vertical direction equals a thickness of each of the first channels in the vertical direction, and equals a thickness of each of the second channels in the vertical direction.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one sacrificial pattern includes:
a first portion in contact with the first source/drain structure, the first portion having a first length in the horizontal direction, and
a second portion in contact with the second source/drain structure, the second portion having a second length in the horizontal direction, the second length being less than the first length.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 9, wherein a volume of the first source/drain structure is greater than a volume of the second source/drain structure.

### Claim 16

A semiconductor device, comprising:
a first transistor including:
first channels spaced apart from each other in a vertical direction,
a first gate structure surrounding the first channels, the first gate structure extending in a horizontal direction, and
a pair of first source/drain structures respectively on opposite sides of the first channels;
a second transistor including:
second channels spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction,
a second gate structure surrounding the second channels, the second gate structure extending in the horizontal direction, and
a pair of second source/drain structures respectively on opposite sides of the second channels; and
a boundary structure between the first transistor and the second transistor, the boundary structure including:
third channels spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, and
sacrificial patterns respectively between the plurality of third channels, a length of those of the sacrificial patterns extending in the horizontal direction along sidewalls of the pair of first source/drain structures being different from a length of those of the sacrificial patterns extending in the horizontal direction along sidewalls of the pair of second source/drain structures.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the boundary structure further includes a trench penetrating the third channels and the sacrificial patterns.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the trench extends in the horizontal direction.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the third channels and the sacrificial patterns are in contact with one of the pair of first source/drain structures and with one of the pair of second source/drain structures.