# US 12,218,226 B2 · Methods of fabricating semiconductor devices having gate-all-around structure with inner spacer last process

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- Number: US 12,218,226 B2
- Document ID: US12218226B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/081,365
- Filed: 2020-10-27
- Published: 2021-03-04
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2019-02-21
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Inventors: Chun-Hsiung Lin; Pei-Hsun Wang; Chih-Hao Wang; Kuo-Cheng Ching; Jui-Chien Huang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12218226B2

## CPC

- H10D 30/0243: {using dummy structures having essentially the same shapes as the semiconductor bodies, e.g. to provide stability}
- H10D 62/121: {oriented parallel to substrates}
- B82Y 10/00: Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
- 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 30/62: Fin field-effect transistors [FinFET]
- H10D 30/6219: {characterised by the source or drain electrodes}
- H10D 62/116: {adjoining the input or output regions of field-effect devices, e.g. adjoining source or drain regions}
- H10D 62/832: being Group IV materials comprising two or more elements, e.g. SiGe
- H10D 84/0151: {Manufacturing their isolation regions}
- H10D 84/0158: {the components including FinFETs}
- H10D 84/038: {using silicon technology, e.g. SiGe}
- H10D 62/151: {of IGFETs (of IGFETs having LDD or DDD structure H10D30/601; of thin film transistors H10D30/6713)}
- H10D 84/0147: {Manufacturing their gate sidewall spacers}
- 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 is provided. The semiconductor device includes a plurality of channel layers stacked over a semiconductor substrate and spaced apart from one another, a source/drain structure adjoining the plurality of channel layers, a gate structure wrapping around the plurality of channel layers, and a first inner spacer between the gate structure and the source/drain structure and between the plurality of channel layers. The first inner spacer is made of an oxide of a semiconductor material.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A semiconductor device, comprising:
a plurality of channel layers and a source/drain structure over a fin;
a gate structure wrapping around the plurality of channel layers;
a plurality of inner spacers between the gate structure and the source/drain structure;
a doped portion between a first channel of the plurality of channel layers and the source/drain structure and between a first inner spacer and a second inner spacer of the plurality of inner spacers, wherein a doped concentration of a dopant in the doped portion is greater than a doped concentration of the dopant in the channel layers, and the dopant is carbon, germanium or a combination thereof;
a gate spacer alongside the gate structure, wherein the first inner spacer is a topmost one of the inner spacers, and the first inner spacer is interposed between the gate spacer and the doped portion and in direct contact with the both gate spacer and the gate structure; and
a doped semiconductor layer directly below the plurality of inner spacers and the source/drain structure; and
a silicon layer directly below the plurality of channel layers and over the fin, wherein a sidewall of the doped semiconductor layer is interfaced with a sidewall of the silicon layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner spacers are made of an oxide of Si1-xGex and x is greater than about 0.4 and less than 1.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner spacers have a dielectric constant in a range from about 3.5 to about 7.0.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
an isolation structure surrounding the fin; and
an isolation fin including a lower portion embedded in the isolation structure and an upper portion protruding from the fin.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 4, wherein a longitudinal direction of the isolation fin is parallel to a longitudinal direction of the fin.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a top surface of the doped semiconductor layer is in direct contact with a bottom surface of a bottommost one of the inner spacers and a bottom of the source/drain structure.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the source/drain structure vertically overlaps a bottommost one of the inner spacers.

### Claim 8

A semiconductor device, comprising:
a plurality of first channel layers stacked over a semiconductor substrate and spaced apart from one another;
a source/drain structure laterally adjacent to the plurality of first channel layers;
a gate structure wrapping around the plurality of first channel layers; and
a plurality of first doped portions sandwiched between the plurality of first channel layers and the source/drain structure;
a second doped portion below the source/drain structure, wherein the plurality of first doped portions vertically overlaps the second doped portion; and
a plurality of second channel layers stacked over the semiconductor substrate and spaced apart from one another, wherein the second doped portion is sandwiched between and in direct contact with a bottommost one of the first channel layers and a bottommost one of the second channel layers.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:
a first inner spacer between the gate structure and the source/drain structure, wherein the first inner spacer is made of an oxide of a semiconductor material.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the semiconductor material is SiGe, Ge or SiGeC.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:
a second inner spacer above the plurality of first doped portions and between the gate structure and the source/drain structure, wherein the second inner spacer is made of the oxide of the semiconductor material.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 8, wherein a dopant in the first doped portions includes carbon (C) or germanium (Ge).

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second doped portion is wider than the source/drain structure.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:
a fin sidewall spacer surrounding a lower portion of the source/drain structure; and
a contact etch stop layer surrounding an upper portion of the source/drain structure and the fin sidewall spacer.

### Claim 15 (depends on 8)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second doped portion vertically overlaps a portion of a bottommost one of the plurality of first channel layers.

### Claim 16

A semiconductor device, comprising:
a fin protruding from a semiconductor substrate;
an isolation structure surrounding the fin;
a plurality of channel layers separated from each other and disposed over the fin, wherein the channel layers are made of a first semiconductor material, and portions of the channel layers are implanted with a dopant, and the dopant comprises carbon, germanium or a combination thereof;
a gate structure filling spaces between the channel layers and surrounding the channel layers;
epitaxial source and drain structures disposed on opposite sides of the gate structure;
a doped semiconductor layer below one of the epitaxial source and drain structures, wherein a first channel layer is a bottommost one of the plurality of channel layers, a top surface and a bottom surface of the doped semiconductor layer are substantially leveled with a top surface and a bottom surface of the first channel layer, respectively; and
a plurality of inner spacers disposed between the gate structure and the epitaxial source and drain structures, wherein the inner spacers vertically overlap the doped semiconductor layer.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the inner spacers are made of an oxide of a second semiconductor material, the first semiconductor material is different from the second semiconductor material, the first semiconductor material comprises silicon or silicon germanium, and the second semiconductor material comprises silicon germanium or germanium.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the inner spacers are implanted with a dopant, and the dopant comprises carbon, germanium or a combination thereof.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 16, wherein doped portions of the channel layers implanted with the dopant are interfaced with undoped portions of the channel layers at a plurality of boundaries, the plurality of inner spacers have a plurality of sidewall interfaced with the gate structure, and the plurality of sidewalls are substantially aligned with the plurality of boundaries.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:
an isolation fin disposed in the isolation structure and protruding from the isolation structure, wherein the isolation fin is parallel to the fin.