# US 12,224,204 B2 · Semiconductor device and method

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- Number: US 12,224,204 B2
- Document ID: US12224204B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/873,353
- Filed: 2022-07-26
- Published: 2022-11-17
- Granted: 2025-02-11
- Earliest claimed: 2019-12-27
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Inventors: Po-Nan Yeh; Yu-Shih Wang; Ming-Hsi Yeh
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12224204B2

## CPC

- H10W 20/077: {on sidewalls or on top surfaces of conductors (H10W20/076 takes precedence)}
- H10D 30/024: {of fin field-effect transistors [FinFET]}
- H10D 30/62: Fin field-effect transistors [FinFET]
- H10D 84/013: {Manufacturing their source or drain regions, e.g. silicided source or drain regions}
- H10D 84/0149: {Manufacturing their interconnections or electrodes, e.g. source or drain electrodes}
- H10D 84/0158: {the components including FinFETs}
- H10D 84/038: {using silicon technology, e.g. SiGe}
- H10D 84/834: {comprising FinFETs}
- H10P 50/283: {by chemical means}
- H10W 20/069: {by forming self-aligned vias or self-aligned contact plugs}
- H10W 20/0698: {Local interconnections}
- H10W 20/075: {of multilayered thin functional dielectric layers}
- H10W 20/081: {by forming openings in the dielectric parts}
- H10W 20/42: Vias, e.g. via plugs
- H10W 20/425: {Barrier, adhesion or liner layers}
- H10W 20/47: comprising two or more dielectric layers having different properties, e.g. different dielectric constants
- H10D 84/0186: {Manufacturing their interconnections or electrodes, e.g. source or drain electrodes}
- H10W 20/076: {in via holes or trenches}
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

In an embodiment, a device includes: a semiconductor substrate; a first inter-layer dielectric (ILD) over the semiconductor substrate; a first conductive feature extending through the first ILD; a first etch stop layer over the first conductive feature and the first ILD, the first etch stop layer being a first dielectric material; a second ILD over the first etch stop layer; a contact having a first portion extending through the second ILD and a second portion extending through the first etch stop layer, the contact being physically and electrically coupled to the first conductive feature; and a first protective layer surrounding the second portion of the contact, the first portion of the contact being free from the first protective layer, the first protective layer being a second dielectric material, the second dielectric material being different from the first dielectric material.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A device comprising:
a first inter-layer dielectric over a semiconductor substrate;
a conductive feature extending through the first inter-layer dielectric;
a first etch stop layer over the conductive feature and the first inter-layer dielectric, the first etch stop layer being a first dielectric material;
a second inter-layer dielectric over the first etch stop layer;
a contact having a first portion extending through the second inter-layer dielectric and a second portion extending through the first etch stop layer, the contact being physically and electrically coupled to the conductive feature, the first portion of the contact and the second portion of the contact comprising a continuous conductive material; and
a first protective layer surrounding the second portion of the contact, the first portion of the contact being free from the first protective layer, the first protective layer being a second dielectric material, the second dielectric material being different from the first dielectric material.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the first etch stop layer is aluminum oxide.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the first protective layer is aluminum hydroxide.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the contact has a first width, the second portion of the contact has a second width, the second width is larger than the first width by a first distance, and the first distance is in a range of 1 nm to 9 nm.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1 further comprising:
a buffer layer between the first inter-layer dielectric and the first etch stop layer, the contact having a third portion extending through the buffer layer, the third portion of the contact being free from the first protective layer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1 further comprising:
a buffer layer between the first etch stop layer and the second inter-layer dielectric, the contact having a third portion extending through the buffer layer, the third portion of the contact being free from the first protective layer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The device of claim 6 further comprising:
a second etch stop layer between the buffer layer and the second inter-layer dielectric, the second etch stop layer being the first dielectric material, the contact having a fourth portion extending through the second etch stop layer; and
a second protective layer surrounding the fourth portion of the contact, the second protective layer being the second dielectric material.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1 further comprising:
a first buffer layer between the first inter-layer dielectric and the first etch stop layer, the contact having a third portion extending through the first buffer layer, the third portion of the contact being free from the first protective layer; and
a second buffer layer between the first etch stop layer and the second inter-layer dielectric, the contact having a fourth portion extending through the second buffer layer, the fourth portion of the contact being free from the first protective layer.

### Claim 9

A device comprising:
a conductive feature over a semiconductor substrate;
a first etch stop layer over the conductive feature;
an inter-layer dielectric over the first etch stop layer; and
a contact having a first portion extending through the inter-layer dielectric and a second portion extending through the first etch stop layer, the contact being physically and electrically coupled to the conductive feature,
wherein the first portion of the contact has a first width, the second portion of the contact has a second width, the second width is larger than the first width by a first distance, and the first distance is in a range of 1 nm to 9 nm.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The device of claim 9 further comprising:
a buffer layer between the first etch stop layer and the inter-layer dielectric, the contact having a third portion extending through the buffer layer, the third portion of the contact having a third width, the second width larger than the third width.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The device of claim 9 further comprising:
a buffer layer between the first etch stop layer and the conductive feature, the contact having a third portion extending through the buffer layer, the third portion of the contact having a third width, the second width larger than the third width.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The device of claim 9 further comprising:
a second etch stop layer between the first etch stop layer and the conductive feature, the contact having a third portion extending through the second etch stop layer; and
a buffer layer between the second etch stop layer and the first etch stop layer, the contact having a fourth portion extending through the buffer layer,
wherein the third portion of the contact has a third width, the fourth portion of the contact has a fourth width, and the fourth width is larger than the third width.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The device of claim 9, wherein the conductive feature is a gate electrode.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The device of claim 9, wherein the conductive feature is a source/drain contact.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

The device of claim 9 further comprising:
a first protective layer surrounding the second portion of the contact, the first portion of the contact being free from the first protective layer, the first protective layer comprising a first dielectric material, the first etch stop layer comprising a second dielectric material, the second dielectric material different from the first dielectric material; and
a second protective layer between the contact and the conductive feature, the second protective layer comprising anthracene.

### Claim 16

A device comprising:
a first conductive feature over a semiconductor substrate;
an etch stop layer over the first conductive feature, the etch stop layer comprising a first dielectric material;
an inter-layer dielectric over the etch stop layer;
a second conductive feature having a first portion extending through the inter-layer dielectric and a second portion extending through the etch stop layer, the second conductive feature being coupled to the first conductive feature; and
a first protective layer surrounding the second portion of the second conductive feature, the first portion of the second conductive feature being free from the first protective layer, the first protective layer comprising a second dielectric material, the second dielectric material being a product of the first dielectric material and a dielectric protective agent.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The device of claim 16, wherein the first conductive feature comprises a first conductive material, the device further comprising:
a second protective layer between the first conductive feature and the second conductive feature, the second protective layer comprising a second conductive material, the second conductive material being a product of the first conductive material and a metal protective agent.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The device of claim 17, wherein the first conductive material is cobalt and the second conductive material is anthracene.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The device of claim 16, wherein the first dielectric material is aluminum oxide and the second dielectric material is aluminum hydroxide.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The device of claim 16, wherein a density of the first protective layer is greater than a density of the etch stop layer.