# US 2013/0154007 A1 · Rare-earth oxide isolated semiconductor fin

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- Number: US 2013/0154007 A1
- Document ID: US20130154007A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/328,358
- Filed: 2011-12-16
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2011-12-16
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: Kangguo Cheng; Joseph Ervin; Chengwen Pei; Ravi M. Todi; Geng Wang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130154007A1

## CPC

- H10P 14/3238: {being insulating materials}
- H10D 30/024: {of fin field-effect transistors [FinFET]}
- H10D 30/62: Fin field-effect transistors [FinFET]
- H10P 14/272: {using mask materials other than SiO2 or SiN}
- H10P 14/3256: {Microstructure}
- H10P 14/3451: {Structure}
- H10P 14/3458: {Monocrystalline}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

## Abstract

A dielectric template layer is deposited on a substrate. Line trenches are formed within the dielectric template layer by an anisotropic etch that employs a patterned mask layer. The patterned mask layer can be a patterned photoresist layer, or a patterned hard mask layer that is formed by other image transfer methods. A lower portion of each line trench is filled with an epitaxial rare-earth oxide material by a selective rare-earth oxide epitaxy process. An upper portion of each line trench is filled with an epitaxial semiconductor material by a selective semiconductor epitaxy process. The dielectric template layer is recessed to form a dielectric material layer that provides lateral electrical isolation among fin structures, each of which includes a stack of a rare-earth oxide fin portion and a semiconductor fin portion.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A semiconductor structure comprising a fin structure located on a planar top surface of a substrate, wherein said fin structure comprises a rare-earth oxide fin portion and a semiconductor fin portion in contact with a top surface of said rare-earth oxide fin portion.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor structure of claim 1, wherein said rare earth-oxide fin portion comprises a single crystalline rare-earth oxide material that is epitaxially aligned to a single crystalline material in said substrate.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The semiconductor structure of claim 2, wherein said semiconductor fin portion comprises a single crystalline semiconductor material that is epitaxially aligned to said single crystalline rare-earth oxide material.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The semiconductor structure of claim 2, wherein said single crystalline material in said substrate is a single crystalline semiconductor material.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The semiconductor structure of claim 4, wherein said substrate is a bulk semiconductor substrate including said single crystalline semiconductor material throughout an entirety thereof.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The semiconductor structure of claim 3, wherein said single crystalline semiconductor material is selected from single crystalline silicon, a single crystalline silicon germanium alloy, a single crystalline silicon carbon alloy, a single crystalline silicon germanium carbon alloy, a single crystalline III-V compound semiconductor material, a single crystalline II-VI compound semiconductor material, and an alloy or a combination thereof.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor structure of claim 1, further comprising a dielectric material layer having a planar bottom surface that is in contact with a top surface of said substrate and having a planar top surface.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The semiconductor structure of claim 7, wherein said dielectric material layer comprises a dielectric material that is not a rare-earth oxide material, and a top surface of said dielectric material layer is located below a level of an interface between said rare-earth oxide fin portion and said semiconductor fin portion.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The semiconductor structure of claim 7, further comprising:
a gate dielectric layer contacting sidewalls of said semiconductor fin portion; and
a gate electrode spaced from a top surface and sidewall surfaces of said semiconductor fin portion by said gate dielectric layer.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The semiconductor structure of claim 9, wherein said semiconductor fin portion comprises:
a body region underlying said gate electrode;
a source region located at one end of said semiconductor fin portion; and
a drain region located at another end of said semiconductor fin portion.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor structure of claim 1, wherein said rare-earth oxide fin portion comprises a single crystalline rare earth oxide material selected from single crystalline Er2O3, single crystalline Gd2O3, single crystalline Nd2O3, single crystalline Pr2O3, single crystalline La2O3, and a single crystalline alloy thereof.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor structure of claim 1, wherein said fin structure has a substantially uniform width between a pair of sidewall surfaces.

### Claim 13

A method of forming a semiconductor structure, said method comprising:
forming a dielectric template layer on a substrate;
patterning said dielectric template layer to form at least one trench therein, wherein a top surface of said substrate is physically exposed within each of said at least one trench;
forming a rare-earth oxide fin portion at a lower portion of each of said at least one trench by depositing a rare-earth oxide material; and
forming a semiconductor fin portion at an upper portion of each of said at least one trench by depositing a semiconductor material.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of said at least one trench is a line trench located between a pair of vertical sidewalls of said patterned dielectric template layer and having a uniform spacing between said pair of vertical sidewalls, and a stack of a rare-earth oxide fin portion and a semiconductor fin portion within each of said at least one trench constitutes a fin structure.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein said deposited rare-earth oxide material is a single crystalline rare-earth oxide material that is epitaxially aligned to a single crystalline material in said substrate.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein said deposited semiconductor material is a single crystalline semiconductor material that is epitaxially aligned to said single crystalline rare-earth oxide material.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein said single crystalline material in said substrate is a single crystalline semiconductor material.

### Claim 18 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising recessing said dielectric template layer selective to said at least one semiconductor fin portion and said at least one rare-earth oxide fin portion, wherein a remaining portion of said dielectric template layer constitutes a dielectric material layer having a top surface that is recessed relative to a top surface of said at least one semiconductor fin portion.

### Claim 19 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein said top surface of said dielectric material layer is located below a level of an interface between said at least one rare-earth oxide fin portion and said at least one semiconductor fin portion.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, further comprising:
forming a gate dielectric layer directly on sidewalls of said at least one semiconductor fin portion; and
forming a gate electrode on said gate dielectric layer, wherein said gate electrode is spaced from a top surface and sidewall surfaces of said semiconductor fin portion by said gate dielectric layer.