Self aligned active trench contact
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorSteven Alan LYTLE
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An integrated circuit and method includes self-aligned contacts. A gapfill dielectric layer fills spaces between sidewalls of adjacent MOS gates. The gapfill dielectric layer is planarized down to tops of gate structures. A contact pattern is formed that exposes an area for multiple self-aligned contacts. The area overlaps adjacent instances of the gate structures. The gapfill dielectric layer is removed from the area. A contact metal layer is formed in the areas where the gapfill dielectric material has been removed. The contact metal abuts the sidewalls along the height of the sidewalls. The contact metal is planarized down to the tops of the gate structures, forming the self-aligned contacts.
Claims8
An integrated circuit, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a plurality of gate structures, each the gate structure comprising a gate disposed over the substrate and sidewalls abutting lateral surfaces of the gate;
- source/drain regions disposed in the substrate adjacent to the gate structures;
- a plurality of self-aligned contacts, each the self-aligned contact being disposed on an instance of the source/drain regions and abutting at least one instance of the gate structures along a height of the instance of the gate structure, wherein a top surface of the self-aligned contact is not higher than a top surface of the instance of the gate structure;
- a pre-metal dielectric (PMD) layer disposed over the gate structures and over the self-aligned contacts;
- vias disposed in the PMD layer, such that the vias make electrical connections to at least a portion of the self-aligned contacts;
- and
- a plurality of metal interconnects disposed over the vias, the metal interconnects making electrical connections to the vias.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.