Gate Spacer and Methods of Forming
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsChun Hsiung Tsai, Kuo-Feng Yu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and structures for forming devices, such as transistors, are discussed. A method embodiment includes forming a gate spacer along a sidewall of a gate stack on a substrate; passivating at least a portion of an exterior surface of the gate spacer; and epitaxially growing a material in the substrate proximate the gate spacer while the at least the portion of the exterior surface of the gate spacer remains passivated. The passivating can include using at least one of a thermal treatment, a plasma treatment, or a thermal treatment.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- forming an electrode on a substrate;
- forming a spacer along a sidewall of the electrode;
- treating at least a portion of an exterior surface of the spacer, the treating terminating the at least the portion of the exterior surface with a passivating species;
- forming a recess in the substrate proximate the spacer;
- depositing a material in the recess while the at least the portion of the exterior surface is terminated with the passivating species;
- and
- after depositing the material in the recess, removing the passivating species from the exterior surface of the spacer.
A method comprising:
- forming an electrode on a substrate;
- depositing a first spacer layer along opposing sidewalls and a top surface of the electrode;
- performing a first passivation process on an exterior surface of the first spacer layer, the first passivation process terminating dangling bonds at the exterior surface of the first spacer layer with a first passivating species;
- after performing the first passivation process, depositing a second spacer layer over the first spacer layer;
- patterning the first spacer layer and the second spacer layer to form spacers on the opposing sidewalls of the electrode;
- patterning the substrate using the electrode and the spacers as a combined mask to form a recess in the substrate;
- performing a second passivation process on exterior surfaces of the spacers, the second passivation process terminating dangling bonds at the exterior surfaces of the spacers with a second passivating species;
- filling the recess with a semiconductor material;
- and
- after filling the recess with the semiconductor material, removing the second passivating species.
A method comprising:
- forming an electrode over a substrate;
- depositing a first spacer layer along opposing sidewalls and a top surface of the electrode;
- forming a first monolayer on an exterior surface of the first spacer layer;
- depositing a second spacer layer over the first monolayer;
- patterning the first spacer layer, the first monolayer and the second spacer layer to form spacers on the opposing sidewalls of the electrode;
- etching the substrate using the electrode and the spacers as a combined etch mask to form a recess in the substrate;
- forming a second monolayer on exterior surfaces of the spacers;
- epitaxially growing a semiconductor material in the recess;
- and
- after epitaxially growing the semiconductor material in the recess, removing the second monolayer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.