Low-leakage CoSi2-processing by high temperature thermal processing

A method of fabricating a first silicide layer on a gate electrode, a first source/drain region and a second source/drain region of a transistor on a first substrate, comprising the steps of:

• depositing a layer of metal on the gate electrode and the first and second source/drain regions;
• heating the metal layer, the gate electrode and the first and second source/drain regions to react the metal therewith and form the first silicide layer;
• removing any unreacted metal;
• determining an agglomeration threshold temperature of the first silicide layer;
• and
• heating the first substrate and any filaments of the first silicide layer penetrating the pn junctions of the first and second source/drain regions above an agglomeration threshold temperature of the filaments but below the agglomeration threshold temperature of the silicide layer in order to avoid damaging the structural integrity of the first silicide layer.

A method of fabricating a first cobalt silicide layer on a first substrate having a pn junction, comprising the steps of:

• depositing a layer of cobalt-containing material on the first substrate;
• heating the layer of cobalt-containing material and the first substrate to react the layer of cobalt-containing material with the first substrate and form the first cobalt silicide layer;
• removing any unreacted cobalt-containing material;
• determining an agglomeration threshold temperature of the first silicide layer;
• and
• heating the first substrate and any filaments of the first cobalt silicide layer penetrating the pn junction above an agglomeration threshold temperature of the filaments but below the agglomeration threshold temperature of the silicide layer in order to avoid damaging the structural integrity of the first cobalt silicide layer.

A method of fabricating a transistor on a first substrate, comprising the steps of:

• forming a gate insulating layer on the first substrate;
• forming a gate electrode on the gate insulating layer;
• forming a first source/drain region in the first substrate and a second source/drain region in the first substrate;
• and
• forming a first suicide layer on the first and second source/drain regions by depositing a layer of metal on the first and second source/drain regions, heating the metal layer and the substrate to react the metal with the first substrate and form the first silicide layer, removing any unreacted metal, determining al agglomeration threshold temperature of the first silicide layer, and heating the first substrate and any filaments of the first silicide layer penetrating the pn junctions of the first and second source/drain regions above an agglomeration threshold temperature of the filaments but below the agglomeration threshold temperature of the first silicide layer in order to avoid damaging the structural integrity of the first silicide layer.