Nitrogen implant into nitride spacer to reduce nickel silicide formation on spacer
AssigneeAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc.
InventorsGeorge J. Kluth, Minh Van Ngo, Paul R. Besser
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Bridging between silicide layers on a gate electrode and source/drain regions along silicon nitride sidewall spacers is prevented by implanting the exposed surfaces of the silicon nitride sidewall spacers with nitrogen to create a surface region having an increased nitrogen concentration. Embodiments include implanting the silicon nitride sidewall spacers with nitrogen such that the nitrogen concentration of the exposed surface is increased by about 5% to about 15%, thereby substantially preventing the formation of metal silicide on the sidewall spacers.
Claims13
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- forming a gate electrode, having opposing side surfaces, on a substrate with a gate insulating layer therebetween;
- forming silicon nitride sidewall spacers on the opposing side surfaces of the gate electrode, leaving exposed adjacent surfaces of the substrate;
- implanting exposed surfaces of the silicon nitride sidewall spacers with nitrogen;
- depositing a layer of refractory metal on the gate electrode and the exposed surfaces of the substrate;
- and
- heating to react the metal layer with underlying silicon to form a layer of metal silicide on the gate electrode and a layer of metal silicide on the exposed surfaces of the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.