Back to results
US 7,256,142 B2Granted
Relaxed SiGe platform for high speed CMOS electronics and high speed analog circuits
AssigneeAmberWave Systems Corporation
InventorEugene A. Fitzgerald
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Structures and methods for fabricating high speed digital, analog, and combined digital/analog systems using planarized relaxed SiGe as the materials platform. The relaxed SiGe allows for a plethora of strained Si layers that possess enhanced electronic properties. By allowing the MOSFET channel to be either at the surface or buried, one can create high-speed digital and/or analog circuits. The planarization before the device epitaxial layers are deposited ensures a flat surface for state-of-the-art lithography.
Claims34
A method comprising:
- providing a substrate;
- and
- forming a FET by;
- forming a gate stack over the substrate, thereby defining a channel below the gate stack, and
- providing a strain-inducing material over at least a portion of the substrate,
- wherein the strain-inducing material induces a strain in the channel, the strained channel has an average surface roughness of no more than approximately 2 nm, and forming the FET comprises forming a metal suicide region.
3 more elements
A method comprising:
- providing a substrate consisting essentially of one or more semiconductor materials;
- and forming a FET by:
- forming a gate stack over the substrate, thereby defining a channel below the gate stack,
- providing a strain-inducing material over at least a portion of the substrate,
- providing a source region and a drain region, and
- forming a metal silicide region over at least one of the source region and the drain region, the metal silicide region comprising an alloy of nickel and SiGe,
- wherein (i) the strain-inducing material induces a strain in the channel, (ii) the strain-inducing material comprises SiGe, and is disposed in the source region and the drain region, and (iii) the strained channel has an average surface roughness of less than approximately 0.77 nm and consists essentially of silicon.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.