# US 7,611,972 B2 · Semiconductor devices and methods of manufacture thereof

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 7,611,972 B2
- Document ID: US7611972B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/606,812
- Filed: 2006-11-29
- Published: 2008-05-29
- Granted: 2009-11-03
- Earliest claimed: 2006-11-29
- Assignees: Qimonda North America Corp.
- Inventors: Shrinivas Govindarajan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7611972B2

## CPC

- H10D 1/696: {comprising multiple layers, e.g. comprising a barrier layer and a metal layer (barrier layers to prevent diffusion of hydrogen or oxygen in perovskite based capacitors H10D1/688)}
- H10B 12/033: {the capacitor extending over the transistor}
- H10B 12/038: {the capacitor being in a trench in the substrate}
- H10D 64/01344: {in a nitrogen-containing ambient, e.g. N2O oxidation}
- H10D 64/685: {being perpendicular to the channel plane}
- H10D 64/693: {the insulator comprising nitrogen, e.g. nitrides, oxynitrides or nitrogen-doped materials}
- H10P 36/00: Gettering within semiconductor bodies
- H10D 30/601: {having lightly-doped drain or source extensions, e.g. LDD IGFETs or DDD IGFETs (lightly doped source or drain extensions for TFTs H10D30/6715)}
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10B: ELECTRONIC MEMORY DEVICES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

Semiconductor devices and methods of manufacture thereof are disclosed. A preferred embodiment comprises a method of forming an insulating material layer. The method includes forming a barrier layer and forming a rare earth element-containing material layer over the barrier layer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
providing a workpiece;
forming a barrier layer over the workpiece;
before forming the barrier layer over the workpiece, forming a layer of oxide over the workpiece, and exposing the layer of oxide to nitrogen to form an oxynitride layer;
forming a rare earth element-containing insulating material layer over the barrier layer, wherein at least the barrier layer and the rare earth element-containing insulating material layer comprise a dielectric material; and
forming a gettering layer over the rare earth element-containing insulating material layer, wherein forming the gettering layer comprises causing at least a portion of oxygen of the oxynitride layer to move through the barrier layer and the rare earth element-containing insulating material and combine with a material of the gettering layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein forming the barrier layer comprises forming a layer of HfO2, HfSiO, or Al2O3.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein forming the rare earth element-containing insulating material layer comprises forming at least one material layer comprising TiO2, Ta2O5, or a bilayer of TiO2 and Ta2O5, and doping the at least one material layer with a rare earth oxide comprising one or more rare earth elements.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3, wherein doping the at least one material layer with the rare earth oxide comprises doping the at least one material layer with about 30% or less of the rare earth oxide.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising, before forming the barrier layer over the workpiece, forming a layer of oxide over the workpiece, and exposing the layer of oxide to nitrogen to form an oxynitride layer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 further comprising forming an electrode over the rare earth element-containing insulating material layer, wherein the electrode comprises TiN, TaN, Ru, RuO2, TiSiN, TaSiN, HfSiN, TiHfN, TiCN, TaCN, TiXN, AlN, RE1RE2N, and/or multiple layers or combinations thereof, wherein X comprises a rare earth element, wherein RE1RE2N comprises a nitride of a first rare earth element RE1 and a second rare earth element RE2, and wherein the second rare earth element RE2 comprises a different rare earth element than the first rare earth element RE1.