# US 8,785,315 B2 · Reacted conductive gate electrodes and methods of making the same

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- Number: US 8,785,315 B2
- Document ID: US8785315B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/342,589
- Filed: 2012-01-03
- Published: 2012-04-26
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2002-06-25
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Matthew T. Currie; Richard Hammond
- Inventors: Matthew T. Currie; Richard Hammond
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8785315B2

## CPC

- H10D 30/797: {being in source or drain regions, e.g. SiGe source or drain}
- H10D 30/0212: {using self-aligned silicidation}
- H10D 30/751: {having composition variations in the channel regions}
- H10D 30/791: {Arrangements for exerting mechanical stress on the crystal lattice of the channel regions}
- H10D 30/798: {being provided in or under the channel regions}
- H10D 62/151: {of IGFETs (of IGFETs having LDD or DDD structure H10D30/601; of thin film transistors H10D30/6713)}
- H10D 62/822: comprising only Group IV materials heterojunctions, e.g. Si/Ge heterojunctions
- H10D 62/832: being Group IV materials comprising two or more elements, e.g. SiGe
- H10D 64/0112: {using conductive layers comprising silicides}
- H10D 64/0131: {the additional conductive layer comprising a silicide layer formed by the silicidation reaction between the layer of silicon with a metal layer which is not formed by metal implantation}
- H10D 64/01314: {the conductor comprising a layer of Ge, C or of compounds of Si, Ge or C contacting the insulator}
- H10D 64/01356: {the insulator being formed after the semiconductor body, the semiconductor being a Group IV material and not being silicon, e.g. Ge, SiGe or SiGeC (H10D64/01364, H10D64/01366 take precedence)}
- H10D 64/62: Electrodes ohmically coupled to a semiconductor
- H10D 64/66: Electrodes having a conductor capacitively coupled to a semiconductor by an insulator, e.g. MIS electrodes
- H10P 95/90: Thermal treatments, e.g. annealing or sintering
- H10D 30/0227: {having both lightly-doped source and drain extensions and source and drain regions self-aligned to the sides of the gate, e.g. lightly-doped drain [LDD] MOSFET or double-diffused drain [DDD] MOSFET}
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A semiconductor device and a method for fabricating a semiconductor device involve a semiconductor layer that includes a first material and a second material. The first and second materials can be silicon and germanium. A contact of the device has a portion proximal to the semiconductor layer and a portion distal to the semiconductor layer. The distal portion includes the first material and the second material. A metal layer formed adjacent to the relaxed semiconductor layer and adjacent to the distal portion of the contact is simultaneously reacted with the relaxed semiconductor layer and with the distal portion of the contact to provide metallic contact material.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising:
providing a relaxed semiconductor layer comprising a first material and a second material;
forming a contact comprising a portion proximal to the relaxed semiconductor layer and a portion distal to the relaxed semiconductor layer, the distal portion comprising the first material and the second material; and
simultaneously reacting a metal with the relaxed semiconductor layer and with the distal portion of the contact.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first material is silicon and the second material is germanium.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first material and the second material of the distal portion of the contact have an atomic ratio that is substantially the same as an atomic ratio the first material and the second material of the relaxed semiconductor layer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the proximal portion of the contact consists essentially of one of the first material and the second material.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the proximal portion of the contact comprises the first material and the second material having an atomic ratio that differs from an atomic ratio of the first material and the second material of the distal portion.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the proximal portion of the contact comprises the first material and the second material having an atomic ratio that is substantially the same as an atomic ratio of the first material and the second material of the distal portion.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the contact comprises a graded variation of the first material and the second material.

### Claim 8

A method comprising:
forming a strained channel layer over a substrate, the substrate comprising a relaxed region, the relaxed region comprising a first material and a second material;
forming a gate structure over the strained channel layer, the gate structure comprising a contact with a graded composition of the first material and the second material; and
reacting a portion of the relaxed region and a portion of the contact with a metal in a single process step to form a reacted contact on the relaxed region and on the contact.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the first material is silicon, and the second material is germanium.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the contact includes a proximal region proximate the strained channel layer, the proximal region consisting essentially of the first material.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the relaxed region includes a relaxed semiconductor layer, the relaxed semiconductor layer inducing strain in the strained channel layer.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the reacted contact on the relaxed region is a source contact or a drain contact.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the metal comprises at least one of nickel, platinum, and zirconium.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the relaxed region comprises a content of the first material and the second material substantially identical to a content of a distal region of the contact, the distal region being distal from the strained channel layer.

### Claim 15

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising:
providing a relaxed semiconductor layer comprising a first material and a second material;
forming a gate structure over the relaxed semiconductor layer, the gate structure comprising a contact comprising a first portion proximal to the relaxed semiconductor layer and a second portion distal to the relaxed semiconductor layer, the second portion comprising the first material and the second material; and
simultaneously reacting a metal with the relaxed semiconductor layer and with the second portion of the contact.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the first material is silicon and the second material is germanium.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the first material and the second material of the second portion of the contact have an atomic ratio that is substantially the same as an atomic ratio the first material and the second material of the relaxed semiconductor layer.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the first portion of the contact consists essentially of one of the first material and the second material.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the first portion of the contact comprises the first material and the second material having an atomic ratio that differs from an atomic ratio of the first material and the second material of the distal portion.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the first portion of the contact comprises the first material and the second material having an atomic ratio that is substantially the same as an atomic ratio of the first material and the second material of the second portion.