# US 9,437,699 B2 · Method of forming nanowires

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- Number: US 9,437,699 B2
- Document ID: US9437699B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/505,631
- Filed: 2014-10-03
- Published: 2016-04-07
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2014-10-03
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
- Inventors: Yu-Lien Huang; Yung-Ta Li; Meng-Ku Chen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9437699B2

## CPC

- H10D 62/122: {oriented at angles to substrates, e.g. perpendicular to substrates}
- B82Y 10/00: Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
- B82Y 40/00: Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
- H10D 30/014: {of FETs having zero-dimensional [0D] or one-dimensional [1D] channels, e.g. quantum wire FETs, single-electron transistors [SET] or Coulomb blockade transistors}
- H10D 30/031: {of thin-film transistors [TFT]}
- H10D 30/0318: {of vertical TFTs}
- H10D 30/43: having one-dimensional [1D] charge carrier gas channels, e.g. quantum wire FETs or transistors having 1D quantum-confined channels
- H10D 30/435: {having multiple laterally adjacent 1D material channels}
- H10D 30/62: Fin field-effect transistors [FinFET]
- H10D 30/63: Vertical IGFETs (H10D30/66 {, H10D30/6728, H10D30/689, H10D30/693} take precedence)
- H10D 30/6728: {Vertical TFTs}
- H10D 30/6741: {Group IV materials, e.g. germanium or silicon carbide (TFTs having oxide semiconductors H10D30/6755)}
- H10D 30/6744: {Monocrystalline silicon}
- H10D 30/675: {Group III-V materials, Group II-VI materials, Group IV-VI materials, selenium or tellurium}
- H10D 62/121: {oriented parallel to substrates}
- H10D 62/832: being Group IV materials comprising two or more elements, e.g. SiGe
- H10P 14/24: using chemical vapour deposition [CVD]
- H10P 14/27: {using selective deposition, e.g. simultaneous growth of monocrystalline and non-monocrystalline semiconductor materials}
- H10P 14/271: {characterised by the preparation of substrate for selective deposition}
- H10P 14/2925: {Surface structures}
- H10P 14/3411: {Silicon, silicon germanium or germanium}
- H10P 14/3462: {Nanowires}
- H10P 14/3464: {Nanotubes}
- H10P 50/242: {of Group IV materials}
- H10D 30/6219: {characterised by the source or drain electrodes}
- H10D 30/6735: {having gates fully surrounding the channels, e.g. gate-all-around}
- H10D 62/83: being Group IV materials, e.g. B-doped Si or undoped Ge
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

According to another embodiment, a semiconductor structure is provided. The structure includes: a substrate; a first nanowire over the substrate; and a second nanowire over the substrate and substantially symmetric with the first nanowire.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of forming nanowires, comprising:
providing a substrate;
providing a sacrificial material over the substrate;
etching the sacrificial material to form a protrusion that comprises the sacrificial material;
performing an epitaxial growth process to form a nanowire material symmetric with respect to the protrusion, the nanowire material including L-shaped portions that coat (i) sidewalls of the protrusion, and (ii) portions of the substrate;
removing the sacrificial material; and
removing portions of the nanowire material coating the substrate to provide two symmetric nanowires made of the nanowire material.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the sacrificial material comprises silicon, and the nanowire material comprises silicon germanium (SiGe).

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a hard mask over a top of the sacrificial material.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the nanowire material is not formed over portions of the sacrificial material covered by the hard mask.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising removing the hard mask to expose the sacrificial material.

### Claim 6

A method of forming nanowires, comprising:
providing a substrate;
providing a sacrificial material over the substrate;
forming a mask over a top of the sacrificial material;
etching the sacrificial material using the mask as a masking layer to form a protrusion that comprises the sacrificial material;
providing a nanowire material symmetric with respect to the protrusion that coats sidewalls of the protrusion, wherein the mask has a width that is equal to that of the protrusion, the mask covering a top portion of the protrusion and leaving exposed the nanowire material coating the sidewalls of the protrusion; and
removing the sacrificial material to provide two symmetric nanowires made of the nanowire material.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the providing of the nanowire material comprises performing an epitaxial growth process.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the sacrificial material comprises silicon, and the nanowire material comprises silicon germanium (SiGe).

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the nanowire material is not formed over portions of the sacrificial material covered by the mask.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, further comprising removing the mask to expose the sacrificial material.

### Claim 11

A method of forming nanowires, comprising:
providing a substrate;
forming a protrusion comprising a sacrificial material on the substrate;
performing an epitaxial growth process to form a nanowire material symmetric with respect to the protrusion, the nanowire material including L-shaped portions that coat sidewalls of the protrusion and portions of the substrate; and
removing (i) the sacrificial material, and (ii) portions of the nanowire material coating the substrate to provide two symmetric nanowires made of the nanowire material, wherein the removal of the sacrificial material exposes inner sidewalls of the nanowires.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the sacrificial material comprises silicon, and the nanowire material comprises silicon germanium (SiGe).

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising forming a hard mask over a top of the sacrificial material.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the nanowire material is not formed over portions of the sacrificial material covered by the hard mask.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising removing the hard mask to expose the sacrificial material.