U.S. patent application number 15/890452 was filed with the patent office on 2018-08-23 for semiconductor device including buried capacitive structures and a method of forming the same.
The applicant listed for this patent is GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc.. Invention is credited to Peter Baars, Frank Jakubowski.
Application Number | 20180240796 15/890452 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 61629752 |
Filed Date | 2018-08-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180240796 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Baars; Peter ; et
al. |
August 23, 2018 |
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING BURIED CAPACITIVE STRUCTURES AND A
METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME
Abstract
A method includes forming a plurality of openings extending
through a semiconductor layer, through a buried insulating layer,
and into a substrate material in a second device region of a
semiconductor device while covering a first device region of the
semiconductor device. An insulating material is formed on sidewalls
and on a bottom face of each of the plurality of openings, and a
first capacitor electrode is formed in each of the plurality of
openings in the presence of the insulating material, wherein each
of the first capacitor electrodes includes a conductive material
and partially fills a respective one of the plurality of
openings.
Inventors: |
Baars; Peter; (Dresden,
DE) ; Jakubowski; Frank; (Dresden, DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc. |
Grand Cayman |
|
KY |
|
|
Family ID: |
61629752 |
Appl. No.: |
15/890452 |
Filed: |
February 7, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15439444 |
Feb 22, 2017 |
9929148 |
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15890452 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 21/84 20130101;
H01L 27/1203 20130101; H01L 27/13 20130101; H01L 27/108 20130101;
H01L 21/76283 20130101; H01L 23/3178 20130101; H01L 27/0629
20130101; H01L 28/60 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01L 27/06 20060101
H01L027/06; H01L 21/321 20060101 H01L021/321; H01L 21/3213 20060101
H01L021/3213; H01L 21/84 20060101 H01L021/84; H01L 21/762 20060101
H01L021/762; H01L 49/02 20060101 H01L049/02; H01L 29/49 20060101
H01L029/49; H01L 23/31 20060101 H01L023/31; H01L 29/417 20060101
H01L029/417; H01L 23/535 20060101 H01L023/535; H01L 29/06 20060101
H01L029/06 |
Claims
1. A method, comprising: forming a plurality of openings extending
through a semiconductor layer, through a buried insulating layer,
and into a substrate material in a second device region of a
semiconductor device while covering a first device region of said
semiconductor device; forming an insulating material on sidewalls
and on a bottom face of each of said plurality of openings; and
forming a first capacitor electrode in each of said plurality of
openings in the presence of said insulating material, wherein each
of said first capacitor electrodes comprises a conductive material
and partially fills a respective one of said plurality of
openings.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming trench
isolation structures extending through said semiconductor layer,
through said buried insulating layer, and into said substrate
material, said trench isolation structures laterally delineating
and separating said first and second device regions.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein said trench isolation structures
are formed after forming said first capacitor electrodes.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a recess in
said second device region so as to expose said substrate
material.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising forming a contact
element that is conductively coupled to said substrate material
exposed by said recess in said second device region, said contact
element providing an electrical connection to a second capacitor
electrode formed in a portion of said substrate material below each
of said first capacitor electrodes.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein said second capacitor electrode
is a shared capacitor electrode of each of said first capacitor
electrodes.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a common
processing sequence to form a gate electrode of a transistor
element above said first device region and a plurality of electrode
lines above said second device region.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein forming said insulating material
on said sidewalls and on said bottom face of each of said plurality
of openings comprises: forming a layer of insulating material in
each of said plurality of openings, a bottom portion of said layer
of insulating material covering said bottom face of each of said
plurality of openings; and reducing a thickness of said bottom
portion of said layer of insulating material in each of said
plurality of openings, said reduced thickness bottom portion
covering said bottom face of each of said plurality of
openings.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein forming said insulating material
on said sidewalls and on said bottom face of each of said plurality
of openings comprises: forming a first layer of insulating material
in each of said plurality of openings, a bottom portion of said
first layer of insulating material covering said bottom face of
each of said plurality of openings; completely removing said bottom
portion of said first layer of insulating material from each of
said plurality of openings; and forming a second layer of
insulating material in each of said plurality of openings, a bottom
portion of said second layer of insulating material re-covering
said bottom face of each of said plurality of openings.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein forming said first capacitor
electrode in each of said plurality of openings comprises: forming
a layer of said conductive material so as to overfill each of said
plurality of openings; performing a planarization process to remove
portions of said layer of said conductive material formed outside
of said plurality of openings; and removing a portion of said
conductive material from each of said plurality of openings by
performing an etch process.
11. A method, comprising: forming a plurality of openings extending
through a semiconductor layer, through a buried insulating layer,
and into a substrate material in a second device region of a
semiconductor device while covering a first device region of said
semiconductor device; forming an insulating material in each of
said plurality of openings, said insulating material covering
sidewalls and a bottom face of each of said plurality of openings;
forming a first capacitor electrode comprising a conductive
material in each of said plurality of openings, said insulating
material separating said first capacitor electrodes from said
sidewalls and said bottom faces of said plurality of openings,
wherein a height level of a top surface of each of said first
capacitor electrodes is positioned at or below a height level of a
bottom face of said semiconductor layer; and forming an electrical
connection to a second capacitor electrode formed in a portion of
said substrate material in said second device region below each of
said first capacitor electrodes, wherein said second capacitor
electrode is a shared capacitor electrode of each of said first
capacitor electrodes.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein forming said electrical
connection to said second capacitor electrode comprises: forming a
recess in said second device region so as to expose said substrate
material; and forming a contact element that is conductively
coupled to said substrate material exposed by said recess in said
second device region.
13. The method of claim 11, further comprising forming trench
isolation structures extending through said semiconductor layer,
through said buried insulating layer, and into said substrate
material, said trench isolation structures laterally delineating
and separating said first and second device regions.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein said trench isolation
structures are formed after forming said first capacitor
electrodes.
15. The method of claim 11, further comprising performing a common
processing sequence to form a gate electrode of a transistor
element above said first device region and a plurality of electrode
lines above said second device region.
16. The method of claim 11, wherein forming said insulating
material in each of said plurality of openings comprises: forming a
layer of insulating material in each of said plurality of openings,
a bottom portion of said layer of insulating material covering said
bottom face of each of said plurality of openings; and reducing a
thickness of said bottom portion of said layer of insulating
material in each of said plurality of openings, said reduced
thickness bottom portion covering said bottom face of each of said
plurality of openings.
17. The method of claim 11, wherein forming said insulating
material in each of said plurality of openings comprises: forming a
first layer of insulating material in each of said plurality of
openings, a bottom portion of said first layer of insulating
material covering said bottom face of each of said plurality of
openings; completely removing said bottom portion of said first
layer of insulating material from each of said plurality of
openings; and forming a second layer of insulating material in each
of said plurality of openings, a bottom portion of said second
layer of insulating material re-covering said bottom face of each
of said plurality of openings.
18. The method of claim 11, wherein forming said first capacitor
electrode in each of said plurality of openings comprises: forming
a layer of said conductive material in each of said plurality of
openings; and performing an etch process to remove a portion of
said conductive material from each of said plurality of
openings.
19. The method of claim 11, wherein forming said first capacitor
electrode in each of said plurality of openings comprises: forming
a layer of said conductive material above said second device
region, said layer of conductive material overfilling each of said
plurality of openings; performing a planarization process to remove
portions of said layer of said conductive material formed outside
of said plurality of openings; and performing an etch process to
remove a portion of said conductive material from each of said
plurality of openings.
Description
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Disclosure
[0001] Generally, the present disclosure relates to semiconductor
devices, in which capacitive structures have to be provided in
addition to active circuit elements, such as transistors and the
like, in order to obtain superior device performance and/or
extending device functionality, for instance, with respect to RF
applications and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
[0002] Continuous progress has been made in the semiconductor
industry, thereby now providing integrated circuits having
incorporated therein a very large number of circuit elements, such
as transistors and the like. In addition to the transistor
elements, which are typically provided in the form of digital
and/or analog components for controlling voltage and/or currents
within the semiconductor device, there is a continuous tendency for
integrating additional functionality into a single semiconductor
device, thereby forming even complete systems on a single
chip--System On Chip (SoC). As a consequence, passive circuit
elements, in particular capacitors and the like, have to be
implemented in many types of integrated circuits in addition to the
typically used resistors.
[0003] For example, many manufacturing strategies have been
developed for incorporating capacitive structures into the design
of complex integrated circuits, for instance for providing
decoupling capacitors, intended for stabilizing the operation of
critical device areas, for instance, by buffering the operating
voltage, when fast switching transistor elements may cause
moderately high transient currents. To this end,
semiconductor-based capacitive structures, for instance having one
electrode in the active semiconductor material, may be provided at
strategically appropriate locations in the semiconductor device so
as to reduce supply voltage fluctuations. In other cases, a
plurality of capacitors has to be incorporated in order to realize
storage areas, such as dynamic RAM areas. In these storage areas, a
bit of information is typically stored by using one capacitor and
an associated transistor, wherein, in view of achieving a high bit
density, the capacitors may typically be provided as deep trench
capacitors so as to establish the required capacitance, thereby,
however, requiring additional complex process steps for forming a
deep trench and appropriately filling the deep trench with the
conductive and dielectric materials.
[0004] When providing capacitive structures in the device level of
a semiconductor device, i.e., in and on the semiconductor material,
which is also used for forming the active circuit elements, such as
sophisticated transistors for logic areas in silicon-based
integrated circuits relying, for instance, on the well-established
CMOS technique, these structures are preferably implemented as
components having a configuration similar to preferably NMOS
transistors, thereby, however, consuming valuable substrate space,
which may therefore significantly restrict the design flexibility
with respect to reducing the overall dimensions of complex
integrated circuits. Furthermore, providing respective capacitive
structures in the device level of a complex semiconductor device
may require an appropriate design adaptation with respect to the
contact level and in particular the overall signal routing in the
metallization system of the semiconductor device, since the device
level internal signal routing capabilities are significantly
affected by the additional capacitive structures formed
therein.
[0005] In many other approaches, capacitive structures are provided
within the metallization system of complex semiconductor devices,
thereby providing the possibility of incorporating highly
conductive metal materials in the capacitor electrodes, while
substantially avoiding space consumption in the device level. On
the other hand, the incorporation of metal-based capacitors in the
metallization system requires a complex redesign of the respective
signal routing in the metallization level and may finally also
contribute to an overall increase of the lateral size of a complex
integrated circuit, since the area in the metallization system
occupied by the capacitors is no longer available for signal
routing. Moreover, the incorporation of the capacitors in the
metallization system may require significant additional process
steps upon forming a complex metallization system, thereby also
significantly contributing to overall process complexity and thus
increased manufacturing costs.
[0006] Since, in addition to the general quest for reducing overall
power consumption while still maintaining high performance of
integrated circuits, there is also an increasing demand for
implementing passive circuit areas of increased functionality, for
instance by incorporating RF components, which in turn may impart
superior connectivity functionality to an integrated circuit. Due
to this general development in the semiconductor industry and
despite the difficulties in forming capacitive structures as
pointed out above, capacitors have to be increasingly incorporated
into the design of integrated circuits, wherein, in particular,
existing technologies may not be considered promising options due
to the moderately high complexity and/or space consumption, which
significantly contributes to overall manufacturing costs.
[0007] In view of the situation described above, the present
disclosure therefore relates to techniques in which capacitive
structures may be provided in integrated circuits while avoiding or
at least reducing the effects of one or more of the problems
identified above.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0008] The following presents a simplified summary of the
disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of some
aspects of the subject matter that is described in further detail
below. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of the
disclosure, nor is it intended to identify key or critical elements
of the subject matter disclosed here. Its sole purpose is to
present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more
detailed description that is discussed later.
[0009] Generally, the present disclosure is based on the concept
that capacitive structures may be efficiently implemented in
semiconductor devices formed on the basis of
semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) techniques, in which typically a
buried insulating layer separates a semiconductor layer from a
semiconductor-based substrate material. This SOI device
configuration may be efficiently used for providing a "buried"
capacitive structure, without requiring, however, the formation of
deep trenches. The buried capacitive structures may have a shared
capacitor electrode in the form of a respective portion of the
substrate material, while highly conductive electrodes, such as
metal-containing or doped semiconductor-containing electrodes, may
be positioned above the substrate material. Due to the buried
nature of the capacitive structures, the device level, i.e., the
area typically provided above a respective semiconductor layer, may
nevertheless be efficiently used for signal routing and the like,
as the area above the buried capacitive structures may still be
available for forming conductive lines, such as electrode lines,
thereon. Therefore, capacitors for various purposes may be provided
in a highly space-efficient manner as a buried structure in a
specific device region of a semiconductor device, wherein a high
degree of compatibility with existing process flows for
manufacturing SOI-based semiconductor devices is preserved. That
is, by incorporating the capacitive structures at the level of the
buried insulating layer, non-complex process techniques may be
applied, thereby providing a low-cost overall manufacturing flow,
while still maintaining signal routing capabilities above the
buried capacitive structures in the device level, the contact level
and the metallization system.
[0010] In one illustrative embodiment, a method is disclosed that
includes, among other things, forming a plurality of openings
extending through a semiconductor layer, through a buried
insulating layer, and into a substrate material in a second device
region of a semiconductor device while covering a first device
region of the semiconductor device. The illustrative method further
includes forming an insulating material on sidewalls and on a
bottom face of each of the plurality of openings, and forming a
first capacitor electrode in each of the plurality of openings in
the presence of the insulating material, wherein each of the first
capacitor electrodes includes a conductive material and partially
fills a respective one of the plurality of openings.
[0011] In yet another exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure, a method includes forming a plurality of openings
extending through a semiconductor layer, through a buried
insulating layer, and into a substrate material in a second device
region of a semiconductor device while covering a first device
region of the semiconductor device, and forming an insulating
material in each of the plurality of openings, wherein the
insulating material covers sidewalls and a bottom face of each of
the plurality of openings. Furthermore, the disclosed method also
includes forming a first capacitor electrode of a conductive
material in each of the plurality of openings, wherein the
insulating material separates the first capacitor electrodes from
the sidewalls and the bottom faces of the plurality of openings,
and wherein a height level of a top surface of each of the first
capacitor electrodes is positioned at or below a height level of a
bottom face of the semiconductor layer. Additionally, the
illustrative method further includes forming an electrical
connection to a second capacitor electrode formed in a portion of
the substrate material in the second device region below each of
the first capacitor electrodes, wherein the second capacitor
electrode is a shared capacitor electrode of each of the first
capacitor electrodes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The disclosure may be understood by reference to the
following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements,
and in which:
[0013] FIGS. 1A and 1B schematically illustrate a top view and a
cross-sectional view, respectively, of a semiconductor device in an
initial manufacturing stage for forming capacitive structures in
one device region at the level of a buried insulating layer,
according to illustrative embodiments;
[0014] FIGS. 2A and 2B schematically illustrate a top view and a
cross-sectional view, respectively, of the semiconductor device in
a further advanced manufacturing stage with respective openings
formed so as to extend into the substrate material for
accommodating respective metal-containing electrodes of capacitive
structures, according to illustrative embodiments;
[0015] FIGS. 3A and 3B schematically illustrate a top view and a
cross-sectional view, respectively, of the semiconductor device in
a manufacturing stage, in which a metal material is provided for
forming the metal-containing electrodes, according to illustrative
embodiments;
[0016] FIGS. 4A and 4B schematically illustrate a top view and a
cross-sectional view, respectively, of the semiconductor device in
a further advanced manufacturing stage, in which metal-containing
capacitor electrodes are formed, according to illustrative
embodiments;
[0017] FIGS. 5A and 5B schematically illustrate a top view and a
cross-sectional view, respectively, of the semiconductor device in
a further advanced manufacturing stage, wherein isolation trenches
are formed so as to delineate device regions for forming, on the
one hand, transistor elements or other circuit elements and, on the
other hand, capacitive structures, according to illustrative
embodiments;
[0018] FIGS. 6A and 6B schematically illustrate a top view and a
cross-sectional view, respectively, of the semiconductor device in
a manufacturing stage, in which the isolation structures are filled
with insulating material, according to illustrative
embodiments;
[0019] FIGS. 7A and 7B schematically illustrate a top view and a
cross-sectional view, respectively, of the semiconductor device in
a manufacturing stage, in which a recess is formed so as to connect
to the substrate material in the second device region, according to
illustrative embodiments;
[0020] FIGS. 8A and 8B schematically illustrate a top view and a
cross-sectional view, respectively, of the semiconductor device in
a further advanced manufacturing stage, in which a transistor
element and electrode lines are formed in and above the first and
second device regions, respectively, according to illustrative
embodiments; and
[0021] FIGS. 9A and 9B schematically illustrate a top view and a
cross-sectional view, respectively, of the semiconductor device in
a manufacturing stage, in which a contact level is provided so as
to connect to the transistor element in the first device region and
to the buried capacitive structures in the second device region,
according to illustrative embodiments.
[0022] While the subject matter disclosed herein is susceptible to
various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments
thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are
herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that
the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to
limit the subject matter defined by the appended claims to the
particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is
to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling
within the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] Various illustrative embodiments of the present subject
matter are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all
features of an actual implementation are described in this
specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the
development of any such actual embodiment, numerous
implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the
developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related
and business-related constraints, which will vary from one
implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that
such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but
would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary
skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
[0024] The present subject matter will now be described with
reference to the attached figures. Various systems, structures and
devices are schematically depicted in the drawings for purposes of
explanation only and so as to not obscure the present disclosure
with details that are well known to those skilled in the art.
Nevertheless, the attached drawings are included to describe and
explain illustrative examples of the present disclosure. The words
and phrases used herein should be understood and interpreted to
have a meaning consistent with the understanding of those words and
phrases by those skilled in the relevant art. No special definition
of a term or phrase, i.e., a definition that is different from the
ordinary and customary meaning as understood by those skilled in
the art, is intended to be implied by consistent usage of the term
or phrase herein. To the extent that a term or phrase is intended
to have a special meaning, i.e., a meaning other than that
understood by skilled artisans, such a special definition will be
expressly set forth in the specification in a definitional manner
that directly and unequivocally provides the special definition for
the term or phrase.
[0025] As used in this description and in the appended claims, the
terms "substantial" or "substantially" are intended to conform to
the ordinary dictionary definition of that term, meaning "largely
but not wholly that which is specified." As such, no geometrical or
mathematical precision is intended by the use of terms such as
"substantially flat," "substantially perpendicular," "substantially
parallel," "substantially circular," "substantially elliptical,"
"substantially rectangular," "substantially square," "substantially
aligned," and/or "substantially flush," and the like. Instead, the
terms "substantial" or "substantially" are used in the sense that
the described or claimed component or surface configuration,
position, or orientation is intended to be manufactured,
positioned, or oriented in such a configuration as a target. For
example, the terms "substantial" or "substantially" should be
interpreted to include components and surfaces that are
manufactured, positioned, or oriented as close as is reasonably and
customarily practicable within normally accepted tolerances for
components of the type that are described and/or claimed.
Furthermore, the use of phrases such as "substantially conform" or
"substantially conforms" when describing the configuration or shape
of a particular component or surface, such as by stating that "the
configuration of the component substantially conforms to the
configuration of a rectangular prism," should be interpreted in
similar fashion.
[0026] Furthermore, it should be understood that, unless otherwise
specifically indicated, any relative positional or directional
terms that may be used in the descriptions set forth below--such as
"upper," "lower," "above," "below," "over," "under," "top,"
"bottom," "vertical," "horizontal," "lateral," and the like--have
been included so as to provide additional clarity to the
description, and should be construed in light of that term's normal
and everyday meaning relative to the depiction of the components or
elements in the referenced figures. For example, referring to the
cross-sectional view of the in-process device depicted in FIG. 1B,
it should be understood that the semiconductor layer 103 is
depicted as being positioned "above" the buried insulating material
102, and the buried insulating material layer 102 is depicted as
being positioned "between" the semiconductor layer 103 and the base
substrate material 101. Additionally, the "top" or "upper" surface
of the semiconductor layer 103 as shown in FIG. 1B is depicted as
being substantially "horizontally" oriented, the bottom face 101L
of the openings 101A, 101B are depicted in FIG. 2B as being
positioned "below" the bottom surface of the buried insulating
layer 102, and the trench isolation structures 110B are shown as
extending into the substrate material 101 to a point "below" the
"bottom" or "lower" surfaces of the capacitor electrodes 108.
[0027] Illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure are based
on the concept that capacitive structures of a semiconductor device
may be positioned at the level of a buried insulating layer, i.e.,
the lowest depth level of the respective capacitive structures may
be substantially restricted to a position in the vicinity of a
buried insulating layer of an SOI (semiconductor-on-insulator)
configuration, wherein a portion of the semiconductor material or
substrate material at a height level of a bottom face of the buried
insulating layer may act as a shared capacitor electrode for a
plurality of buried capacitive structures. On the other hand, the
other capacitor electrode may be provided above the shared
capacitor electrode and separated therefrom by an appropriate
insulating material such that the "upper" capacitor electrodes are
provided so as to have a height level that is below a height level
of the semiconductor layer of the SOI configuration. That is, the
present disclosure relies on the concept that efficient capacitive
structures, for instance to be used as buffer capacitors,
decoupling capacitors, storage capacitors and the like, may be
provided at a depth level that is basically determined by the depth
of the buried insulating layer. Thus, the term "at the level of the
buried insulating layer" is to be understood such that the
capacitor dielectric material may be positioned at a height level
that may correspond to a height level defined by a distance of
several ten nanometers to several hundred nanometers with respect
to the bottom face of the buried insulating layer. In this manner,
a buried configuration is obtained, wherein, due to the reduced
depth level of the capacitive structure, a significantly reduced
complexity in forming respective openings for accommodating the
"upper" capacitor electrodes therein may be achieved compared to
the formation of deep trenches of capacitors as are typically used
in dynamic RAM devices and the like.
[0028] On the other hand, the buried nature of the capacitive
structures may still allow a high degree of design flexibility with
respect to signal routing in the device level, i.e., the gate
level, of the semiconductor device, since the space of the device
region above the buried capacitive structures is still available
for providing, for instance, conductive lines, such as electrode
lines formed together with gate electrodes. Moreover, by using a
shared capacitor electrode in the form of the substrate material,
the contacting of the capacitive structures may be accomplished on
the basis of a contact regime of reduced complexity, since merely
one contact has to be provided for the shared capacitor electrode,
while only one contact per capacitive structure is required for the
other capacitor electrode.
[0029] In illustrative embodiments disclosed herein, a plurality of
upper capacitor electrodes may be appropriately electrically
connected with each other, for instance in the device level and/or
the contact level and/or the metallization system, thereby forming
a combined capacitive structure of increased capacitance, if
considered appropriate for the overall device configuration. A
corresponding electrical connection may, in some illustrative
embodiments, be established on the basis of a corresponding design
in a static manner, while, in other illustrative embodiments, a
desired capacitor configuration and thus capacitance may be
established in a dynamic manner, for instance by providing one or
more appropriate switching elements, such as transistors, in order
to establish the electrical connections in a dynamic and controlled
manner. In other embodiments, the shared electrode of a plurality
of capacitive structure may be electrically isolated from one or
more other shared electrodes of other capacitive structures. In
this case, a first plurality of capacitive structures may be
connected in series with a second plurality of capacitive
structures, which may be accomplished in a static or dynamic manner
as described above. Hence, this concept may be used for voltage
conversion and the like.
[0030] FIG. 1A schematically illustrates a top view of a
semiconductor device 100, which may represent a semiconductor
device including a plurality of active circuit elements, such as
transistors and the like, in combination with a capacitive
structure, which may serve as a buffer capacitor, a decoupling
capacitor, a storage capacitor, a capacitor for RF applications and
the like. The semiconductor device 100 may represent an SOI device
in the sense that at least a portion of the active circuit
elements, in particular the respective transistor elements, are
formed on the basis of an SOI configuration, thereby providing the
many advantages of SOI transistors compared to bulk transistors. In
illustrative embodiments, the respective transistor elements to be
formed in and on a first device region 100A may be provided in the
form of fully depleted SOI transistor elements, i.e., as transistor
elements in which the respective channel region may be
substantially completely depleted. Such a configuration may be
accomplished by providing low or no doping in the respective
channel regions and selecting a reduced thickness of the
semiconductor layer, for instance in the range of 10 nm and
less.
[0031] The semiconductor device 100 may further comprise a second
device region 100B, in which respective capacitive structures are
to be formed, which will also be referred to herein as "buried"
capacitive structures, since any capacitor electrodes as well as
the capacitor dielectric material may be buried in the second
device region 100B, thereby leaving a top surface of the second
device region 100B available for other purposes, such as routing of
conductive lines and the like, as will be described later on in
more detail. In this manufacturing stage, the semiconductor device
100 may comprise a mask layer 106, such as a resist layer, a hard
mask layer formed of any appropriate material or material
composition and the like. The mask layer 106 may comprise
respective mask openings 1006A, 106B, which may be appropriately
dimensioned so as to form openings in the underlying materials on
the basis of any appropriate material removal process, such as
anisotropic etch techniques and the like. It should be appreciated
that for convenience only two mask openings 106A, 106B are
illustrated; however, any number of capacitive structures may be
provided in the second device region 100B, depending on the overall
design requirements.
[0032] FIG. 1B schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of
the semiconductor device 100 according to the section line
indicated by A-A in FIG. 1A. As shown, the semiconductor device 100
may comprise a substrate material 101, which may be provided in the
form of any appropriate semiconductor material, such as silicon,
silicon/germanium, germanium and the like. It should be appreciated
that the substrate material 101 may represent a material layer with
a thickness of several hundred nanometers (nm) to several
micrometers (.mu.m), while, in other cases, the substrate material
may also act as the carrier material for processing the
semiconductor device 100 without providing any further carrier
material.
[0033] Moreover, due to the SOI nature of the semiconductor device
100, a buried insulating layer 102 may be formed on the substrate
material 101 with a thickness that is appropriate for the
processing of the device 100, for instance in view of forming
sophisticated transistor elements in and above the first device
region 100A. For example, a thickness of the buried insulating
layer 102 may range from approximately 10-50 nm and significantly
greater, depending on the overall device requirements. The buried
insulating layer 102 may comprise any appropriate insulating
material, such as silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, silicon
oxynitride and the like.
[0034] Moreover, the semiconductor device 100 may comprise a
semiconductor layer 103, which, in an initial state, may contain
any appropriate semiconductor materials, such as silicon,
germanium, silicon/germanium or any other appropriate semiconductor
material. In some illustrative embodiments, as discussed above, a
thickness of the semiconductor layer 103 may be appropriately
selected so as to comply with device requirements for fully
depleted SOI transistor elements, which may require a thickness of
approximately 10 nm and significantly less. Moreover, it should be
appreciated that, in other device areas, the semiconductor layer
103 may have a different composition or the composition of the
semiconductor layer 103 may be modified in a later manufacturing
stage, for instance by replacing a portion of the semiconductor
layer 103 by one or more other semiconductor components, such as
silicon/germanium, in order to appropriately adapt the material
characteristics of the channel regions of respective transistor
elements to the performance requirements of the corresponding
transistor elements.
[0035] The semiconductor device 100 may comprise sacrificial
dielectric buffer layers 104, 105, which may formed of silicon
dioxide, silicon nitride and the like. In particular, the layer 105
may be provided in the form of a silicon nitride material so as to
act as a mask and protection layer for the further processing, also
frequently referred to as a "pad nitride layer," which in
conventional techniques may preferably be designed so as to act as
a mask layer for forming shallow trench isolations, as will be
explained later on in more detail. In one illustrative embodiment,
a thickness 105T of the layer 105 is specifically adapted to the
following processing for forming the buried capacitive structures,
which may require an additional patterning process and subsequent
material removal processes. Consequently, the initial thickness
105T of the layer 105 may be selected with an extra thickness of
approximately 10-80 nm as compared to the conventional processing.
It should be appreciated, however, that any appropriate initial
thickness 105T may be effectively determined on the basis of
experiments and the like, in which an expected material removal
during the processing for forming the buried capacitive structure
may be estimated. The respective estimated value may then be added
to the well-established initial layer thickness of the nitride pad
layer that corresponds to conventional process recipes.
[0036] Moreover, the semiconductor device 100 may comprise the mask
layer 106, for instance as a resist material and the like,
including the mask openings 106A and 106B, which substantially
define the lateral dimensions of respective openings 101A and 101B
to be formed so as to extend through the semiconductor layer 103
and the buried insulating layer 102 and into the substrate material
101.
[0037] The semiconductor device 100 as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and
1B may be formed on the basis of the following processes. An
appropriate carrier substrate, for instance in the form of the
substrate material 101, possibly in combination with additional
materials, may be provided as an appropriate substrate, such as a
semiconductor wafer, wherein the layers 102 and 103 may already be
incorporated in the substrate or may be formed on the basis of
well-established process techniques. Thereafter, the buffer layer
104, for instance comprising silicon dioxide and the like, and the
buffer layer 105, for instance made of silicon nitride, may be
formed on the basis of well-established techniques, such as
oxidation, deposition and the like, wherein, as discussed above, in
particular, the initial layer thickness 105T of the silicon nitride
layer 105 is specifically adapted so as to accommodate the
following process steps for forming the capacitive structures prior
to forming respective trench isolation structures.
[0038] Thereafter, the mask layer 106 may be deposited, for
instance, by any appropriate deposition technique, such as spin
coating and the like, followed by a lithography process for
patterning the mask layer 106 in order to form the mask openings
106A, 106B. It should be appreciated that the mask layer 106 may
also comprise a hard mask material in addition or alternatively to
a polymer material, if considered appropriate for the further
processing. Next, an etch process, for instance a plasma assisted
etch process, may be applied, for example, on the basis of similar
etch recipes as are also conventionally employed for forming the
trenches of a shallow trench isolation structure, thereby first
etching through the layer 105 and using the layer 104 as an etch
stop material. Thereafter, the etch process may be continued, for
instance, by appropriately adjusting the etch chemistry so as to
etch through the semiconductor layer 103 and also etching through
the buried insulating layer 102 so as to finally expose a
respective portion of the substrate material 101, thereby forming
the openings 101A, 101B. It should be appreciated that, upon
reliably exposing the respective portions of the substrate material
101 in the openings 101A, 101B, a certain amount of the substrate
material 101 may be removed, wherein, however, a corresponding etch
depth into the substrate material 101 may be restricted to
approximately several hundred nanometers or less, for instance a
hundred nanometers or less.
[0039] FIG. 2A schematically illustrates the semiconductor device
100 in a top view in a further advanced manufacturing stage. As
illustrated, a spacer layer 107 is formed above the first and
second device regions 100A, 100B and also within the openings 101A,
101B. The spacer layer 107 is formed with an appropriate thickness
so as to reliably cover any surface portion and, in particular,
sidewalls and a bottom face of the openings 1001A, 101B. To this
end, any well-established deposition technique may be applied in
order to form the spacer layer 107 of any appropriate dielectric
material, such as silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, silicon
oxynitride and the like.
[0040] FIG. 2B schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of
the semiconductor device 100 in a stage in which the spacer layer
107 is reduced in thickness, in particular at horizontal surface
portions, in order to obtain a desired layer thickness at the
bottom of the openings 100A, 100B. Thus, sidewalls 101S are covered
by the material of the layer 107 with a thickness, i.e., a
horizontal extension, that is significantly increased compared to a
layer thickness 107T of the layer 107 formed at a central portion
of a bottom face 101L of the openings 101A, 101B. To this end, the
layer 107 may be deposited with an initial layer thickness so as to
reliably cover any surface areas, for instance, with a thickness of
approximately 20-200 nm, followed by an anisotropic etch process,
similar to any etch techniques used for forming sidewall spacers of
gate electrodes, wherein the etch process is appropriately
controlled so as to obtain the desired thickness 107T at the bottom
face 101L of the openings 101A, 101B. In a further illustrative
embodiment, the deposition of the layer 107 may be accomplished on
the basis of process parameters that are only selected in view of
forming sidewall spacers to appropriately cover the sidewalls 101S,
while completely removing the layer 107 from the bottom face 101L.
In a further process, a further thin dielectric layer, for instance
an oxide layer, may be deposited with the desired thickness 107T.
In this manner, the desired thickness 107T of the dielectric layer
107 at the bottom face 101L may be established with superior
precision.
[0041] It should be appreciated that a corresponding etch process,
irrespective of whether a complete initial removal and subsequent
re-deposition or a partial removal of the initial layer 107 is
considered, may also include a wet chemical etch process, a
cleaning process and the like, in particular at a final phase of
the overall etch sequence, in order to precisely adjust the layer
thickness 107T and/or any surface characteristics of the layer 107.
It should be appreciated that the thickness 107T may be selected in
compliance with device requirements of a capacitor to be formed on
the basis of the substrate material positioned below the openings
101A, 101B and a further electrode to be formed in the openings
101A, 101B. For example, depending on the material characteristics
of the layer 107, a thickness of approximately 1 nm to several
nanometers may be selected. It should further be appreciated that
the layer 107 may include two or more different materials in the
form of different layers, if considered appropriate for the overall
performance of the capacitive structure still to be formed.
[0042] FIG. 3A schematically illustrates the semiconductor device
100 in a further advanced manufacturing stage, in which a layer of
conductive material, in some illustrative embodiments, a
metal-containing material layer, in other illustrative embodiments
a doped semiconductor material, is formed above the first and
second device regions 100A, 100B, wherein, in particular, the
openings 101A, 101B are substantially completely filled with the
material of the layer 108. To this end, any appropriate deposition
technique may be applied, such as CVD (chemical vapor deposition),
PVD (physical vapor deposition), such as sputter techniques, and
the like. In one illustrative embodiment, the layer 108 may include
tungsten and may, in particular embodiments, be provided as a
substantially pure tungsten layer. In other illustrative
embodiments, the layer 108 may comprise doped polysilicon or may be
provided as a doped polysilicon material.
[0043] FIG. 3B schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of
the semiconductor device 100 of FIG. 3A. As illustrated in FIG. 3B,
in some embodiments the conductive material layer 108 may overfill
the openings 101A, 101B such that at least a portion of the layer
108 is formed above an upper surface of the layer 107 and outside
of the openings 101A, 101B, while, in other embodiments (not
shown), the openings 101A, 101B may only be partially filled by the
material of the layer 108.
[0044] FIG. 4A schematically illustrates a top view of the
semiconductor device 100 in a further advanced manufacturing stage.
As illustrated, the openings 101A, 101B are partially filled with
the remainder of the material layer 108, wherein, for convenience,
the material residues in the openings 101A, 101B are referred to as
capacitor electrodes and are denoted by the same reference numerals
108. Moreover, as shown, the buffer layer 105 may be exposed in the
first and second device regions 100A, 100B. Furthermore, the
material layer 107 formed on sidewalls of the openings 101A, 101B
may also be exposed.
[0045] FIG. 4B schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of
the semiconductor device 100 in the manufacturing stage as also
illustrated in FIG. 4A. Hence, the electrodes 108, in some
illustrative embodiments in the form of metal-containing
electrodes, such as tungsten-containing electrodes, are formed in
the openings 101A, 101B and are laterally delineated by the
dielectric material of the layer 107 still formed on sidewalls of
the openings. Furthermore, the material of the layer 107 formed at
the bottom face 101L and having the thickness 107T separates the
respective electrodes 108 from the underlying substrate material
101, which will act as a shared electrode for the capacitive
structures to be formed on the basis of the electrodes 108 and the
dielectric material 107 having the thickness 107T formed in the
respective openings 101A, 101B.
[0046] Starting from the configuration as shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B,
the semiconductor device 100 as illustrated in FIGS. 4A, 4B may be
formed by applying a planarization process, such as a chemical
mechanical polishing (CMP) process based on appropriate process
recipes so as to firstly planarize the resulting surface topography
and, in some illustrative embodiments, finally exposing the buffer
layer 105, which may therefore be used as a CMP stop layer. On the
basis of a substantially thinned and planarized layer 108 (FIG. 3B)
or on the basis of a substantially exposed buffer layer 105, the
further processing may be continued by an etch process, in which
the final thickness of the electrodes 108 may be adjusted within
the openings 101A, 101B. To this end, plasma assisted and/or wet
chemical etch recipes may be applied, followed by appropriate
cleaning processes in accordance with well-established process
techniques. It should be appreciated that, in particular during a
final phase of the overall material removal, a portion of the
exposed material 107 at the sidewalls of the openings 101A, 101B
may be also removed, thereby also reliably removing any material
residues of the layer 108 at the sidewalls, while the corresponding
material removal at the surface of the buffer layer 105 may be
significantly less. It should be appreciated that a total amount of
material removal of the layer 105 may result in a final thickness
105F, which is still appropriate for the further processing of the
semiconductor device 100, for instance with respect to forming
shallow trench isolation structures, as will be discussed later on.
As a consequence, the respective difference of the initial layer
thickness 105T (FIG. 1B) and the final thickness 105F may have been
taken into consideration by initially forming the layer 105 with
its initial thickness in order to guarantee a reliable further
processing on the basis of the final thickness 105F.
[0047] As a result, basically the structure of a plurality of
capacitors may be provided in the form of the electrodes 108, the
dielectric material 107 having the thickness 107T at the bottom
face 101L of the openings 101A, 101B and the substrate material 101
connecting to the dielectric material 107 having the thickness
107T. As is evident, the resulting capacitive structures may be
considered as buried capacitive structures, since a top surface
108T may be positioned at a height level that is at or below a
height level defined by a bottom face of the semiconductor layer
103. In this respect, it is to be understood that the capacitive
structures may be considered as device structures provided "at the
level of the buried insulating layer 102" in the sense that at
least the capacitor dielectric material, i.e., the material 107
having the thickness 107T at the bottom face 101L, may be
positioned in the vicinity of the bottom face of the buried
insulating layer 102. In this context, the term "in the vicinity"
is to be understood as a distance of the bottom face 101L to the
bottom face of the insulating layer 102 of approximately one
micrometer or significantly less, preferably 500 nm and less, and
more preferably of 100 nm and less. Furthermore, it should be
appreciated that, although the lateral dimensions of the capacitive
structures, i.e., of the openings 101A, 101B, may vary over a wide
range, for instance approximately a hundred nanometers and
significantly more, it may nevertheless be preferable to provide a
plurality of such capacitive structures instead of one continuous
capacitive structure with respect to process uniformity and the
like. As will be explained later on in more detail, if required, at
least some of the plurality of capacitive structures may be
statically or dynamically electrically connected so as to adjust a
desired total capacitance of a respective combined capacitive
structure.
[0048] FIG. 5A schematically illustrates a top view of the
semiconductor device 100 in a further advanced manufacturing stage.
As illustrated, respective trenches 109 are formed so as to
laterally enclose the first and second device regions 100A, 100B.
That is, in the manufacturing stage shown, the buffer layer 105,
the dielectric material 107 and the electrodes 108 may be exposed
after the corresponding process technique for forming the trenches
109, which in turn laterally delineate the various device regions
in the semiconductor device 100.
[0049] FIG. 5B schematically illustrates the device 100 in a
cross-sectional view, wherein the trenches 109 are shown so as to
extend through the buffer layers 105, 104, the semiconductor layer
103, the buried insulating layer 102 and into the substrate
material 101, wherein a depth of the trenches 109 within the
substrate material 101 is typically selected so as to comply with
the overall device requirements. Moreover, in illustrative
embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, a depth of the trenches 109
may be greater compared to the depth of the openings 101A, 101B. In
this case, the trenches 109 may also laterally delineate the area
within the substrate material 101, which may act as a shared
capacitor electrode and as a contact region for electrically
connecting to the shared capacitor electrode, as will also be
explained later on in more detail.
[0050] The trenches 109 may be formed on the basis of conventional
process strategies, for instance, by performing a typical
lithography process and providing an appropriate mask layer, which
defines the lateral size and position of the trenches 109.
Thereafter, an appropriate process sequence may be applied so as to
firstly etch through the buffer layer 105, which may subsequently
be used as an etch mask for further continuing the etch sequence
and etch through the layers 104, 103 and 102 on the basis of
well-established process recipes. Finally, the etch process may be
continued so as to etch into the substrate material 101 in order to
form the trenches 109 to a desired depth.
[0051] FIG. 6A schematically illustrates the semiconductor device
100 in a top view at a stage, after respective trench isolation
structures 110A, 110B have been provided on the basis of the
trenches 109 (FIG. 5B) in order to laterally delineate the first
and second device regions 100A, 100B, respectively. Consequently,
the trench isolation structures 110A, 110B may be formed laterally
adjacent to the respective device regions and may include any
appropriate dielectric material 110, which may, if considered
appropriate, be composed of two or more different dielectric
materials. For example, the dielectric material 110 may be
substantially composed of silicon dioxide in deposited form,
possibly in combination with areas formed by oxidation.
Consequently, in this manufacturing stage, the surface of the
semiconductor device 100 may be substantially composed of surface
areas corresponding to the dielectric material 110 and exposed
portions of the buffer layer 105.
[0052] FIG. 6B schematically illustrates the semiconductor device
100 in a cross-sectional view, thereby illustrating that the trench
isolation structures 110A, 110B, which in illustrative embodiments
may also represent as shallow trench isolation structures, may
respectively delineate in the lateral directions, i.e., surround,
the first device region 100A and the second device region 100B. In
this respect, it should be appreciated that the first and second
device regions 100A, 100B may share a specific component of the
structures 110A, 110B, if the first and second device regions 100A,
100B are immediately adjacent to each other, as illustrated. In
other cases, these device regions may be separated from each other
depending on overall device design. Moreover, as shown, the
capacitor electrode 108 may be covered by the dielectric material
110, which may therefore be of the same configuration or type as
the dielectric material 110 in the isolation structures 110A, 110A.
Consequently, a substantially planar surface topography is provided
so as to enhance the further processing of the semiconductor device
100 substantially without being negatively affected by the presence
of the capacitive structures in the second device region 100B. It
should further be noted that the capacitor electrodes 108 are
encapsulated by dielectric material, i.e., the dielectric material
107 and the dielectric material 110.
[0053] The semiconductor device 100 as illustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6B
may be formed on the basis of the following process techniques.
After having formed the trenches 109 (FIG. 5B), any appropriate
dielectric material, such as silicon dioxide, may be deposited,
possibly accompanied by an oxidation process, in order to reliably
fill the trenches of the isolation structures 110A, 110B, thereby
also forming a certain surface layer (not shown) of the dielectric
material. Thereafter, a material removal may be performed, for
instance, on the basis of well-established CMP recipes, thereby
planarizing the overall surface topography and finally exposing
layer portions of the layer 105. It should be appreciated that the
corresponding process sequence may also include any final polishing
processes as may be required for obtaining the necessary surface
characteristics and the like. Consequently, in this manufacturing
stage, well-established process techniques may be applied, thereby
forming the isolation structures 110A, 110B and also reliably
encapsulating the capacitor electrodes 108 by filling in the
dielectric material 110. It should be appreciated that, during the
corresponding process sequence, further material removal of the
layer 105 may be caused, thereby further reducing the thickness of
the layer 105, as indicated by a thickness 105S. It is to be noted,
however, that the thickness 105S may substantially correspond to a
remaining layer thickness as also encountered in conventional
process techniques, since the buried nature of the capacitive
structures in the second device region 100B may substantially not
affect the overall process sequence for forming the isolation
structures 110A, 110B.
[0054] FIG. 7A schematically illustrates a top view of the
semiconductor device 100 after having performed a process sequence
for providing the respective openings so as to connect to the
substrate material 101. In the embodiment shown, a respective
recess 111 may be formed in the second device region 100B so as to
provide access to the substrate material 101, which may therefore
enable to provide connection to this portion of the substrate
material that acts as a shared capacitor electrode, as already
discussed above. Moreover, the material layer 105 (see FIG. 6B) may
have been removed, thereby exposing the layer 104 at the respective
surface portions, as illustrated in FIG. 7A.
[0055] FIG. 7B schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of
the device 100, wherein, as discussed above, the recess 111 is
formed so as to expose the respective portion of the substrate
material 101 within the second device region 100B. Moreover, at the
relevant surface areas, the layer 104, for instance in the form of
silicon dioxide, may be exposed.
[0056] The device configuration as shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B may be
obtained on the basis of the following process techniques. Based on
the substantially planar surface topography as shown in FIGS. 6A,
6B, an appropriate mask layer, such as a resist layer and the like,
may be formed in order to define the lateral position and size of
the recess 111. It should be appreciated that any other recesses
may be formed simultaneously in device regions, which also require
the exposure and thus access to the substrate material 101. For
example, one or more recesses for forming substrate contacts may be
formed during the same process sequence. Prior to or after forming
a respective mask layer, the remaining buffer layer 105 (see FIG.
6B) may be removed, thereby exposing the underlying buffer layer
104. Thereafter, a respective etch process may be performed so as
to etch through the layers 104, 103 and 102 by using
well-established process recipes. Finally, the substrate material
101 may be exposed, thereby defining the bottom face of the recess
111. Thereafter, the corresponding mask layer may be removed. It
should be appreciated that the resulting surface topography may
correspond to the surface conditions as are also typically
encountered in conventional semiconductor devices of similar
design, in which respective buried capacitive structures are not
provided. Consequently, the further processing may be continued on
the basis of well-established process techniques in order to form
circuit elements, such as transistors, which, in illustrative
embodiments, are provided in the form of fully depleted
transistors, as discussed above.
[0057] FIG. 8A schematically illustrates a top view of the
semiconductor device 100 after formation of circuit elements, such
as transistors, in respective device regions. As shown, a plurality
of transistor elements may be formed across the entire area of the
semiconductor device 100, wherein, for convenience, only one
transistor 130 is illustrated in the first device region 100A. The
transistor 130 may represent any type of transistor element, such
as a P-channel transistor or an N-channel transistor, wherein, as
already discussed above, in one illustrative embodiment, the
transistor 130 may represent a fully depleted transistor, which is
to be understood as a transistor having a substantially charge
carrier depleted channel region in the non-conductive transistor
state. The transistor 130 may comprise a gate electrode structure
132 that complies with the overall design and device requirements
of the device 100. In particular, a lateral dimension of the gate
electrode structure 132 may comply with the overall design rules
and, in sophisticated applications, may result in a gate length of
30 nm and less. Furthermore, respective metal-containing regions
131 of gate and drain areas of the transistor 130 may be
provided.
[0058] In the second device region 100B, capacitive structures
140A, 140B may be provided on the basis of the components as
previously discussed, wherein one or more conductive lines 132A,
132B may be formed, at least partially, above the buried capacitive
structures 140A, 140B, thereby providing additional routing
capabilities in the device level, i.e., in the level of the gate
electrodes 132, of the semiconductor device 100. In illustrative
embodiments, the conductive lines 132A, 132B may have basically the
same configuration as the gate electrode structure 132, except for
the lateral dimensions thereof.
[0059] FIG. 8B schematically illustrates the semiconductor device
100 in cross-sectional view according to the section of line A-A of
FIG. 8A. As illustrated, the transistor 130 may comprise the gate
electrode structure 132, which in turn may include any appropriate
gate electrode material, for instance a metal-containing material
135A in combination with a semiconductor-based material 135B. It
should be appreciated, however, that, depending on the overall
complexity of the gate electrode structure 132, the material 135B
may also comprise metal-containing materials, as, for instance,
used in highly sophisticated high-k metal-containing gate electrode
structures. Moreover, the gate electrode structure 132 may comprise
a gate dielectric material 137 that separates the conductive
material of the gate electrode structure 132 from a channel region
138, which may substantially correspond to the material of the
semiconductor layer 103, or which may comprise additional
semiconductor components in order to comply with the overall
requirements of the transistor 130. In particular, the channel
region 138 may have a thickness based on the thickness of the
initial layer 103 in the range of 10 nm and less, for instance 5 nm
and less, if fully depleted transistors are considered. It should
further be appreciated that the gate dielectric material 137 may
comprise different materials, such as silicon oxynitride, silicon
dioxide, silicon nitride, high-k dielectric materials and the like,
depending on the overall device requirements. A high-k dielectric
material is to be understood as a material having a dielectric
constant k of 10 or greater.
[0060] Furthermore, the transistor 130 may comprise drain and
source regions 134 in combination with a corresponding
metal-containing material 131, wherein, in sophisticated
applications, the drain and source regions 134 may be provided in
the form of raised drain and source regions provided in the form of
any appropriately doped semiconductor material that is epitaxially
grown on the underlying material of the semiconductor layer
103.
[0061] Furthermore, the gate electrode structure 132 may comprise a
spacer structure 139 having any appropriate configuration.
[0062] In the second device region 100B, the buried capacitive
structures 140A, 140B may be provided so as to comprise the
capacitor electrodes 108 separated from the substrate material 101
by the dielectric material 107 having the thickness 107T that
serves as the capacitor dielectric material. Furthermore, the
capacitor electrodes 108 are encapsulated by the dielectric
materials 107 and 110, as also previously discussed. Moreover, the
recess 111 is filled with a highly doped semiconductor material,
which, in illustrative embodiments, may have substantially the same
configuration as the raised drain and source regions 134. Hence,
the semiconductor material provided in the recess 111 is also
denoted by the same reference sign 134. It is to be noted that the
highly-doped semiconductor material 134 of the second device region
100B connects to the substrate material 101, while the
semiconductor material 134 of the raised drain and source regions
connects to the semiconductor layer 103. Similarly, a
metal-containing region may be formed in and on the doped
semiconductor material 134 of the second device region 100B, which
may also have substantially the same configuration as the material
131 in the first semiconductor region 100A. Furthermore, a
plurality of conductive lines 132A, 132B may be formed in the
second device region 100B and may therefore at least partially be
provided above the respective capacitive structures 140A, 140B. In
illustrative embodiments, the conductive lines may represent
electrode lines having the same configuration, except for the
lateral dimensions thereof, as the gate electrode structure 132.
Consequently, the electrode lines 132A, 132B may comprise the
metal-containing material 135A, the further electrode material 135B
and the sidewall spacer 139. It should be appreciated that also the
gate dielectric material 137, although not shown in FIG. 8B in the
context of the conductive lines 132A, 132B, may be provided below
the respective electrode lines 132A, 132B.
[0063] Consequently, the space in the second device region 100B
above the buried capacitive structures 140A, 140B may be
efficiently used for providing the electrode lines 132A, 132B,
thereby providing routing capabilities in the device level.
[0064] It should be appreciated that, in some illustrative
embodiments, at least some of the buried capacitive structures
140A, 140B may be appropriately connected so as to obtain a
combined capacitance, which may be accomplished by providing a
respective device design in which, for instance, the electrodes 108
may be electrically connected, for instance, in the "buried" level
by directly connecting the capacitor electrodes 108 during the
formation of the respective openings and the partial filling of the
corresponding openings. In other illustrative embodiments, the
connection between some of the electrodes 108 may be established in
the device level based on respective contacts, as will be discussed
later on in more detail, in order to establish a desired parallel
connection of a plurality of buried capacitive structures 140A,
140B. In still other illustrative embodiments, a dynamic adjustment
of a desired capacitance may be established on the basis of an
appropriately designed switching mechanism, which, for instance,
may comprise a switching element, such as the transistor 130,
wherein one or more connections between one or more buried
capacitive structures 140A, 140B may be established by
appropriately switching the transistor 130 into a conductive or a
non-conductive state. A respective electrical connection of two or
more of the capacitive structures 140A, 140B and the transistor 130
may be accomplished in the contact level in combination with the
conductive electrode lines 132A, 132B and/or in a corresponding
metallization level to be formed above a corresponding contact
level.
[0065] In other illustrative embodiments (not shown), the shared
electrode in the form of the substrate material 101 in the second
device region may be electrically isolated from other shared
electrodes of other device regions including further buried
capacitive structures, which may be accomplished by providing
respective doped regions, for instance, during the well doping
processes. In this case, even a series connection of two or more
device regions including respective buried capacitive structures,
such as the structures 140A, 140B, may be established. Also, in
this case, the connection may be implemented in a static or dynamic
manner, that is, by a permanent connection or by a controllable
connection based on a switching element, a fuse and the like.
[0066] The semiconductor device 100 as shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B may be
formed in accordance with any well-established process techniques,
which may be applied for forming the transistor 130 having a
desired overall configuration. To this end, any required well
doping processes may be performed, in order to define the various
well regions for different types of transistors and the like. In
particular, in some illustrative embodiments, a desired dopant
profile (not shown) may be provided in the substrate material 101
of the second device region 100B and other device regions. Such
dopant profiles may be used for efficiently connecting the
substrate material 101 of the second device region 100B to the
highly-doped semiconductor material 134 of the second device region
in order to obtain a low-ohmic connection, if desired. Also, if
required, the dopant profiles may enable an electrical isolation of
the second device region 100B from other device regions, such as
the first device region 100A or other second device regions, as
also discussed above.
[0067] Thereafter, the gate electrode structure 132 may be formed
by forming the dielectric material 137 and the one or more gate
electrode materials 135B, which may be appropriately patterned on
the basis of respective lithography and etch techniques.
Furthermore, at any appropriate state of the gate patterning
process, the sidewall spacers 139 may be formed. As discussed
above, in illustrative embodiments, the electrode lines 132A, 132B
may be formed concurrently so as to have basically the same
configuration as the gate electrode structure 132. Thereafter, the
drain and source regions 134 may be formed in the first device
region 100A, while at the same time also forming the corresponding
highly doped crystalline semiconductor material 134 in the recess
111 of the second device region 100B. Thereafter, respective anneal
processes may be performed, if required, followed by the formation
of the metal-containing regions 131, 135A, which may be
accomplished on the basis of any appropriate metal species, such as
nickel and the like, and respective process techniques, such as
silicidation and the like. It should be appreciated that, except
for a different overall device design in illustrative embodiments,
no further alterations of the general process flow may be required
for forming the transistor 130 and the electrode lines 132A,
132B.
[0068] FIG. 9A schematic illustrates a top view of the
semiconductor device 100 in a further advanced manufacturing stage.
As illustrated, respective contact elements 155A are formed in an
insulating material 151 of a contact level in the first device
region 100A, while contact elements 155B, 155C are provided in the
second device region 100B so as to connect to the underlying buried
capacitive structures.
[0069] FIG. 9B schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of
the semiconductor device 100. As shown, a contact level 150
comprising a first dielectric layer 152, for instance in the form
of a silicon nitride material and the like, and one or more second
dielectric materials 151, such as silicon dioxide and the like, may
be formed so as to cover and basically passivate the circuit
elements in the form of transistors 130 and the like, and the
electrode lines 132A, 132B. The contact elements 155A thus extend
through the materials 151, 152 and connect to the drain and source
regions of the transistor 130 and, if required, to the gate
electrode structure 132 at any appropriate location in the
semiconductor device 100. For convenience, any such contact
elements connecting to the gate electrode structure 132 are not
shown. Similarly, the contact elements 155B may connect to the
buried capacitive structures 140A, 140B, respectively. More
precisely, the contact elements 155B may connect to the respective
capacitor electrodes 108, thereby enabling individual usage of the
capacitive structures in accordance with the overall design
requirements. On the other hand, the contact element 155C
establishes a connection to the substrate material 101, which may
represent a shared capacitor electrode, indicated as 101B, of the
capacitive structures 140A, 140B. The contact element 155C connects
to the shared capacitor electrode 101B via the metal-containing
material 131 and the highly doped semiconductor material 134, as
also explained above. It should further be appreciated that the
substrate material 101 in the second device region 100B may have
incorporated therein any appropriate dopant species so as to
efficiently connect to the highly doped material 134, wherein any
such doping species may have been incorporated at any appropriate
manufacturing stage, for instance upon forming respective well
regions in other parts of the semiconductor device 100, as
discussed above. Moreover, as already discussed above, based on the
contact elements formed in the contact level 150, two or more of
the capacitive structures 140A, 140B may be connected in parallel
so as to obtain a desired high capacitance, if required. In other
cases, a switching element, such as the transistor 130, may be
connected to the contact elements 155B of the capacitive structures
140A, 140B so as to enable controlled electrical connection of
these capacitive structures upon switching the transistor 130 into
the conductive state. Furthermore, a plurality of switching
elements, such as the transistor 130, may be provided so as to
enable the adjustment of a desired capacitance value in a dynamic
manner if considered appropriate. In other cases, a plurality of
first capacitive structures may be connected concurrently with the
drain of the transistor 130, while a further plurality of
capacitive structures may be connected with a source side of the
transistor 130, thereby enabling a dynamic adjustment of
capacitance upon appropriately controlling the transistor 130. It
should be appreciated that a part of the routing of any such
connections of a plurality of capacitive structures may be
established on the basis of one or more of the electrode lines
132A, 132B, if considered appropriate. Consequently, any desired
capacitance value may be established in a static manner by
providing corresponding non-controllable permanent connections
between the respective capacitive structures, and/or in a dynamic
manner by providing at least one switching element, a fuse and the
like, for controllably establishing a respective connection between
one or more capacitive structures. As discussed above, a series
connection may also be established, as long as the shared
electrodes 101B of different second regions 100B may be held at
different potentials, which may be accomplished by providing
appropriate dopant profiles, as discussed above.
[0070] The device level 150 as shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B may be formed
in accordance with well-established process techniques, for
instance, by depositing the dielectric materials 152, 151 and
planarizing the resulting surface topography. Thereafter,
respective openings may be formed by well-established process
strategies, wherein, in some illustrative embodiments, a common
process sequence may be applied so as to form the openings for the
contact elements 155A, 155B and 155C. It should be appreciated that
a respective additional etch time required for etching through the
dielectric material 110 formed above the capacitor electrode 108
may readily be taken into consideration during the entire etch
sequence substantially without negatively affecting the respective
openings for the contact elements 155A, 155C, since the metal
regions 131 may act as efficient etch stop materials.
[0071] Furthermore, the lateral size and shape of the contact
elements 155B may be adjusted so as to allow a reliable contact of
the capacitive structures 140A, 140B without negatively affecting
the conductive lines 132A, 132B. For example, as shown in FIG. 9B,
the lateral dimension of the contact elements 155B in the length
direction of the transistor 130, i.e., in FIG. 9B the horizontal
direction, may be appropriately reduced so as to avoid undue
interference with the conductive lines 132A, 132B.
[0072] Thereafter, the further processing may be continued by
forming one or more metallization levels on the contact level 150
in accordance with well-established process techniques. It should
be appreciated that, except for providing the contact elements
155B, 155C, any space above the second device region 100B may still
be available for forming respective metal lines so that, due to the
buried nature of the capacitive structures 140A, 140B, a highly
space-efficient design may be provided compared to conventional
approaches for incorporating capacitors, as discussed above in the
introductory part of this application.
[0073] As a result, the present disclosure provides semiconductor
devices and manufacturing techniques in which buried capacitive
structures may be provided at the level of the buried insulating
layer of an SOI device, wherein, in illustrative embodiments, only
one additional lithography and patterning process may be required
for forming respective openings that accommodate one capacitor
electrode, while the other capacitor electrode may be provided in
the form of the substrate material as a shared capacitor electrode.
Consequently, reduced process complexity is accomplished compared
to conventional approaches, while still an encapsulated buried
metal-containing capacitor electrode may be provided. Due to the
incorporation of an insulating material at the top of the
individual electrodes, which may have the same configuration as the
insulating material of trench isolation structures, a substantially
planar surface topography is obtained that basically corresponds to
the surface conditions of conventional devices, thereby enabling
the further processing on the basis of well-established process
recipes. Since the capacitive structures may be provided as
individual encapsulated capacitor electrodes in combination with a
shared capacitor electrode, an efficient adaptation of the overall
capacitance may be accomplished by statically or dynamically
connecting respective encapsulated capacitor electrodes, thereby
providing superior design efficiency and performance of the
resulting semiconductor devices.
[0074] The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative
only, as the subject matter defined by the appended claims may be
modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent
to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings
herein. For example, some or all of the process steps set forth
above may be performed in a different order. Furthermore, no
limitations are intended to the details of construction or design
herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is
therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above
may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered
within the scope and spirit of the claimed subject matter. Note
that the use of terms, such as "first," "second," "third" or
"fourth" to describe various processes or structures in this
specification and in the attached claims is only used as a
shorthand reference to such steps/structures and does not
necessarily imply that such steps/structures are performed/formed
in that ordered sequence. Of course, depending upon the exact claim
language, an ordered sequence of such processes may or may not be
required. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth
in the claims below.
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