U.S. patent application number 16/281183 was filed with the patent office on 2020-08-27 for ion-sensitive field effect transistor (isfet) with enhanced sensitivity.
The applicant listed for this patent is International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Kangguo Cheng, Juntao Li, Chanro Park, Ruilong Xie.
Application Number | 20200271620 16/281183 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005016752 |
Filed Date | 2020-08-27 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200271620 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cheng; Kangguo ; et
al. |
August 27, 2020 |
ION-SENSITIVE FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR (ISFET) WITH ENHANCED
SENSITIVITY
Abstract
An ion-sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET) is provided
that has enhanced sensitivity due to an increased passivation
capacitance, C.sub.p. The increased C.sub.p is obtained by
increasing the surface area of the passivation layer by forming
particles (metallic, semiconductor or dielectric) in a micro-well,
and by embedding the particles in an electrically conductive liner
that is formed under the passivation layer and within the
micro-well.
Inventors: |
Cheng; Kangguo;
(Schenectady, NY) ; Park; Chanro; (Clifton Park,
NY) ; Xie; Ruilong; (Niskayuna, NY) ; Li;
Juntao; (Cohoes, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
International Business Machines Corporation |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005016752 |
Appl. No.: |
16/281183 |
Filed: |
February 21, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01N 27/414
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G01N 27/414 20060101
G01N027/414 |
Claims
1. An ion-sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET) comprising: a
functional gate structure located on a surface of a semiconductor
material substrate and embedded in a dielectric material stack; a
micro-well located above the dielectric material stack and
physically exposing a portion of the dielectric material stack that
is located above the functional gate structure, wherein the
micro-well is laterally surrounded by a micro-well containing
structure; a plurality of particles located inside the micro-well
and on physically exposed sidewalls of the micro-well containing
structure and the physically exposed portion of the dielectric
material stack; an electrically conductive liner located in the
micro-well and embedding each particle of the plurality of
particles; and a sensing layer located on the electrically
conductive liner and extending onto a topmost surface of the
micro-well containing structure.
2. The ISFET of claim 1, wherein the particles are metal
particles.
3. The ISFET of claim 2, wherein the metal particles are spherical
or hemispherical.
4. The ISFET of claim 1, wherein the particles are composed of a
semiconductor material or a dielectric material.
5. The ISFET of claim 4, wherein the particles are spherical or
hemispherical.
6. The ISFET of claim 1, wherein the dielectric material stack
comprises at least a last metal level contact structure embedded
therein, wherein the last metal level gate structure electrically
contacts a gate conductor material of the functional gate
structure, and wherein the micro-well physically exposes the last
metal level contact structure.
7. The ISFET of claim 1, wherein the micro-well containing
structure comprises, from bottom to top, an etch stop portion and a
dielectric material portion.
8. The ISFET of claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive liner
comprises ruthenium (Ru) and the particles are metal particles
composed of one of gold (Au), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), nickel
(Ni), cobalt (Co), aluminum (Al), or silver (Ag).
9. The ISFET of claim 1, further comprising an analyte-containing
solution present in the micro-well, wherein the analyte-containing
solution contains an electrical charge provided by the analyte that
is absorbed by the sensing layer.
10. The ISFET of claim 9, wherein a concentration of electrical
charge is measured by a change in threshold voltage of the
ISFET.
11. A method of forming an ion-sensitive field effect transistor
(ISFET), the method comprising: forming a structure comprising a
functional gate structure on a surface of a semiconductor material
substrate and embedded in a dielectric material stack, and a
dielectric material layer located on dielectric material stack;
forming a micro-well into the dielectric material layer and
physically exposing a portion of the dielectric material particles;
forming particles on physically exposed surfaces that are located
at least inside the micro-well; forming an electrically conductive
liner inside the micro-well and embedding each particle; and
forming a passivation layer inside and outside of the
micro-well.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the particles are metal
particles and have a spherical or hemispherical shape.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the particles are semiconductor
or dielectric particles and have a spherical or hemispherical
shape.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the forming of the particles
comprises: providing a dispersion of the particles in a solution;
and dipping the structure containing the micro-well into the
solution.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein the forming of the particles
comprises: forming a metal layer on the structure containing the
micro-well; and locally heating the metal layer to coalesce the
metal layer into the particles.
16. The method of claim 11, wherein the forming of the electrically
conductive liner inside the micro-well and embedding each particle
comprises: depositing an electrically conductive layer inside and
outside the micro-well; and removing the electrically conductive
layer that is located outside the micro-well.
17. The method of claim 11, wherein the dielectric material stack
comprises at least a last metal level contact structure embedded
therein, wherein the last metal level gate structure electrically
contacts a gate conductor material of the functional gate
structure, and wherein the micro-well physically exposes the last
metal level contact structure.
18. The method of claim 11, wherein the passivation layer is
composed of a dielectric material that is capable of absorbing
electric charge.
19. The method of claim 11, wherein the electrically conductive
liner comprises ruthenium (Ru) and the particles are metal
particles composed of one of gold (Au), platinum (Pt), palladium
(Pd), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), aluminum (Al), or silver (Ag).
20. The method of claim 11, further comprising introducing an
analyte-containing solution into the micro-well, wherein the
analyte-containing solution contains an electrical charge provided
by the analyte that is absorbed by the passivation layer.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present application relates to a sensor for chemical
sensing or bio-sensing applications, and a method of forming the
same. More particularly, the present application relates to an
ion-sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET) having an increased
passivation capacitance, C.sub.p, and enhanced sensitivity.
[0002] Ion-sensitive field effect transistors (ISFETs) are being
explored as a biosensor or a chemical sensor. ISFETs can be
fabricated along with a standard metal oxide semiconductor field
effect transistor (MOSFET) to make a `lab-on-chip` in which the
ISFETs are used as sensors and the MOSFETS are used for signal
processing.
[0003] In prior art ISFETs, a passivation layer such as, for
example, a layer of silicon nitride, is typically formed above the
last metal layer of a back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) structure, and a
micro-well is formed in a dielectric material that is disposed
above the passivation layer. The passivation layer serves two
proposes. Firstly, the passivation layer prevents ions such as, for
example, sodium ions and/or potassium ions, from traveling into the
underlying transistor. Secondly, the passivation layer serves as a
sensing layer to absorb electric charges from the
analyte-containing solution to the surface of the passivation
layer. In such ISFETs, the amount of electrical charges is measured
by the threshold voltage change of the underlying transistor, thus
the analyte (bio or chemical) in the micro-well is sensed.
[0004] Although passivation is necessary, the presence of the
passivation layer in the ISFET reduces the sensitivity of the
underlying transistor because the passivation layer creates a
capacitance (often referred to as a passivation capacitance,
C.sub.p) in series with the FET capacitance (C.sub.FET). Compared
with a case without a passivation layer (i.e., the analyte
directing contacting the FET), the sensitivity of the ISFET is
reduced to a factor A, where A can be expressed as
A=C.sub.p/(C.sub.p+C.sub.FET), wherein C.sub.p and C.sub.FET are as
defined above.
[0005] The passivation layer is typically much thicker than the
gate dielectric of the FET. Therefore, C.sub.p is much less than
C.sub.FET. As a result, A is much less than 1. Therefore, there is
a need to improve the sensitivity of an ISFET by increasing
C.sub.p.
SUMMARY
[0006] An ion-sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET) is provided
that has enhanced sensitivity due to an increased passivation
capacitance, C.sub.p. The increased C.sub.p is obtained by
increasing the surface area of the passivation layer by forming
particles (metallic, semiconductor or dielectric) in a micro-well,
and by embedding the particles in an electrically conductive liner
that is formed under the passivation layer and within the
micro-well.
[0007] In one aspect of the present application, an ion-sensitive
field effect transistor (ISFET) is provided. In one embodiment, the
ISFET includes a functional gate structure located on a surface of
a semiconductor material substrate and embedded in a dielectric
material stack. A micro-well is located above the dielectric
material stack and physically exposes a portion of the dielectric
material stack that is located above the functional gate structure.
The micro-well is laterally surrounded by a micro-well containing
structure. A plurality of particles is located inside the
micro-well and on physically exposed sidewalls of the micro-well
containing structure and the physically exposed portion of the
dielectric material stack. An electrically conductive liner is
located in the micro-well and embeds each particle of the plurality
of particles. A sensing layer is located on the electrically
conductive liner and extends onto a topmost surface of the
micro-well containing structure.
[0008] In another aspect of the present application, a method of
forming an ion-sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET) is
provided. In one embodiment, the method includes forming a
structure including a functional gate structure on a surface of a
semiconductor material substrate and embedded in a dielectric
material stack, and a dielectric material layer located on the
dielectric material stack. Next, a micro-well is formed into the
dielectric material layer which physically exposes the dielectric
material stack. Particles are thereafter formed on physically
exposed surfaces that are located at least inside the micro-well.
Next, an electrically conductive liner is formed inside the
micro-well and embedding each particle. A passivation layer is
formed inside and outside of the micro-well.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of an exemplary structure
including a gate structure of a field effect transistor located on
a surface of a semiconductor material substrate and embedded in a
dielectric material stack that contains a plurality of electrically
conductive structures embedded therein, an etch stop layer located
on the dielectric material stack, and a dielectric material layer
located on the etch stop layer that can be employed in accordance
with an embodiment of the present application.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the exemplary structure
of FIG. 1 after forming a micro-well into the dielectric material
layer and the etch stop layer.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the exemplary structure
of FIG. 2 after forming metal particles on physically exposed
surfaces that are located inside and outside the micro-well.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the exemplary structure
of FIG. 3 after forming an electrically conductive layer inside and
outside the micro-well.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the exemplary structure
of FIG. 4 after forming a sacrificial material inside the
micro-well.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the exemplary structure
of FIG. 5 after removing the electrically conductive layer and the
metal particles that are located outside the micro-well.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the exemplary structure
of FIG. 6 after removing the sacrificial material located inside
the micro-well.
[0016] FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the exemplary structure
of FIG. 7 after forming a passivation layer.
[0017] FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of the exemplary structure
of FIG. 8 after providing an analyte-containing solution to the
micro-well.
[0018] FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of another exemplary
structure that can be derived from the exemplary structure shown in
FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] The present application will now be described in greater
detail by referring to the following discussion and drawings that
accompany the present application. It is noted that the drawings of
the present application are provided for illustrative purposes only
and, as such, the drawings are not drawn to scale. It is also noted
that like and corresponding elements are referred to by like
reference numerals.
[0020] In the following description, numerous specific details are
set forth, such as particular structures, components, materials,
dimensions, processing steps and techniques, in order to provide an
understanding of the various embodiments of the present
application. However, it will be appreciated by one of ordinary
skill in the art that the various embodiments of the present
application may be practiced without these specific details. In
other instances, well-known structures or processing steps have not
been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the present
application.
[0021] It will be understood that when an element as a layer,
region or substrate is referred to as being "on" or "over" another
element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening
elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is
referred to as being "directly on" or "directly over" another
element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be
understood that when an element is referred to as being "beneath"
or "under" another element, it can be directly beneath or under the
other element, or intervening elements may be present. In contrast,
when an element is referred to as being "directly beneath" or
"directly under" another element, there are no intervening elements
present.
[0022] Referring first to FIG. 1, there is illustrated an exemplary
structure that can be employed in accordance with an embodiment of
the present application. The exemplary structure of FIG. 1 includes
a gate structure (12, 14) of a field effect transistor (FET)
located on a surface of a semiconductor material substrate 10 and
embedded in a dielectric material stack 18 that contains a
plurality of electrically conductive structures (19L, 19R, 20L,
20R, 21 and 22) embedded therein, an etch stop layer 24L located on
the dielectric material stack 18, and a dielectric material layer
26L located on the etch stop layer 24L. In some embodiments (not
shown), the etch stop layer 24L can be omitted and the dielectric
material layer 26L can be formed directly on the dielectric
material stack 18 that contains the plurality of electrically
conductive structures (19L, 19R, 20L, 20R, 21 and 22) embedded
therein.
[0023] Although the present application describes and illustrates a
single FET, the present application can also be employed when a
plurality of FETs are formed. Further, although the present
application describes and illustrates a planar FET, the present
application can also be employed when non-planar FETs such as, for
example, FinFETs and gate-all-around FETs such as, for example
nanowire FETs, nanosheet FETs and vertical FETs, are formed.
[0024] The gate structure (12, 14) is a "functional gate
structure". By "functional gate structure" it is meant an active
gate structure used to control output current (i.e., flow of
carriers in the channel) of a semiconducting device through
electrical or magnetic fields. The gate structure (12, 14) includes
a gate dielectric material 12 and a gate conductor material 14.
[0025] In one embodiment of the present application, the exemplary
semiconductor structure of FIG. 1 can be formed utilizing a gate
first process. In a gate first process, the gate structure (12, 14)
is first formed on a surface of semiconductor material substrate
10. After forming the gate structure (12, 14), a dielectric spacer
(not shown) can be formed on the sidewalls of the gate structure
(12, 14). Source/drain regions 16L, 16R are formed into the
semiconductor material substrate 10 and at the footprint of each
gate structure (12, 14). In such an embodiment, the gate dielectric
material 12 is located only beneath a bottommost surface of the
gate conductor material 14. Next, the dielectric material stack 18
that contains a plurality of electrically conductive structures
(19L, 19R, 20L, 20R, 21 and 22) embedded therein is formed,
followed by the formation of the optional etch stop layer 24L and
the dielectric material layer 26L.
[0026] In another embodiment of the present application, the
exemplary semiconductor structure of FIG. 1 can be formed utilizing
a gate last process. In a gate last process, at least one
sacrificial gate structure (not shown) is first formed on a surface
of semiconductor material substrate 10. After forming the
sacrificial gate structure, dielectric spacers (not shown) may be
formed. Next, source/drain regions 16L, 16R are formed into the
semiconductor material substrate 10 and at the footprint of each
sacrificial gate structure. Next, an interlayer dielectric (ILD)
material (which may represent a lower portion of the dielectric
material stack 18) is formed. After forming the ILD material, each
sacrificial gate structure is removed and replaced with a
functional gate structure (i.e., gate structure (12, 14)). In such
an embodiment (not shown), the gate last process provides a
structure in which the gate dielectric material 12 is present along
the sidewalls of the gate conductor material 14 and beneath a
bottommost surface of the gate conductor material 14. In such an
embodiment, the gate dielectric material 12 may be referred to as a
U-shaped gate dielectric material layer. The remaining portion of
the dielectric material stack 18 is then formed, followed by the
formation of the optional etch stop layer 24L and the dielectric
material layer 26L.
[0027] The semiconductor material substrate 10 of the present
application is composed of one or more semiconductor materials
having semiconducting properties. Examples of semiconductor
materials that may be used as the semiconductor material substrate
10 include, but are not limited to, silicon (Si), a silicon
germanium (SiGe) alloy, a silicon germanium carbide (SiGeC) alloy,
germanium (Ge), a III/V compound semiconductor, or a II/VI compound
semiconductor.
[0028] In one embodiment, the semiconductor material substrate 10
may be a bulk semiconductor substrate. The term "bulk semiconductor
substrate" denotes a substrate that is composed entirely of one or
more semiconductor materials, as defined above. In such an
embodiment, the gate structure (12, 14) is located only upon a
topmost surface of the semiconductor material substrate 10.
[0029] In another embodiment, the semiconductor material substrate
10 may be a topmost semiconductor material layer of a
semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. The SOI substrate
further include an insulator layer that contacts a bottommost
surface of the topmost semiconductor material layer, and a handle
substrate that contacts a bottommost surface of the insulator
layer; in other terms an SOI substrate includes an insulator layer
sandwiched between a topmost surface material layer and a handle
substrate. In such an embodiment, the gate structure (12, 14) is
located only upon a topmost surface of the semiconductor material
substrate 10.
[0030] In a further embodiment of the present application, the
semiconductor material substrate 10 may be a semiconductor material
fin. The term "semiconductor material fin" refers to a structure
composed of a semiconductor material, as defined above, that
includes a pair of vertical sidewalls that are parallel to each
other. A surface is "vertical" if there exists a vertical plane
from which the surface does not deviate by more than three times
the root mean square roughness of the surface. In one embodiment,
the semiconductor material fin has a height from 20 nm to 200 nm, a
width from 5 nm to 30 nm, and a length from 20 nm to 200 nm. Other
heights and/or widths and/or lengths that are lesser than, or
greater than, the ranges mentioned herein can also be used in the
present application. In such an embodiment, a single semiconductor
material fin or a plurality of semiconductor material fins may be
employed. The semiconductor material fin(s) can be formed by
patterning an upper portion of a bulk semiconductor substrate, as
defined above, or by patterning of a topmost semiconductor layer of
a SOI substrate, as defined above. Patterning may be performed by
lithography and etching, a sidewall image transfer (SIT) process or
by direct self-assembly (DSA) process in which a copolymer that is
capable of direct self-assembly is used.
[0031] In a yet further embodiment of the present application, the
semiconductor material substrate 10 may be a semiconductor
nanowire. The term "semiconductor nanowire" refers to a structure
composed of a semiconductor material, as defined above, that has a
diameter on the order of a few nanometers or less. A single
semiconductor nanowire or a plurality of semiconductor nanowires
may be employed. When a plurality of nanowires is employed, the
nanowires may be in a vertical stacked configuration or they may be
located laterally adjacent to each other. The semiconductor
nanowire(s) can be formed utilizing techniques well known to those
skilled in the art. The semiconductor material substrate 10 can
also be a semiconductor nanosheet. A semiconductor nanosheet is a
sheet of a semiconductor material. The nanosheets may be formed
utilizing techniques well known to those skilled in the art.
[0032] The source/drain regions 16L, 16R are composed of a
semiconductor material, as defined above, and a p-type dopant or an
n-type dopant. Typically, but not necessarily always, the
source/drain regions 16L, 16R are composed of a same semiconductor
material as the semiconductor material substrate 10. In embodiments
in which the source/drain regions 16L, 16R are composed of a
different semiconductor material than the semiconductor material
substrate 10, a strain may be applied to a channel region of the
gate structure (12, 14). As is known to those skilled in the art,
the channel region is a portion of the semiconductor material
substrate 10 that is located beneath a functional gate structure
(i.e., gate structure (12, 14)) and between a source region that is
located on one side of the functional gate structure, and a drain
region that is located on the other side of the functional gate
structure. In the present application one of 16L, 16R is the source
region, and the other of 16L, 16R is a drain region. The source
region and the drain region are referred to herein as source/drain
regions 16L, 16R. The term "p-type" refers to the addition of
impurities to an intrinsic semiconductor that creates deficiencies
of valence electrons. In a silicon-containing semiconductor
material, examples of p-type dopants, i.e., impurities, include,
but are not limited to, boron, aluminum, gallium and indium.
"N-type" refers to the addition of impurities that contributes free
electrons to an intrinsic semiconductor. In a silicon containing
semiconductor material, examples of n-type dopants, i.e.,
impurities, include, but are not limited to, antimony, arsenic and
phosphorous. In one example, the source/drain regions may have a
dopant concentration of from 1.times.10.sup.20 atoms/cm.sup.3 to
3.times.10.sup.21 atoms/cm.sup.3.
[0033] In some embodiments, the source/drain regions 16L, 16R can
be formed by introducing a p-type dopant or an n-type dopant, as
defined above, into portions of the semiconductor material
substrate 10. The dopants may be introduced into portions of the
semiconductor material substrate 10 by ion implantation, gas phase
doping, plasma doping, plasma immersion ion implantation, cluster
doping, infusion doping, liquid phase doping, solid phase doping,
and/or any suitable combination of those techniques. In some
embodiments, dopants are activated by thermal annealing such as
laser annealing, flash annealing, rapid thermal annealing (RTA) or
any suitable combination of those techniques.
[0034] In another embodiment, the source/drain regions 16L, 16R can
be formed by forming source/drain trenches into the semiconductor
material substrate 10 and thereafter filling each of the
source/drain trenches with an n-type or p-type doped semiconductor
material. The filling of the source/drain trenches may include an
epitaxial growth process. The term "epitaxial growth" means the
growth of a second semiconductor material on a growth surface of a
first semiconductor material, in which the second semiconductor
material being grown has the same crystalline characteristics as
the first semiconductor material. In an epitaxial deposition
process, the chemical reactants provided by the source gases are
controlled and the system parameters are set so that the depositing
atoms arrive at the growth surface of the first semiconductor
material with sufficient energy to move around on the growth
surface and orient themselves to the crystal arrangement of the
atoms of the growth surface. Examples of various epitaxial growth
process apparatuses that can be employed in the present application
include, e.g., rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition (RTCVD),
low-energy plasma deposition (LEPD), ultra-high vacuum chemical
vapor deposition (UHVCVD), atmospheric pressure chemical vapor
deposition (APCVD) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The
temperature for epitaxial deposition typically ranges from
550.degree. C. to 900.degree. C. Although higher temperature
typically results in faster deposition, the faster deposition may
result in crystal defects and film cracking. The epitaxial growth
of the of the source/drain regions 16L, 16R can be performed
utilizing any well-known precursor gas or gas mixture. Carrier
gases like hydrogen, nitrogen, helium and argon can be used. In
some embodiments, the n-type dopant or p-type dopant is introduced
into the precursor gas or gas mixture. In other embodiments, the
n-type dopant of p-type dopant is introduced into an intrinsic
semiconductor material that is epitaxially grown into each
source/drain trench.
[0035] As mentioned above, the gate structure (12, 14) includes
gate dielectric material 12 and gate conductor material 14; a
dielectric spacer (not shown) can be present along the sidewalls of
the gate structure (12,14). The gate dielectric material 12
includes any gate dielectric material or multilayered stack
thereof. The gate dielectric material 12 can be composed of an
oxide, nitride, and/or oxynitride. In one example, the gate
dielectric material 12 can be a high-k material having a dielectric
constant greater than 4.0; all dielectric constants mentioned
herein are measured in a vacuum unless otherwise indicated.
Exemplary high-k dielectrics include, but are not limited to,
HfO.sub.2, ZrO.sub.2, La.sub.2O.sub.3, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, TiO.sub.2,
SrTiO.sub.3, LaAlO.sub.3, Y.sub.2O.sub.3, HfO.sub.XN.sub.y,
ZrO.sub.xN.sub.y, La.sub.2O.sub.xN.sub.y, Al.sub.2O.sub.xN.sub.y,
TiO.sub.xN.sub.y, SrTiO.sub.xN.sub.y, LaAlO.sub.xN.sub.y,
Y.sub.2O.sub.xN.sub.y, SiON, SiN.sub.x, a silicate thereof, and an
alloy thereof. Each value of x is independently from 0.5 to 3 and
each value of y is independently from 0 to 2. In some embodiments,
a multilayered gate dielectric structure composed of different gate
dielectric materials, e.g., silicon dioxide, and a high-k gate
dielectric, can be formed and used as the gate dielectric material
12.
[0036] The gate dielectric material 12 can be formed by any
deposition process including, for example, atomic layer deposition
(ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical
vapor deposition (PECVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD),
sputtering, or atomic layer deposition. In one embodiment of the
present application, the gate dielectric material 12 can have a
thickness in a range from 1 nm to 10 nm. Other thicknesses that are
lesser than, or greater than, the aforementioned thickness range
can also be employed for the gate dielectric material 12.
[0037] The gate conductor material 14 includes any conductive
material including, for example, doped polycrystalline or amorphous
silicon, germanium, silicon germanium, a metal (e.g., tungsten (W),
titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), ruthenium (Ru), hafnium (Hf),
zirconium (Zr), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), aluminum
(Al), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), silver (Ag), gold (Au), a conducting
metallic compound material (e.g., tantalum nitride (TaN), titanium
nitride (TiN), tantalum carbide (TaC), titanium carbide (TiC),
titanium aluminum carbide (TiAlC), tungsten silicide (WSi),
tungsten nitride (WN), ruthenium oxide (RuO.sub.2), cobalt silicide
(CoSi), nickel silicide (NiSi)), transition metal aluminides (e.g.,
Ti.sub.3Al, ZrAl), TaC, TaMgC, carbon nanotube, conductive carbon,
graphene, or any suitable combination of these materials. The
conductive material may further comprise dopants that are
incorporated during or after deposition.
[0038] In some embodiments, a workfunction setting layer (not
shown) may be located between the gate dielectric material 12 and
the gate conductor material 14. The workfunction setting layer can
be a workfunction metal (WFM). The WFM can be any suitable
material, including but not limited a nitride, including but not
limited to titanium nitride (TiN), titanium aluminum nitride
(TiAlN), hafnium nitride (HfN), hafnium silicon nitride (HfSiN),
tantalum nitride (TaN), tantalum silicon nitride (TaSiN), tungsten
nitride (WN), molybdenum nitride (MoN), niobium nitride (NbN); a
carbide, including but not limited to titanium carbide (TiC)
titanium aluminum carbide (TiAlC), tantalum carbide (TaC), hafnium
carbide (HfC), and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, a
conductive material or a combination of multiple conductive
materials can serve as both the gate conductor material 14 and the
WFM.
[0039] The gate conductor material 14 and, if present, the WFM can
be formed by any suitable process or any suitable combination of
multiple processes, including but not limited to, atomic layer
deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor
deposition (PVD), sputtering, plating, evaporation, ion beam
deposition, electron beam deposition, laser assisted deposition,
chemical solution deposition, etc. When a metal silicide is formed,
a conventional silicidation process is employed. In one embodiment,
the gate conductor material 14 can have a thickness from 50 nm to
200 nm. Other thicknesses that are lesser than, or greater than,
the aforementioned thickness range can also be employed for the
gate conductor material 14.
[0040] The gate structure (12, 14) can be formed by providing a
gate material stack of the gate dielectric material 12, and the
gate conductor material 14. In a gate last process, a planarization
process may follow the formation of the gate material stack. In a
gate first process, a patterning process follows the formation of
the gate material stack. In one embodiment, and when multiple gate
structures are formed, each gate structure may be composed of the
same gate dielectric material and/or gate conductor material. In
another embodiment, and when multiple gate structures are formed, a
first set of gate structures may be composed of a first gate
dielectric material and a first gate conductor material, while a
second set of gate structures may be composed of a second gate
dielectric material and a second gate conductor material. In such
an embodiment, the second gate conductor material is typically
different from the first gate conductor material; the first and
second gate dielectric materials may be the same or different. In
such an embodiment, block mask technology may be used to provide
gate structures that have at least different gate conductor
materials.
[0041] The dielectric material stack 18 includes a plurality of
dielectric material layers (levels) that are stacked one upon the
other. The plurality of dielectric material layers (levels) may
include one or more ILD material layers located at a bottom portion
of the dielectric material stack and one of more interconnect
dielectric material layers located at an upper portion of the
dielectric material stack. The dielectric materials that provide
the dielectric material stack 18 can be composed of a
compositionally same dielectric material, or compositionally
different dielectric materials.
[0042] The dielectric material stack 18 can include at least one of
silicon dioxide, undoped silicate glass (USG), fluorosilicate glass
(FSG), borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG), a spin-on low-k dielectric
layer, and a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) low-k dielectric
layer. The term "low-k" as used throughout the present application
denotes a dielectric material that has a dielectric constant of
less than 4.0. The dielectric material stack 18 can be formed by
utilizing one or more deposition processes such as, for example,
chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor
deposition (PECVD), evaporation or spin-on coating. In some
embodiments, and following the deposition of a particular
dielectric material layer of the dielectric material stack 18, a
planarization process such as, for example, chemical mechanical
polishing (CMP) and/or grinding, may employed.
[0043] As mentioned above, dielectric material stack 18 contains a
plurality of electrically conductive structures (19L, 19R, 20L,
20R, 21 and 22) embedded therein. The electrically conductive
structures (19L, 19R, 20L, 20R, 21 and 22) can be formed utilizing
techniques well known to those skilled in the art. In one
embodiment, the electrically conductive structures (19L, 19R, 20L,
20R, 21 and 22) can be formed by a so-called damascene process. The
damascene process includes providing an opening into a particular
dielectric material layer of the dielectric material stack 18 and
then filling the opening with a conductive metal-containing fill
material. The filling may include any suitable deposition process
such as, for example, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma
enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) or atomic layer
deposition (ALD). The conductive metal-containing fill material can
be composed of tungsten (W), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), cobalt
(Co), nickel (Ni), titanium (Ti), ruthenium (Ru), or any other
suitable conductive metal or alloy thereof. A barrier layer (not
show) that is composed of a barrier material that can prevent
diffusion and/or alloying of the conductive metal-containing fill
material with an underlying material may be formed into the opening
prior to filling the opening with a conductive metal-containing
fill material. Examples of barrier materials that may be employed
in the present application include titanium nitride (TiN), tantalum
nitride (TaN), hafnium nitride (HfN), niobium nitride (NbN),
tungsten nitride (WN), tungsten carbon nitride (WCN), or any
combination thereof. The barrier layer can be formed in the contact
openings by a deposition process such as, for example, chemical
vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition
(PECVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), or metalorganic chemical
vapor deposition (MOCVD). A planarization process may follow the
filling of each opening with the conductive metal-containing fill
material.
[0044] In the present application, each of electrically conductive
structures 19L, 19R can be referred to as a lower source/drain
(S/D) contact structure since each electrically conductive
structures 19L, 19R directly contacts one of the source/drain
regions 16L, 16R. Each electrically conductive structures 20L, 20R
can be referred to as an upper source/drain (S/D) contact
structure. In some embodiments, the upper and lower S/D contact
structures (19L, 19R, 20L, 20L) are of unitary construction (i.e.,
a single piece) and are composed of a same conductive
metal-containing fill material. In other embodiments, the upper and
lower S/D contact structures (19L. 19R, 20L, 20L) are separate
pieces and are composed of a different conductive metal-containing
fill material. Electrically conductive structure 21 can be referred
to as a gate contact structure, while electrically conductive
structure 22 can be referred to as a last metal level contact
structure. As is shown, the electrically conductive structure 22
(i.e., the last metal level contact structure) has a topmost
surface that is coplanar with a topmost surface of the uppermost
dielectric material of the dielectric material stack 18. As is
further shown, the electrically conductive structure 22 (i.e., the
last metal level contact structure) is electrically connected to
the gate structure (12, 14) by means of the electrically conductive
structure 21 (i.e., the gate contact structure).
[0045] In some embodiments, the electrically conductive structures
(19L, 19R, 20L, 20R, 21 and 22) may be composed of a
compositionally same conductive metal-containing fill material. In
other embodiments, a first set of the electrically conductive
structures (19L, 19R, 20L, 20R, 21 and 22) may be composed of a
first conductive metal-containing fill material, while a second set
of the electrically conductive structures (19L, 19R, 20L, 20R, 21
and 22) may be composed of a second conductive metal-containing
fill material that is compositionally different from the first
conductive metal-containing fill material. Although shown as a
single layer, the electrically conductive structure 22 (i.e., the
last metal level contact structure) may comprise a multilayered
structure such as contact vias and contact trenches. Similar and as
stated above, the dielectric material stack 18 may include multiple
layers (i.e., levels) of dielectric materials.
[0046] When present, the etch stop layer 24L is then formed on the
uppermost dielectric material of the dielectric material stack 18
and on the electrically conductive structure 22 (i.e., the last
metal level contact structure). As mentioned above, the etch stop
layer 24L is optional and need not be employed in some embodiments
of the present application. The etch stop 24L is composed of a
dielectric material that is compositionally different from the
uppermost dielectric material of the dielectric material stack 18
as well as the dielectric material layer 26L to be subsequently
formed. In one embodiment, the etch stop layer 24L can be composed
of silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride. Other dielectric
materials for the etch stop layer 24L include, but are not limited
to, dielectric metal oxides such as, for example, Al.sub.2O.sub.3
or Ta.sub.2O.sub.5. The etch stop layer 24L can be formed utilizing
a deposition process such as, for example, chemical vapor
deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition
(PECVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), or physical vapor
deposition (PVD). The etch stop layer 24L can have a thickness from
1 nm to 10 nm; although other thicknesses can be used in the
present application for the thickness of the etch stop layer
24L.
[0047] The dielectric material layer 26L is composed of a
dielectric material that is compositionally different from the
dielectric material that provides the etch stop layer 24L. In one
example, and when the etch stop 24L is composed of silicon nitride,
the dielectric material layer 26L is composed of silicon dioxide.
In embodiments in which the etch stop layer 24L is omitted, the
dielectric material layer 26L is composed of a compositionally
different dielectric material than the uppermost dielectric
material of the dielectric material stack 18. The dielectric
material layer 26L can be formed utilizing a deposition process
such as, for example, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma
enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), atomic layer deposition
(ALD), or physical vapor deposition (PVD). The dielectric material
layer 26L can have a thickness from 1 micrometer to 1000
micrometers.
[0048] Referring now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated the exemplary
structure of FIG. 1 after forming a micro-well 28 into the
dielectric material layer 26L and, if present, the etch stop layer
24L. The term "micro-well" is used throughout the present
application to denote an opening that is formed into the dielectric
material layer 26L and, if present, the etch stop layer 24L which
can subsequently act as a reservoir, i.e., basin, for receiving and
holding an analyte-containing solution (or a gas, or an
electrolyte-containing solution). In some embodiments, the
micro-well 28 has a depth that is equal to the combined thickness
of the dielectric material layer 26L and the etch stop layer 24L.
In other embodiments, the micro-well 28 has a thickness that is
equal to the thickness of the dielectric material layer 26L. The
micro-well 28 can have a diameter from 100 nm to 5000 nm. In some
embodiments, the diameter of the micro-well 28 is constant from top
to bottom. In other embodiments, the diameter of the micro-well 28
may increase from top to bottom, or decrease from top to
bottom.
[0049] The micro-well 28 can be formed by lithography and etching.
Lithography includes forming a photoresist material on a material
or material stack that needs to be patterned, exposing the
photoresist material to a pattern of irradiation and developing the
exposed photoresist material utilizing a conventional resist
developer to provide a patterned photoresist. The etching used to
form the micro-well 28 may include a first etching process that is
selective in removing the dielectric material layer 26L not
protected by the patterned photoresist, and a second etching
process that is selective in removing the etch stop layer 24L. In
one example, the first etching process includes etching with
hydrofluoric acid or a buffered oxide etchant that includes a
mixture of ammonium fluoride and hydrofluoric acid, and the second
etching process includes etching with hot phosphoric acid. The
patterned photoresist can be removed anytime after transferring the
pattern into the dielectric material layer 26L utilizing a
conventional resist removal process such as, for example, ashing.
When the etch stop layer 24L is omitted, a single etch can be
employed in forming the micro-well 28 into the dielectric material
layer 26L. Alternatively, the micro-well 28 can be formed by a
directional etch such as, for example, a reactive ion etch
(RIE).
[0050] As is shown, the micro-well 28 physically exposes a portion
of the dielectric material stack 18 as well as the electrically
conductive structure 22 (i.e., the last metal level contact
structure). As is further shown, the micro-well 28 physically
exposes sidewalls of a remaining portion of the dielectric material
layer 26L and, if present, a remaining portion of the etch stop
layer 24L. The remaining portion of the dielectric material layer
26L can be referred to a dielectric material portion 26 and, if
present, the remaining portion of the etch stop layer 24L can be
referred to as an etch stop portion 24. In the illustrated
embodiment, the dielectric material portion 26 and the etch stop
portion 24 laterally surround the micro-well 28. Collectively, and
in the illustrated embodiment, the dielectric material portion 26
and etch stop portion 24 provide a micro-well containing structure
which houses micro-well 28. In embodiments in which the etch stop
layer 24L is omitted, the dielectric material portion 26, itself,
laterally surrounds the micro-well 28 and provides a micro-well
containing structure which houses micro-well 28.
[0051] Referring now to FIG. 3, there is illustrated the exemplary
structure of FIG. 2 after forming metal particles 30 on physically
exposed surfaces that are located inside and outside the micro-well
28. That is, the metal particles 30 are formed upon physically
exposed surfaces of each of the dielectric material portion 26, the
optional etch stop portion 24, the dielectric material stack 18,
and the electrically conductive structure 22 (i.e., the last metal
level contact structure). In another embodiment, as is shown in
FIG. 10, non-metallic particles (i.e., semiconductor or dielectric)
may be used in place of metal particles 30. The particles (i.e.,
metal, semiconductor or dielectric) are used in the present
application to provide a rough surface which serves to increase the
surface are of the subsequently formed passivation (or sensing)
layer 36. The particles (i.e., metal, semiconductor or dielectric)
thus can be referred to herein as surface roughening agents.
[0052] It is noted that the metal particles 30 do not entirely
cover the physically exposed surfaces of each of the dielectric
material portion 26, the optional etch stop portion 24, the
dielectric material stack 18, and the electrically conductive
structure 22 (i.e., the last metal level contact structure). Also,
and although not shown, a metal particle 30 may be in direct
physical contact with another metal particle 30.
[0053] The metal particles 30 may be spherical, as shown, or
hemispherical (not shown in FIG. 3). The metal particles 30 may be
composed of a conductive metal such as, for example, gold (Au),
platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), aluminum
(Al), or silver (Ag). The metal particles 30 may have a particles
size from 1 nm to 2000 nm. In some embodiments, the metal particles
30 are nanoparticles. By "nanoparticles" it is meant a particle
having a particle size from 1 nm to 1000 nm.
[0054] In one embodiment, the metal particles 30 are formed
providing a dispersion of metal particles in a solvent, and then
dipping the structure shown in FIG. 2 into the dispersion of metal
particles. In another embodiment, the metal particles 30 can be
formed by depositing a layer of metal and thereafter applying local
heat to the deposited layer of metal until the layer of metal
coalesces into individual metal particles 30. The heating may be
performed at a temperature from 400.degree. C. or greater. In one
embodiment, the heating is provided by a laser anneal to produce
heat localized to the layer of metal to minimize heating the other
material layers of the exemplary structure of the present
application.
[0055] Referring now to FIG. 4, there is illustrated the exemplary
structure of FIG. 3 after forming an electrically conductive layer
32 inside and outside the micro-well 28. The electrically
conductive layer 32 electrically connects all metal particles 30
together, and embeds each of the metal particles 30. The metal
particles 30 provide a rough surface to the electrically conductive
layer 32.
[0056] In some embodiments, the electrically conductive layer 32 is
conformal. The term "conformal" denotes that a material layer has a
vertical thickness along horizontal surfaces that is substantially
the same (i.e., within .+-.5%) as the lateral thickness along
vertical surfaces. A conformal electrically conductive layer 32 can
be formed utilizing any conformal deposition process such as, for
example, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical
vapor deposition (PECVD), or atomic layer deposition (ALD).
[0057] In other embodiments, the electrically conductive layer 32
is non-conformal. A non-conformal electrically conductive layer 32
can be formed by a deposition process such as, for example, atomic
layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), sputtering
or physical vapor deposition (PVD).
[0058] In one embodiment, the electrically conductive layer 32 may
be composed of a compositionally same metal as the metal particles
30. In another embodiment, the electrically conductive layer 32 may
be composed of a compositionally different metal as the metal
particles 30. In yet other embodiments, the electrically conductive
layer 32 may be composed conductive metal alloy. In one example,
and when the metal particles 30 are composed of one of Au, Pt, Pd,
Ni, Co, Al, and Ag, then the electrically conductive layer 32 can
be composed of ruthenium (Ru).
[0059] The electrically conductive layer 32 may have a thickness
from 5 nm to 50 nm; although other thicknesses can also be used as
the thickness of the electrically conductive layer 32.
[0060] Referring now to FIG. 5, there is illustrated the exemplary
structure of FIG. 4 after forming a sacrificial material 34 inside
the micro-well 28. Sacrificial material 34 may include any material
that can be selectively removed compared to the electrically
conductive layer 32. In one embodiment, the sacrificial material 34
is composed of an amorphous silicon germanium alloy. In other
embodiments, the sacrificial material 34 can be composed of
amorphous carbon or an organic polymer such as, for example, an
optical planarization layer (OPL). The sacrificial material 34 may
be formed utilizing any well-known deposition process such as, for
example, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or plasma enhanced
chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The sacrificial material 34
completely fills the entirety of the micro-well 28, and leaves the
surface roughened electrically conductive layer 32 located outside
the micro-well 28 physically exposed.
[0061] Referring now to FIG. 6, there is illustrated the exemplary
structure of FIG. 5 after removing the electrically conductive
layer 32 and the metal particles 30 that are located outside the
micro-well 28. The removal of the electrically conductive layer 32
and the metal particles 30 that are located outside the micro-well
28 is performed utilizing the sacrificial material 34 as mask. The
removal of the electrically conductive layer 32 and the metal
particles 30 that are located outside the micro-well 28 may be
performed utilizing one or more material removal processes. In one
example, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) may be used to remove
the electrically conductive layer 32 and the metal particles 30
that are located outside the micro-well 28. In another example, a
first etching step is used to remove the electrically conductive
layer 32 that is located outside the micro-well 28, and a second
etch is used to remove the metal particles 30 that are located
outside the micro-well 28.
[0062] A portion of the electrically conductive layer 32 as well as
the metal particles 30 remain inside the micro-well 28. The
remaining portion of the electrically conductive layer 32 that is
located inside the micro-well 28 can be referred to as an
electrically conductive liner 32L. The electrically conductive
liner 32L has a rough surface as provided by the metal particles 30
that remain in the micro-well 28. The electrically conductive liner
32L typically has a topmost surface that is coplanar with a topmost
surface of the dielectric material structure 26.
[0063] Referring now to FIG. 7, there is illustrated the exemplary
structure of FIG. 6 after removing the sacrificial material 34
located inside the micro-well 28. As is shown, the removal of the
sacrificial material 34 physically exposes the electrically
conductive liner 32L having the rough surface provided by metal
particles 30. The removal of the sacrificial material 34 may be
performed utilizing a material removal process that is selective in
removing the sacrificial material 34 that is located inside the
micro-well 28. In one example, and when an amorphous silicon
germanium alloy is used as the sacrificial material 34, the removal
can include etching with an aqueous solution containing hydrogen
peroxide (H.sub.2O.sub.2).
[0064] Although not shown, it is possible to change the method of
the present application such that metal particles 30 are removed
outside the micro-well 28 prior to forming the electrically
conductive layer 32. In such an embodiment, the sacrificial
material 34 is formed into the micro-well 28 prior to forming the
electrically conductive layer 32. A material removal process is
then employed to remove the metal particles 30 located outside the
micro-well 28, and thereafter the sacrificial material 34 is
removed. Next, the electrically conductive layer 32 is formed and a
planarization process can be used to remove the electrically
conductive layer 32 that is located outside the micro-well 28 and
provide electrically conductive liner 32L. In some embodiments, the
metal particles 30 can be formed only inside the micro-well 28 and
thereafter the electrically conductive liner 32L can be formed
inside the micro-well 28 so as to embed the metal particles 30 in
the micro-well 28.
[0065] Referring now to FIG. 8, there is illustrated the exemplary
structure of FIG. 7 after forming a passivation layer 36. The
passivation layer 36 is formed on the electrically conductive liner
32L having the rough surface provided by metal particles 30 as well
as on the topmost surface of the dielectric material portion 26.
The passivation layer 36 that is located inside the micro-well 28
has a rough surface and an increased surface area due to the metal
particles 30 as compared to the passivation layer 36 that is
located outside the micro-well 28. The passivation layer 36 can be
referred to as a sensing layer.
[0066] The passivation layer 36 is composed of a dielectric
material that can prevent air, ions and/or moisture from diffusing
therethrough, but is capable of absorbing electric charge that is
present in an analyte-containing solution that is subsequently
introduced into the micro-well 28. In one embodiment, the
passivation layer 36 may be composed of silicon nitride, silicon
oxynitride, metal oxides (such as aluminum oxide, tantalum oxide,
hafnium oxide, titanium oxide, aluminum nitride), polymers, organic
nanodielectric materials, or self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) such
as APTES (3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane).
[0067] The passivation layer 36 can be formed utilizing a
deposition process such as, for example, chemical vapor deposition
(CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), atomic
layer deposition (ALD) or spin-on coating. The passivation layer 36
can have a thickness from 10 nm to 100 nm; although other
thicknesses can be used in the present application for the
thickness of the passivation layer 36. The passivation layer 36 is
typically a conformal layer. The passivation layer 36 inside the
micro-well 28 has a surface area that is greater than a surface
area of the passivation layer 36 located outside the micro-well
28.
[0068] Referring now to FIG. 9, there is illustrated the exemplary
structure of FIG. 8 after providing (i.e., introducing) an
analyte-containing solution 38 to the micro-well 28. The term
"analyte" is used throughout the present application to denote a
substance (either chemical or biological), or a chemical or
biological constituent that can be subject to analyses and
detection by ISFET sensing. That is, the analyte is composed of a
chemical or biological material that has, or can generate an
electric charge 40, in a solution (aqueous or non-aqueous (polar or
non-polar)) such that the amount of electrical charge 40 in the
analyte-containing solution 38 can be measured by the threshold
voltage change of the underlying FET.
[0069] Illustrative analytes that can be employed in the present
include, but are not limited to, glucose, DNA, RNA, or ions. The
analyte-containing solution 38 can be introduced into the
micro-well 28 utilizes techniques that are well known to those
skilled in the art. For example, and in one embodiment, the
analyte-containing solution 38 can be pumped from an external
reservoir (not shown) to the micro-well 28 where analysis and
detection of the analyte in the analyte-containing solution 38
occurs by the mechanism mentioned above. Alternatively, the
exemplary structure shown in FIG. 9 (and FIG. 10 to follow) can be
used as gas sensor or electrolyte sensor.
[0070] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary ion-sensitive field effect
transistor (ISFET) of the present application. The exemplary ISFET
of FIG. 9 has increased passivation capacitance, C.sub.p, due to
the increased surface area provided to the passivation layer (i.e.,
the sensing layer) 36 by the metal particles 30, and due to the
presence of the electrically conductive liner 32L having the rough
surface. The increased C.sub.p in turn provides enhanced
sensitivity.
[0071] Notably, the ISFET of FIG. 9 includes a functional gate
structure (12/14) located on a surface of a semiconductor material
substrate 10 and embedded in a dielectric material stack 18. A
micro-well 28 is located above the dielectric material stack 18 and
physically exposes a portion of the dielectric material stack 18
that is located above the functional gate structure (12/14). The
micro-well 28 is laterally surrounded by a micro-well containing
structure (24/26 or just 26). A plurality of particles (e.g., metal
particles 30) is located inside the micro-well 28 and on physically
exposed sidewalls of the micro-well containing structure (24/26 or
just 26) and the physically exposed portion of the dielectric
material stack 18. An electrically conductive liner 32L is located
in the micro-well 28 and embeds each particle of the plurality of
particles; liner 32L has a rough surface. A sensing layer (i.e.,
passivation layer 36) is located on the electrically conductive
liner 32L and extends onto a topmost surface of the micro-well
containing structure (24/26 or just 26).
[0072] Referring now to FIG. 10, there is illustrated another
exemplary structure that can be derived from the exemplary
structure shown in FIG. 9. In this embodiment, the metal particles
30 of the previous embodiment are replaced with semiconductor or
dielectric particles (hereinafter non-metallic particles 50). In
some embodiments, the non-metallic particles 50 may be spherical.
In other embodiments, and as shown in FIG. 10, the non-metallic
particles 50 may be hemispherical.
[0073] The semiconductor particles may be composed of any
semiconductor material having semiconducting properties. In one
example, the semiconductor particles are composed of silicon. In
another embodiment, the semiconductor particles are composed of
hemispherical grained silicon.
[0074] The dielectric particles may be composed of an electrically
insulating material that may be compositionally the same as, or
compositionally different from the etch stop layer 24L. In one
example, the dielectric particles may be composed of silica. In
another example, the dielectric particles may be composed of
silicon dioxide.
[0075] The non-metallic particles 50 can be formed by dip-coating
in which a dispersion of the non-metallic particles in a solution
is provided and then the structure shown in FIG. 2 is dipped into
the dispersion. Alternatively, the non-metallic particles can be
formed utilizing a deposition process.
[0076] FIG. 10 illustrates another exemplary ion-sensitive field
effect transistor (ISFET) of the present application. The exemplary
ISFET of FIG. 10 has increased passivation capacitance, C.sub.p,
due to the increased surface area provided to the passivation layer
(i.e., the sensing layer) 36 by the non-metallic particles 50, and
due to the presence of the electrically conductive liner 32L having
the rough surface. The increased C.sub.p in turn provides enhanced
sensitivity.
[0077] Notably, the ISFET of FIG. 10 includes a functional gate
structure (12/14) located on a surface of a semiconductor material
substrate 10 and embedded in a dielectric material stack 18. A
micro-well 28 is located above the dielectric material stack 18 and
physically exposes a portion of the dielectric material stack 18
that is located above the functional gate structure (12/14). The
micro-well 28 is laterally surrounded by a micro-well containing
structure (24/26 or just 26). A plurality of particles (e.g.,
non-metallic particles 50) is located inside the micro-well 28 and
on physically exposed sidewalls of the micro-well containing
structure (24/26 or just 26) and the physically exposed portion of
the dielectric material stack 18. An electrically conductive liner
32L is located in the micro-well 28 and embeds each particle of the
plurality of particles. A sensing layer (i.e., passivation layer
36) is located on the electrically conductive liner 32L and extends
onto a topmost surface of the micro-well containing structure
(24/26 or just 26).
[0078] While the present application has been particularly shown
and described with respect to preferred embodiments thereof, it
will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing
and other changes in forms and details may be made without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. It
is therefore intended that the present application not be limited
to the exact forms and details described and illustrated, but fall
within the scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *