U.S. patent application number 16/390226 was filed with the patent office on 2020-10-22 for sacrificial gate spacer regions for gate contacts formed over the active region of a transistor.
The applicant listed for this patent is International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Veeraraghavan S. Basker, Su Chen Fan, Andre P. Labonte, Chanro Park, Ruilong Xie.
Application Number | 20200335401 16/390226 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004065252 |
Filed Date | 2020-10-22 |
![](/patent/app/20200335401/US20200335401A1-20201022-D00000.png)
![](/patent/app/20200335401/US20200335401A1-20201022-D00001.png)
![](/patent/app/20200335401/US20200335401A1-20201022-D00002.png)
![](/patent/app/20200335401/US20200335401A1-20201022-D00003.png)
![](/patent/app/20200335401/US20200335401A1-20201022-D00004.png)
![](/patent/app/20200335401/US20200335401A1-20201022-D00005.png)
![](/patent/app/20200335401/US20200335401A1-20201022-D00006.png)
![](/patent/app/20200335401/US20200335401A1-20201022-D00007.png)
United States Patent
Application |
20200335401 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fan; Su Chen ; et
al. |
October 22, 2020 |
SACRIFICIAL GATE SPACER REGIONS FOR GATE CONTACTS FORMED OVER THE
ACTIVE REGION OF A TRANSISTOR
Abstract
Embodiments of the invention are directed to a method of forming
an integrated circuit (IC). The method includes forming a first
transistor and a second transistor over a substrate. The first
transistor includes a first gate structure having a first gate
spacer, and the second transistor includes a second gate structure
having a second gate spacer. A top portion of the first gate spacer
is replaced with a first sacrificial gate spacer region, and a top
portion of the second gate spacer is replaced with a second
sacrificial gate spacer region. A source or drain (S/D) conductive
plug trench and a S/D cap trench are formed in the dielectric
region of the IC and positioned over a S/D region of the first
transistor. A volume of the S/D cap trench is increased by removing
the first sacrificial gate spacer region and/or the second
sacrificial gate spacer region.
Inventors: |
Fan; Su Chen; (Cohoes,
NY) ; Xie; Ruilong; (Schenectady, NY) ;
Basker; Veeraraghavan S.; (Schenectady, NY) ;
Labonte; Andre P.; (Mechanicville, NY) ; Park;
Chanro; (Clifton Park, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
International Business Machines Corporation |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004065252 |
Appl. No.: |
16/390226 |
Filed: |
April 22, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 21/823475 20130101;
H01L 27/0886 20130101; H01L 29/785 20130101; H01L 21/823431
20130101; H01L 29/66795 20130101; H01L 21/823468 20130101; H01L
21/823437 20130101; H01L 29/6653 20130101; H01L 29/16 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01L 21/8234 20060101
H01L021/8234; H01L 27/088 20060101 H01L027/088; H01L 29/66 20060101
H01L029/66; H01L 29/16 20060101 H01L029/16; H01L 29/78 20060101
H01L029/78 |
Claims
1. A method of forming an integrated circuit (IC) structure, the
method comprising: forming a first transistor over a substrate, the
first transistor comprising a first gate structure positioned over
a first channel region, the first transistor further comprising a
first gate spacer formed on a sidewall of the first gate structure;
forming a second transistor over the substrate, the second
transistor comprising a second gate structure positioned over a
second channel region, the second transistor further comprising a
second gate spacer formed on a sidewall of the second gate
structure; forming a dielectric region over the first transistor,
the second transistor, and the substrate; replacing a top portion
of the first gate spacer with a first sacrificial gate spacer
region; replacing a top portion of the second gate spacer with a
second sacrificial gate spacer region; forming a source or drain
(S/D) conductive plug trench and a S/D cap trench positioned in the
dielectric region and over a S/D region of the first transistor;
wherein a first sidewall of the S/D conductive plug trench
comprises the first gate spacer of the first transistor; wherein a
second sidewall of the S/D conductive plug trench comprises the
second gate spacer of the second transistor; wherein a first
sidewall of the S/D cap trench comprises the first sacrificial gate
spacer region of the first transistor; wherein a second sidewall of
the S/D cap trench comprises the second sacrificial gate spacer
region of the second transistor; and increasing a volume of the S/D
cap trench by removing the first sacrificial gate spacer
region.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein a bottom surface of the S/D
conductive plug trench comprises a top surface of the S/D region of
the first transistor.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising further increasing a
volume of the S/D cap trench by removing the second sacrificial
gate spacer region.
4. The method of claim 3 further comprising forming a conductive
plug within the S/D conductive plug trench, wherein a bottom
surface of the S/D cap trench comprises a top surface of the first
gate spacer, a top surface of the second gate spacer, and a top
surface of the conductive plug.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the conductive plug comprises a
low resistivity silicide material.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the low resistivity silicide
material comprises cobalt.
7. The method of claim 4 further comprising, subsequent to removing
the first sacrificial gate spacer region and removing the second
sacrificial gate spacer region, forming a S/D cap within the S/D
cap trench.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein a width dimension of the S/D cap
is greater than a width dimension of the conductive plug.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein a bottom surface of the S/D cap
is over an entirety of a top surface of the first sidewall.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein a bottom surface of the S/D cap
is over an entirety of a top surface of the second sidewall.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein a bottom surface of the S/D cap
is over an entirety of a top surface of the conductive plug.
12. The method of claim 7 further comprising replacing a top
portion of the first gate structure with a first gate cap.
13. The method of claim 12 further comprising replacing a top
portion of the second gate structure with a second gate cap.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein: subsequent to replacing the
top portion of the first gate structure with the first gate cap,
replacing the top portion of the second gate structure with the
second gate cap, replacing the top portion of the first gate spacer
with the first sacrificial gate spacer region, and replacing the
top portion of the second gate spacer with the second sacrificial
gate spacer region; a bottom surface of the S/D cap trench
comprises a top surface of the first gate spacer, a top surface of
the second gate spacer, and a top surface of the conductive plug; a
first sidewall of the S/D cap trench comprises a sidewall of the
first gate cap; and a second sidewall of the S/D cap trench
comprises a sidewall of the second gate cap.
15. The method of claim 14 further comprising forming a second
dielectric region over the first transistor, the second transistor,
the dielectric region, and the substrate.
16. The method of claim 15 further comprising exposing a top
surface of the conductive plug.
17. The method of claim 16 further comprising exposing the top
surface of the conductive plug by forming a S/D contact trench over
the top surface of the conductive plug, wherein forming the S/D
contact trench comprises forming an opening extending through the
second dielectric region and the S/D cap.
18. An integrated circuit (IC) structure comprising: a first
transistor formed over a substrate, the first transistor comprising
a first gate structure positioned over a first channel region, the
first transistor further comprising a first gate spacer formed on a
sidewall of the first gate structure; wherein the first gate
structure comprises a first gate cap over a first gate conductive
body; a second transistor formed over the substrate, the second
transistor comprising a second gate structure positioned over a
second channel region, the second transistor further comprising a
second gate spacer formed on a sidewall of the second gate
structure; wherein the second gate structure comprises a second
gate cap over a second gate conductive body; a dielectric region
over the first transistor, the second transistor, and the
substrate; a source or drain (S/D) conductive plug trench and a S/D
cap trench positioned in the dielectric region and over a S/D
region of the first transistor; wherein a top surface of the first
gate spacer is above a top surface of the first gate conductive
body and below a top surface of the first gate cap; wherein a top
surface of the second gate spacer is above a top surface of the
second gate conductive body and below a top surface of the second
gate cap; wherein a first sidewall of the S/D conductive plug
trench comprises the first gate spacer of the first transistor;
wherein a second sidewall of the S/D conductive plug trench
comprises the second gate spacer of the second transistor; wherein
a first sidewall of the S/D cap trench comprises a sidewall of the
first gate cap; wherein a second sidewall of the S/D cap trench
comprises a sidewall of the second gate cap; a conductive plug
formed within the S/D conductive plug trench, wherein a bottom
surface of the S/D cap trench comprises a top surface of the first
gate spacer, a top surface of the second gate spacer, and a top
surface of the conductive plug; and a S/D cap formed within the S/D
cap trench; wherein a width dimension of the S/D cap is greater
than a width dimension of the conductive plug.
19. The structure of claim 18, wherein a bottom surface of the S/D
cap is over an entirety of: a top surface of the first gate
sidewall spacer; a top surface of the second gate sidewall spacer;
and a top surface of the conductive plug.
20. An integrated circuit (IC) structure comprising: a transistor
formed over a substrate, the transistor comprising an active gate
structure positioned over a channel region formed in a fin, the
transistor further comprising a first gate spacer formed on a
sidewall of the active gate structure; wherein the active gate
structure comprises a first gate cap over an active gate conductive
body; and an inactive gate structure positioned over and end region
of the fin, the inactive gate structure comprising a second gate
spacer formed on a sidewall of the inactive gate structure; wherein
the inactive gate structure comprises a second gate cap over an
inactive gate conductive body; wherein the second gate spacer
comprises a recessed bottom region and a replacement top region;
wherein the top replacement region of the second gate spacer
comprises an interlayer dielectric; and wherein a top surface of
the recessed bottom region of the second gate spacer is below a top
surface of the second gate cap spacer.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present invention relates in general to fabrication
methodologies and resulting structures for semiconductor devices.
More specifically, the present invention relates to the use of
sacrificial gate spacer regions for gate contacts formed over the
active region of a transistor, wherein the sacrificial gate spacer
regions can be removed after forming the source/drain (S/D) contact
trenches, thereby creating a relatively wide S/D self-aligned-cap
(SAC) trench in which a robust S/D SAC can be formed.
[0002] Integrated circuits (ICs) are fabricated in a series of
stages, including a front-end-of-line (FEOL) stage, a
middle-of-line (MOL) stage and a back-end-of-line (BEOL) stage. The
process flows for fabricating modern ICs are often identified based
on whether the process flows fall in the FEOL stage, the MOL stage,
or the BEOL stage. Generally, the FEOL stage is where device
elements (e.g., transistors, capacitors, resistors, etc.) are
patterned in the semiconductor substrate/wafer. The FEOL stage
processes include wafer preparation, isolation, gate patterning,
and the formation of wells, S/D regions, extension junctions,
silicide regions, and liners. The MOL stage typically includes
process flows for forming the contacts and other structures that
communicatively couple to active regions (e.g., gate, source, and
drain) of the device element. For example, the silicidation of S/D
regions, as well as the deposition of metal contacts, can occur
during the MOL stage to connect the elements patterned during the
FEOL stage. Layers of interconnections are formed above these
logical and functional layers during the BEOL stage to complete the
IC.
[0003] In an integrated circuit (IC) having a plurality of metal
oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), each MOSFET
has a source and a drain that are formed in an active region of a
semiconductor layer by implanting n-type or p-type impurities in
the layer of semiconductor material. Disposed between the source
and the drain is a channel (or body) region. Disposed above the
body region is a gate electrode. The gate electrode and the body
are spaced apart by a gate dielectric layer. The channel region
connects the source and the drain. Electrical current is induced to
flow through the channel region from the source to the drain by a
voltage applied at the gate electrode.
[0004] A MOSFET can have a gate contact (referred to herein as a CB
contact) and S/D contacts (referred to herein as CA contacts). The
gate contact can extend vertically through an interlayer dielectric
(ILD) material of the IC from a metal wire or via in the first BEOL
metal level (referred to herein as M0) to the gate of the MOSFET.
The S/D contacts can extend vertically through the ILD material
from metal wires or vias in the BEOL metal level to metal plugs
(also referred to herein as trench silicide (TS) contacts), which
are on the S/D regions of the MOSFET. In order to avoid shorts
between the gate contact and the metal plugs, the gate contact can
be formed on a portion of the gate that is offset from the active
region of the FET and, more particularly, on a portion of the gate
that extends laterally over the adjacent isolation region. However,
given the ever present need for size scaling of devices, methods
have been developed that allow for a gate contact to be formed on a
portion of the gate directly above the active region (referred to
herein as a CB-over-active or CBoA) or close thereto, while
ensuring that the risk of a short developing between the gate
contact and any of the metal plugs is avoided or at least
significantly reduced.
SUMMARY
[0005] Embodiments of the invention are directed to a method of
forming an integrated circuit (IC) structure. A non-limiting
example of the method includes forming a first transistor over a
substrate. The first transistor includes a first gate structure
positioned over a first channel region. The first transistor
further includes a first gate spacer formed on a sidewall of the
first gate structure. A second transistor is formed over the
substrate. The second transistor includes a second gate structure
positioned over a second channel region. The second transistor
further includes a second gate spacer formed on a sidewall of the
second gate structure. A dielectric region is formed over the first
transistor, the second transistor, and the substrate. A top portion
of the first gate spacer is replaced with a first sacrificial gate
spacer region, and a top portion of the second gate spacer is
replaced with a second sacrificial gate spacer region. A source or
drain (S/D) conductive plug trench and a S/D cap trench are formed
in the dielectric region and positioned over a S/D region of the
first transistor. A first sidewall of the S/D conductive plug
trench includes the first gate spacer of the first transistor. A
second sidewall of the S/D conductive plug trench includes the
second gate spacer of the second transistor. A first sidewall of
the S/D cap trench includes the first sacrificial gate spacer
region of the first transistor. A second sidewall of the S/D cap
trench includes the second sacrificial gate spacer region of the
second transistor. A volume of the S/D cap trench is increased by
removing the first sacrificial gate spacer region.
[0006] Embodiments of the invention are directed to an IC
structure. A non-limiting example of the IC structure includes a
first transistor formed over a substrate. The first transistor
includes a first gate structure positioned over a first channel
region. The first transistor further includes a first gate spacer
formed on a sidewall of the first gate structure. The first gate
structure includes a first gate cap over a first gate conductive
body. The IC structure further includes a second transistor formed
over the substrate. The second transistor includes a second gate
structure positioned over a second channel region. The second
transistor further includes a second gate spacer formed on a
sidewall of the second gate structure. The second gate structure
includes a second gate cap over a second gate conductive body. A
dielectric region is over the first transistor, the second
transistor, and the substrate. A S/D conductive plug trench and a
S/D cap trench are positioned in the dielectric region and over a
S/D region of the first transistor. A top surface of the first gate
spacer is above a top surface of the first gate conductive body and
below a top surface of the first gate cap. A top surface of the
second gate spacer is above a top surface of the second gate
conductive body and below a top surface of the second gate cap. A
first sidewall of the S/D conductive plug trench includes the first
gate spacer of the first transistor. A second sidewall of the S/D
conductive plug trench includes the second gate spacer of the
second transistor. A first sidewall of the S/D cap trench includes
a sidewall of the first gate cap. A second sidewall of the S/D cap
trench includes a sidewall of the second gate cap. A conductive
plug is formed within the S/D conductive plug trench, wherein a
bottom surface of the S/D cap trench includes a top surface of the
first gate spacer, a top surface of the second gate spacer, and a
top surface of the conductive plug. A S/D cap is formed within the
S/D cap trench, wherein a width dimension of the S/D cap is greater
than a width dimension of the conductive plug.
[0007] Embodiments of the invention are directed to an IC
structure. A non-limiting example of the IC structure includes a
transistor formed over a substrate. The transistor includes an
active gate structure positioned over a channel region formed in a
fin. The transistor further includes a first gate spacer formed on
a sidewall of the active gate structure. The active gate structure
includes a first gate cap over an active gate conductive body. An
inactive gate structure is positioned over and end region of the
fin. The inactive gate structure includes a second gate spacer
formed on a sidewall of the inactive gate structure. The inactive
gate structure includes a second gate cap over an inactive gate
conductive body. The second gate spacer includes a recessed bottom
region and a replacement top region. The top replacement region of
the second gate spacer includes an interlayer dielectric. A top
surface of the recessed bottom region of the second gate spacer is
below a top surface of the second gate cap spacer.
[0008] Additional features and advantages are realized through the
techniques described herein. Other embodiments and aspects are
described in detail herein. For a better understanding, refer to
the description and to the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The subject matter which is regarded as the present
invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the
claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and
other features and advantages are apparent from the following
detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 depicts a three-dimensional view of an example
configuration of a FinFET device capable of implementing
embodiments of the invention;
[0011] FIGS. 2-13 depict the results of fabrication operations for
forming a FinFET device having CBoA contacts with sacrificial gate
spacer regions and robust S/D SAC regions in accordance with
aspects of the invention, in which:
[0012] FIG. 2 depicts a cross-sectional view of a representative
section of an IC after fabrication operations according to
embodiments of the invention;
[0013] FIG. 3 depicts a cross-sectional view of the representative
section of the IC after fabrication operations according to
embodiments of the invention;
[0014] FIG. 4 depicts a cross-sectional view of the representative
section of the IC after fabrication operations according to
embodiments of the invention;
[0015] FIG. 5 depicts a cross-sectional view of the representative
section of the IC after fabrication operations according to
embodiments of the invention;
[0016] FIG. 6 depicts a cross-sectional view of the representative
section of the IC after fabrication operations according to
embodiments of the invention;
[0017] FIG. 7 depicts a cross-sectional view of the representative
section of the IC after fabrication operations according to
embodiments of the invention;
[0018] FIG. 8 depicts a cross-sectional view of the representative
section of the IC after fabrication operations according to
embodiments of the invention;
[0019] FIG. 9 depicts a cross-sectional view of the representative
section of the IC after fabrication operations according to
embodiments of the invention;
[0020] FIG. 10 depicts a cross-sectional view of the representative
section of the IC after fabrication operations according to
embodiments of the invention;
[0021] FIG. 11 depicts a cross-sectional view of the representative
section of the IC after fabrication operations according to
embodiments of the invention;
[0022] FIG. 12 depicts a cross-sectional view of the representative
section of the IC after fabrication operations according to
embodiments of the invention; and
[0023] FIG. 13 depicts a cross-sectional view of the representative
section of the IC after fabrication operations according to
embodiments of the invention.
[0024] In the accompanying figures and following detailed
description of the embodiments, the various elements illustrated in
the figures are provided with three or four digit reference
numbers. The leftmost digit(s) of each reference number corresponds
to the figure in which its element is first illustrated.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] It is understood in advance that, although this description
includes a detailed description of the formation and resulting
structures for a specific type of interconnect stack in a
particular type of IC device architecture (i.e., a FinFET),
implementation of the teachings recited herein are not limited to a
particular type of interconnect stack or IC architecture. Rather,
embodiments of the present invention are capable of being
implemented in conjunction with any other type of interconnect
stack or IC architecture, now known or later developed. For
example, embodiments of the invention are capable of being
implemented with a nanosheet-based transistor.
[0026] For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to
semiconductor device and integrated circuit (IC) fabrication may or
may not be described in detail herein. Moreover, the various tasks
and process steps described herein can be incorporated into a more
comprehensive procedure or process having additional steps or
functionality not described in detail herein. In particular,
various steps in the manufacture of semiconductor devices and
semiconductor-based ICs are well known and so, in the interest of
brevity, many conventional steps will only be mentioned briefly
herein or will be omitted entirely without providing the well-known
process details.
[0027] Turning now to a description of technologies that are more
specifically relevant to the present invention, semiconductor
devices are used in a variety of electronic and electro-optical
applications. ICs are typically formed from various circuit
configurations of semiconductor devices (e.g., transistors,
capacitors, resistors, etc.) and conductive interconnect layers
(known as metallization layers) formed on semiconductor wafers.
Alternatively, semiconductor devices can be formed as monolithic
devices, e.g., discrete devices. Semiconductor devices and
conductive interconnect layers are formed on semiconductor wafers
by depositing many types of thin films of material over the
semiconductor wafers, patterning the thin films, doping selective
regions of the semiconductor wafers, etc.
[0028] In contemporary semiconductor fabrication processes, a large
number of semiconductor devices and conductive interconnect layers
are fabricated. More specifically, during the first portion of
chip-making (i.e., the FEOL stage), the individual components
(transistors, capacitors, etc.) are fabricated on the wafer. The
MOL stage follows the FEOL stage and typically includes process
flows for forming the contacts and other structures that
communicatively couple to active regions (e.g., gate, source, and
drain) of the device element. For example, the silicidation of
source/drain regions, as well as the deposition of metal contacts,
can occur during the MOL stage to connect the individual components
fabricated during the FEOL stage. In the BEOL stage, these
components are connected to each other to distribute signals, as
well as power and ground. The conductive interconnect layers serve
as a network of pathways that transport signals throughout an IC,
thereby connecting circuit components of the IC into a functioning
whole and to the outside world. Because there typically isn't
enough room on the chip surface to create all of the necessary
connections in a single layer, chip manufacturers build vertical
levels of interconnects. While simpler ICs can have just a few
metal layers, complex ICs can have ten or more layers of
wiring.
[0029] Interconnect structures close to the transistors need to be
small because they attach/join to the components that are
themselves very small and often closely packed together. These
lower-level lines, which can be referred to as local interconnects,
are usually thin and short in length. Global interconnects are
higher up in the structure and travel between different blocks of
the circuit. Thus, global interconnects are typically thick, long,
and widely separated. Connections between interconnect levels
(e.g., vias) allow signals and power to be transmitted from one
layer to the next.
[0030] Interconnect structures are often formed in a stack. For
example, a transistor can have a gate (or CB) contact and S/D (or
CA) contacts. The CA contacts can extend through an interlayer
dielectric (ILD) region of the IC from a metal wire or via in the
BEOL metal level to metal plugs (e.g., a silicide material), which
are on the S/D regions of the transistor. A conventional
interconnect stack fabrication process includes the deposition of
an ILD insulating material (e.g., SiO.sub.2) over the transistor
followed by the creation of trenches in the ILD insulating
material. The trenches are positioned over the portion of the
transistor (source, gate, or drain) to which electrical coupling
will be made. A liner/barrier material is typically deposited
within the trench, and, for S/D regions, the remaining trench
volume is filled with material that will form the metal plugs
using, for example, a chemical/electroplating process. The excess
metal is removed to form a flat surface for subsequent processing.
A self-aligned cap (SAC) layer can be deposited over the exposed
top surface of the metal plug. This process is repeated until all
portions of the interconnect structure stack have been formed.
[0031] For the S/D interconnect structures of non-planar FETs
(e.g., a FinFET), the trench formed in the ILD region is over the
S/D regions and adjacent the gate sidewall spacers of adjacent the
metal gates. Thus, the gate sidewall spacers protect the metal gate
from the etch process (e.g., a reactive ion etch (RIE)) that is
applied in order to form the trench. The gate sidewall spacers also
support some of the functionality of the trench liner that is
deposited in the trench prior to forming the metal plus. However,
opening the trenches causes non-uniform and asymmetric erosion in
the gate sidewall spacers. The non-uniform and asymmetric erosion
of the gate sidewall spacers is due to a number of factors,
including, for example, the different critical dimensions of the
metal plugs and overlay placement errors.
[0032] Turning now to an overview of aspects of the invention,
embodiments of the invention address the problem of weakened and
eroded gate sidewall spacers by replacing a top portion of the gate
sidewall spacers with a sacrificial gate spacer material prior to
forming first and second stacked trenches for placement of the S/D
conductive plug and the S/D cap structure. The first trench is a
S/D conductive plug trench, and the second trench is a S/D cap
trench. The trenches are formed by opening a dielectric material
(e.g., an interlayer dielectric) over the S/D region of the IC
structure such that the S/D conductive plug trench is defined by a
first gate sidewall spacer, a second gate sidewall spacer, and a
top surface of the S/D region of the IC structure. The S/D cap
trench is above the S/D conductive plug trench and has sidewalls
defined by the first and second sacrificial gate sidewall spacers.
In accordance with aspects of the invention, opening the dielectric
material over the S/D region causes non-uniform and asymmetric
erosion of the sacrificial gate sidewall spacers while the original
gate sidewall spacers remain substantially intact. In accordance
with aspects of the invention, a volume of the S/D cap trench is
increased by selectively removing the eroded sacrificial gate
spacers. A S/D conductive plug is formed in the S/D conductive plug
trench, and a S/D cap structure is formed in the S/D cap trench. In
accordance with aspects of the invention, because of the increased
volume of the S/D cap trench that results from removing the eroded
sacrificial gate sidewall spacers from the S/D cap trench, the S/D
cap structure can be made more robust in that the S/D cap structure
can have a width dimension that is greater than a width dimension
of the S/D conductive plug. In accordance with aspects of the
invention, the S/D cap structure is further made more robust in
that a bottom surface of the S/D cap is over the entirety of a top
surface of the first gate sidewall spacer, a top surface of the
second gate sidewall spacer, and a top surface of the S/D
conductive plug. Additional dielectric layers are deposited and
additional trenches are formed in order to deposit therein the CA
contacts and the CB contacts. The CB contacts are configured and
arranged in a CBoA arrangement.
[0033] Turning now to a more detailed description of aspects of the
present invention, FIG. 1 depicts a three-dimensional view of an
example configuration of a FinFET device 100 capable of
implementing embodiments of the invention. The basic electrical
layout and mode of operation of FinFET 100 do not differ
significantly from a traditional FET. FinFET 100 includes a
semiconductor substrate 102, an STI layer 104, a fin 106 and a gate
114, configured and arranged as shown. Fin 106 includes a source
region 108, a drain region 110 and a channel region 112, wherein
gate 114 extends over the top and sides of channel region 112. For
ease of illustration, a single fin is shown in FIG. 1. In practice,
FinFET devices are fabricated having multiple fins formed on STI
104 and substrate 102. Substrate 102 can be silicon, STI 104 can be
an oxide (e.g., silicon oxide), and fin 106 can be silicon that has
been enriched to a desired concentration level of germanium. Gate
114 controls the source to drain current flow (labeled ELECTRICITY
FLOW in FIG. 1).
[0034] In contrast to planar MOSFETs, the source 108, drain 110 and
channel 112 regions are built as a three-dimensional bar on top of
the STI layer 104 and the semiconductor substrate 102. The
three-dimensional bar is the aforementioned "fin 106," which serves
as the body of the device. The gate electrode is then wrapped over
the top and sides of the fin, and the portion of the fin that is
under the gate electrode functions as the channel. The source and
drain regions are the portions of the fin on either side of the
channel that are not under the gate electrode. The dimensions of
the fin establish the effective channel length for the
transistor.
[0035] In some FinFET architectures, raised source/drain (S/D)
regions (not shown in FIG. 1) can be epitaxially grown over the S/D
portions 108, 110 of the fin 106 to increase the S/D volume and
provide a larger surface for interfacing S/D conductive contacts
(not shown in FIG. 1) with the raised S/D region. The S/D contacts
are formed on either side of the gate structure 114, which includes
a conductive gate material (e.g., tungsten (W), aluminum (Al), and
the like) bound at its lower portion by a dielectric liner (not
shown).
[0036] FIGS. 2-13 depict a semiconductor structure 200 (e.g., a
wafer) after fabrication operations for forming FinFET devices
thereon in accordance with aspects of the invention. FIG. 2 depicts
the semiconductor structure 200 after initial fabrication stages
according to embodiments of the invention. Known fabrication
operations have been used to form the semiconductor structure 200
shown in FIG. 2. A variety of fabrication operations are suitable
for fabricating the semiconductor structure 200 to the stage shown
in FIG. 2. Because the fabrication operations are well-known, they
have been omitted in the interest of brevity. In embodiments of the
invention, the structure 200 will be, after completion of the
fabrication process, two in-series MOSFETs formed in/on a Si
wafer/substrate 202. The substrate 202 can be made of any suitable
substrate material, such as, for example, monocrystalline Si, SiGe,
SiC, III-V compound semiconductor, II-VI compound semiconductor, or
semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI). In the example depicted in FIG.
2, the MOSFETs are FinFET architectures having doped Si raised S/D
regions 224A, 222A, 222B, 224A. However, as previously noted
herein, embodiments of the invention are not limited to a
particular type of MOSFET device or IC architecture. Rather,
embodiments of the invention are capable of being implemented in
conjunction with any type of planar or non-planar transistor device
or IC architecture, now known or later developed, for which there
is a need to form conductive CBoA and CA contacts.
[0037] In/on the substrate 202, two MOSFETs are shown coupled in
series with a shared S/D region 236. The gates 224A, 224B are
inactive, and the first in-series MOSFET is defined by an active
gate 222A, a channel 242, a S/D region 234, and the shared S/D
region 236. The second in-series MOSFET is defined by an active
gate 222B, a channel 244, a S/D region 238, and the shared S/D
region 236. The channel regions 242, 244 can be lightly doped or
undoped Si. The active and inactive gates 222A, 222B, 224A, 224B
can be implemented as a high-k metal gate (HKMG), which can be
fabricated according to a known replacement metal gate (RMG)
processes. The HKMG includes gate dielectric layers (not shown). In
general, the gate dielectrics of the active and inactive gates
222A, 222B, 224A, 224B can include any suitable dielectric
material, including but not limited to silicon oxide, silicon
nitride, silicon oxynitride, high-k materials, or any combination
of these materials. Examples of high-k materials include but are
not limited to metal oxides such as hafnium oxide, hafnium silicon
oxide, hafnium silicon oxynitride, lanthanum oxide, lanthanum
aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, zirconium silicon oxide, zirconium
silicon oxynitride, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, barium
strontium titanium oxide, barium titanium oxide, strontium titanium
oxide, yttrium oxide, aluminum oxide, lead scandium tantalum oxide,
and lead zinc niobate. The high-k dielectric can further include
dopants such as lanthanum, aluminum, magnesium.
[0038] The active and inactive gates 222A, 222B, 224A, 224B can
include any suitable gate conductive material. The conductive
material can further include dopants that are incorporated during
or after deposition. In some embodiments of the invention, the
active and inactive gates 222A, 222B, 224A, 224B can further
include a work-function setting layer between the gate dielectric
(not shown) the active and inactive gates 222A, 222B, 224A, 224B.
The work-function setting layer can be a work-function metal (WFM)
formed from any suitable material. In some embodiments of the
invention, a conductive material or a combination of multiple
conductive materials can serve as both the main conductive element
and the WFM of the active and inactive gates 222A, 222B, 224A,
224B.
[0039] Gate sidewall spacers 230 are formed along sidewalls of the
active and inactive gates 222A, 222B, 224A, 224B, configured and
arranged as shown. The gate sidewall spacers 230 can be formed from
any suitable dielectric, including, for example, SiOCN. Shallow
trench isolation (STI) regions 210 include a suitable dielectric
configured to electrically isolate one in-series MOSFET on the
substrate 202 from another. Known fabrication operations have used
to deposit an interlayer dielectric (ILD) insulating material
(e.g., SiO.sub.2) 210 over the semiconductor structure 200. The
semiconductor structure 200 is planarized using known planarization
techniques.
[0040] In FIG. 3, known semiconductor fabrication processes have
been used to deposit a blocking mask or pattern (not shown) to
cover the structure 200 except for selectively exposed top surfaces
of the gate sidewall spacers 230. Known semiconductor fabrication
processes (e.g., a reactive ion etch (RIE)) have been used to
remove non-covered portions of the gate sidewall spacers 230,
thereby forming gate spacer trenches 302.
[0041] In FIG. 4, known semiconductor fabrication processes have
been used to form sacrificial spacers 402 in the gate spacer
trenches 302 (shown in FIG. 3). In embodiments of the invention,
the sacrificial spacers 402 can be formed from any suitable
material, including, for example, TiO.sub.x, AlO.sub.x, Si, and the
like. Suitable fabrication operations for forming the sacrificial
spacers 402 in the gate spacer trenches 302 include conformally
depositing a layer of sacrificial spacer material on the structure
200 such that the sacrificial spacer material pinches off in the
gate spacer trenches. Excess sacrificial spacer material is removed
(e.g., through planarization), thereby forming the sacrificial
spacers 402. The layer of sacrificial spacer material can be
deposited using any suitable conformal deposition process (e.g.,
ALD, CVD, and the like).
[0042] In FIG. 5, known fabrication operations have been used to
recess the active and inactive gates 222A, 222B, 224A, 224B to form
self-aligned cap (SAC) trenches (not shown). Known fabrication
operations have also been used to form SAC structures 502 over the
active and inactive gates 222A, 222B, 224A, 224B for gate
protection during downstream fabrication operations. The SAC
structure 502 can be any suitable dielectric material, including,
for example, SiN. Suitable fabrication operations for forming the
SAC structures 502 in the SAC trenches include conformally
depositing a layer of SAC material on the structure 200 such that
the SAC material pinches off in the SAC trenches. Excess SAC
material is removed (e.g., through planarization), thereby forming
the SAC structures 502. The layer of SAC material can be deposited
using any suitable conformal deposition process (e.g., ALD, CVD,
and the like).
[0043] In FIG. 6, known fabrication operations have been used to
deposit an organic planarization layer (OPL) 602 over the structure
200. In general, OPLs are used as etch masks for pattern transfers
into inorganic substrates, to fill pre-existing features, and to
planarize the substrate to allow for larger patterning process
windows. Known fabrication operations are used to pattern and etch
the OPL 602 and the ILD 250 over the S/D regions 234, 236, 238,
thereby opening the S/D conductive plug trenches 610. After the
fabrication stage depicted in FIG. 6, non-uniform and asymmetric
erosion has been absorbed by the sacrificial gate sidewall spacers
402 while the gate sidewall spacers 230 have not absorbed
non-uniform and asymmetric erosion and remained substantially
intact. The non-uniform and asymmetric erosion is due to a number
of factors, including, for example, the different critical
dimensions of the metal plugs 802 (shown in FIG. 8) and overlay
placement errors.
[0044] In FIG. 7, known semiconductor fabrication operations (e.g.,
a directional HF/HCl etch) have been used to remove the OPL 602
(shown in FIG. 6). Known semiconductor fabrication operations have
also been used to remove the non-uniformly and asymmetrically
eroded sacrificial gate sidewall spacers 402 from within the S/D
conductive plug trenches 610, thereby forming S/D SAC trenches 702.
In accordance with aspects of the invention, removal of the eroded
sacrificial gate sidewall spacers 402 is facilitated by forming the
sacrificial gate sidewall spacers 402 from a sacrificial spacer
material having etch selectivity with respect to the SAC structures
502 and the gate sidewall spacers 230. In embodiments of the
invention, the gate sidewall spacers 230 can be SiOCN, the SAC
structures 502 can be SiN, and the sacrificial gate sidewall
spacers 402 can be TiO.sub.x, AlO.sub.x, Si, and the like. In
accordance with aspects of the invention, with the removal of the
eroded sacrificial gate spacers 402, a width dimension of the S/D
SAC trenches 702 is greater than a width dimension of the S/D
conductive plug trenches 610. In some embodiments of the invention,
the non-uniformly and asymmetrically eroded sacrificial gate
sidewall spacers 402 can be removed from within the S/D conductive
plug trenches 610 after formation of the metal plug 802 (shown in
FIG. 8) to prevent gate contact to S/D contact shorts.
[0045] In FIG. 8, known semiconductor fabrication processes have
been used to deposit and recess a metal plug fill (also known as a
trench silicide (TS) material) 802 in the S/D conductive plug
trenches 610. The metal plug fill 802 can include a liner (not
shown). The liner can be deposited using any deposition technique
suitable for the material that has been selected to form the liner.
The liner serves multiple functions including, for example,
functioning as a barrier to prevent metals in the metal plug
material 802 from migrating out of the metal plug material 802. In
embodiments of the invention, the liner can be formed from a
variety of materials, including, but not limited to TiN. The metal
plug material 802 can be deposited using any suitable deposition
process, including, for example, a chemical/electroplating process.
In embodiments of the invention, the metal plug material 802 can be
formed from a variety of low resistivity silicide materials
including but not limited to cobalt (Co), tungsten (W), and the
like. After the fabrication operations depicted in FIG. 8, the S/D
SAC trenches 702 are defined by sidewalls of the SAC 502, top
surfaces of the gate sidewall spacers 230, and top surfaces of the
metal plugs 802.
[0046] In FIG. 9, known fabrication operations have been used to
form S/D contact SAC structures 902 within the S/D SAC trenches 702
for protection of the metal plugs 802 during downstream fabrication
operations. The S/D contact SAC structure 902 can be any suitable
dielectric material, including, for example, SiC. Suitable
fabrication operations for forming the S/D contact SAC structures
902 in the S/D SAC trenches 702 (shown in FIG. 8) include
conformally depositing a layer of S/D contact SAC material (e.g.,
SiC) on the structure 200 such that the S/D contact SAC material
pinches off in the S/D SAC trenches 702. Excess S/D contact SAC
material is removed (e.g., through planarization), thereby forming
the S/D contact SAC structures 902. The layer of S/D contact SAC
material can be deposited using any suitable conformal deposition
process (e.g., ALD, CVD, and the like). In accordance with aspects
of the invention, with the removal of the eroded sacrificial gate
spacers 402 (shown in FIG. 6), the S/D contact SAC structures 902
are made robust in that a width dimension of each of the S/D
contact SAC structures 902 is sufficient to cover the metal plugs
802 and the gate sidewall spacers 230 that are below the S/D
contact SAC structures 902. After the planarization operations
depicted in FIG. 9, the remaining sacrificial spacers 402 in the
structure 200 have a height h1.
[0047] In FIG. 10, known semiconductor fabrication operations
(e.g., a directional HF/HCl etch) have been used to remove the
remaining sacrificial gate sidewall spacers 402 (shown in FIG. 9)
from the structure 200, thereby forming sacrificial spacer trenches
1002.
[0048] In FIG. 11, known semiconductor fabrication processes have
been used to deposit and planarize a top ILD region 1102 over the
structure 200, thereby filling in the sacrificial spacer trenches
1002 (shown in FIG. 10). In embodiments of the invention, the ILD
region 250 and the top ILD region 1102 can be the same or different
material. In some embodiments of the invention, the ILD region 250
can be formed from a variety of dielectric materials, including,
but not limited to, SiO.sub.2. In some embodiments of the
invention, the top ILD region 1102 can be formed from a variety of
low k dielectric materials, including, but not limited to, SiBCN,
SiOCN, SiCN, and SiN.
[0049] FIG. 12 depicts the structure 200 showing a cross-sectional
view of a CA region 1210 of the structure 200 where example CA
contacts 1202 have been formed. In FIG. 12, known semiconductor
fabrication processes (lithography and RIE) have been used to
deposit a blocking mask (not shown) over selected portions of the
top ILD 1102, and known semiconductor fabrication processes (e.g.,
a RIE) have been used to remove non-masked portions of the top ILD
1102 and the SAC structures 902, thereby opening a top surface of
the metal plugs 802. Known fabrication operations have been used to
deposit S/D CA contacts 1202 over the exposed top surfaces of the
metal plugs 802. The CA contacts 1202 can include liners, which can
be deposited using any deposition technique suitable for the
material that has been selected to form the liners. The remaining
volume above the liner is filled with the material from which the
S/D CA contacts 1202 are formed using, for example, a
chemical/electroplating process. In embodiments of the invention,
the S/D CA contacts 1202 can be formed from a variety of low
resistivity materials, including, but not limited to Cu. The excess
material used to form the S/D CA contacts 1202 is removed and
planarized to form a flat surface for subsequent processing.
[0050] FIG. 13 depicts the structure 200 showing a cross-sectional
view of a CB region 1310 of the structure 200 where example CB
contacts 1302 have been formed. In FIG. 13, known semiconductor
fabrication processes (lithography and RIE) have been used to
deposit a blocking mask (not shown) over selected portions of the
top ILD 1102, and known semiconductor fabrication processes (e.g.,
a RIE) have been used to remove non-masked portions of the top ILD
1102 and the SAC structures 502, thereby opening a top surface of
the active gates 222A, 222B. Known fabrication operations have been
used to deposit CB contacts 1302 over the exposed top surfaces of
the active gates 222A, 222B. The CB contacts 1302 are configured
and arranged in a CBoA arrangement. The CB contacts 1302 can
include liners, which can be deposited using any deposition
technique suitable for the material that has been selected to form
the liners. The remaining volume above the liner is filled with the
material from which the CB contacts 1302 are formed using, for
example, a chemical/electroplating process. In embodiments of the
invention, the CB contacts 1302 can be formed from a variety of low
resistivity materials, including, but not limited to Cu. The excess
material used to form the CB contacts 1302 is removed and
planarized to form a flat surface for subsequent processing.
[0051] The methods and resulting structures described herein can be
used in the fabrication of IC chips. The resulting IC chips can be
distributed by the fabricator in raw wafer form (that is, as a
single wafer that has multiple unpackaged chips), as a bare die, or
in a packaged form. In the latter case the chip is mounted in a
single chip package (such as a plastic carrier, with leads that are
affixed to a motherboard or other higher level carrier) or in a
multichip package (such as a ceramic carrier that has either or
both surface interconnections or buried interconnections). In any
case the chip is then integrated with other chips, discrete circuit
elements, and/or other signal processing devices as part of either
(a) an intermediate product, such as a motherboard, or (b) an end
product. The end product can be any product that includes IC chips,
ranging from toys and other low-end applications to advanced
computer products having a display, a keyboard or other input
device, and a central processor.
[0052] Various embodiments of the present invention are described
herein with reference to the related drawings. Alternative
embodiments can be devised without departing from the scope of this
invention. Although various connections and positional
relationships (e.g., over, below, adjacent, etc.) are set forth
between elements in the detailed description and in the drawings,
persons skilled in the art will recognize that many of the
positional relationships described herein are
orientation-independent when the described functionality is
maintained even though the orientation is changed. These
connections and/or positional relationships, unless specified
otherwise, can be direct or indirect, and the present invention is
not intended to be limiting in this respect. Similarly, the term
"coupled" and variations thereof describes having a communications
path between two elements and does not imply a direct connection
between the elements with no intervening elements/connections
between them. All of these variations are considered a part of the
specification. Accordingly, a coupling of entities can refer to
either a direct or an indirect coupling, and a positional
relationship between entities can be a direct or indirect
positional relationship. As an example of an indirect positional
relationship, references in the present description to forming
layer "A" over layer "B" include situations in which one or more
intermediate layers (e.g., layer "C") is between layer "A" and
layer "B" as long as the relevant characteristics and
functionalities of layer "A" and layer "B" are not substantially
changed by the intermediate layer(s).
[0053] The following definitions and abbreviations are to be used
for the interpretation of the claims and the specification. As used
herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes,"
"including," "has," "having," "contains" or "containing," or any
other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive
inclusion. For example, a composition, a mixture, process, method,
article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not
necessarily limited to only those elements but can include other
elements not expressly listed or inherent to such composition,
mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus.
[0054] Additionally, the term "exemplary" is used herein to mean
"serving as an example, instance or illustration." Any embodiment
or design described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be
construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or
designs. The terms "at least one" and "one or more" are understood
to include any integer number greater than or equal to one, i.e.
one, two, three, four, etc. The terms "a plurality" are understood
to include any integer number greater than or equal to two, i.e.
two, three, four, five, etc. The term "connection" can include an
indirect "connection" and a direct "connection."
[0055] References in the specification to "one embodiment," "an
embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the
embodiment described can include a particular feature, structure,
or characteristic, but every embodiment may or may not include the
particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such
phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment.
Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is
described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it
is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such
feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other
embodiments whether or not explicitly described.
[0056] For purposes of the description hereinafter, the terms
"upper," "lower," "right," "left," "vertical," "horizontal," "top,"
"bottom," and derivatives thereof shall relate to the described
structures and methods, as oriented in the drawing figures. The
terms "overlying," "atop," "on top," "positioned on" or "positioned
atop" mean that a first element, such as a first structure, is
present on a second element, such as a second structure, wherein
intervening elements such as an interface structure can be present
between the first element and the second element. The term "direct
contact" means that a first element, such as a first structure, and
a second element, such as a second structure, are connected without
any intermediary conducting, insulating or semiconductor layers at
the interface of the two elements.
[0057] Spatially relative terms, e.g., "beneath," "below," "lower,"
"above," "upper," and the like, can be used herein for ease of
description to describe one element or feature's relationship to
another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It
will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended
to encompass different orientations of the device in use or
operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.
For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements
described as "below" or "beneath" other elements or features would
then be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the
term "below" can encompass both an orientation of above and below.
The device can be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at
other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used
herein interpreted accordingly.
[0058] The terms "about," "substantially," "approximately,"
"slightly less than," and variations thereof, are intended to
include the degree of error associated with measurement of the
particular quantity based upon the equipment available at the time
of filing the application. For example, "about" can include a range
of .+-.8% or 5%, or 2% of a given value.
[0059] The phrase "selective to," such as, for example, "a first
element selective to a second element," means that the first
element can be etched and the second element can act as an etch
stop.
[0060] The term "conformal" (e.g., a conformal layer) means that
the thickness of the layer is substantially the same on all
surfaces, or that the thickness variation is less than 15% of the
nominal thickness of the layer.
[0061] As previously noted herein, for the sake of brevity,
conventional techniques related to semiconductor device and IC
fabrication may or may not be described in detail herein. By way of
background, however, a more general description of the
semiconductor device fabrication processes that can be utilized in
implementing one or more embodiments of the present invention will
now be provided. Although specific fabrication operations used in
implementing one or more embodiments of the present invention can
be individually known, the described combination of operations
and/or resulting structures of the present invention are unique.
Thus, the unique combination of the operations described in
connection with the fabrication of a semiconductor device according
to the present invention utilize a variety of individually known
physical and chemical processes performed on a semiconductor (e.g.,
silicon) substrate, some of which are described in the immediately
following paragraphs.
[0062] In general, the various processes used to form a micro-chip
that will be packaged into an IC fall into four general categories,
namely, film deposition, removal/etching, semiconductor doping and
patterning/lithography. Deposition is any process that grows,
coats, or otherwise transfers a material onto the wafer. Available
technologies include physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical
vapor deposition (CVD), electrochemical deposition (ECD), molecular
beam epitaxy (MBE) and more recently, atomic layer deposition (ALD)
among others. Removal/etching is any process that removes material
from the wafer. Examples include etch processes (either wet or
dry), chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP), and the like.
Reactive ion etching (RIE), for example, is a type of dry etching
that uses chemically reactive plasma to remove a material, such as
a masked pattern of semiconductor material, by exposing the
material to a bombardment of ions that dislodge portions of the
material from the exposed surface. The plasma is typically
generated under low pressure (vacuum) by an electromagnetic field.
Semiconductor doping is the modification of electrical properties
by doping, for example, transistor sources and drains, generally by
diffusion and/or by ion implantation. These doping processes are
followed by furnace annealing or by rapid thermal annealing (RTA).
Annealing serves to activate the implanted dopants. Films of both
conductors (e.g., poly-silicon, aluminum, copper, etc.) and
insulators (e.g., various forms of silicon dioxide, silicon
nitride, etc.) are used to connect and isolate transistors and
their components. Selective doping of various regions of the
semiconductor substrate allows the conductivity of the substrate to
be changed with the application of voltage. By creating structures
of these various components, millions of transistors can be built
and wired together to form the complex circuitry of a modern
microelectronic device. Semiconductor lithography is the formation
of three-dimensional relief images or patterns on the semiconductor
substrate for subsequent transfer of the pattern to the substrate.
In semiconductor lithography, the patterns are formed by a light
sensitive polymer called a photo-resist. To build the complex
structures that make up a transistor and the many wires that
connect the millions of transistors of a circuit, lithography and
etch pattern transfer steps are repeated multiple times. Each
pattern being printed on the wafer is aligned to the previously
formed patterns and slowly the conductors, insulators and
selectively doped regions are built up to form the final
device.
[0063] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate
possible implementations of fabrication and/or operation methods
according to various embodiments of the present invention. Various
functions/operations of the method are represented in the flow
diagram by blocks. In some alternative implementations, the
functions noted in the blocks can occur out of the order noted in
the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession can, in
fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks can
sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the
functionality involved.
[0064] The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present
invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are
not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments
described. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to
those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope
and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used
herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the
embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement
over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of
ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments described
herein.
* * * * *