Semiconductor device manufacturing: process – Introduction of conductivity modifying dopant into... – Ion implantation of dopant into semiconductor region
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-12
2002-09-17
Smith, Matthew (Department: 2825)
Semiconductor device manufacturing: process
Introduction of conductivity modifying dopant into...
Ion implantation of dopant into semiconductor region
C438S299000, C438S231000, C438S305000, C438S227000, C438S229000, C438S514000, C438S232000, C438S306000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06451675
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to semiconductor fabrication, and more particularly to a method for fabricating a metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor, using an improved ion implantation process.
2. Description of Related Art
A semiconductor device always includes several MOS transistors, which are fabricated in high integration so as to form an integrated circuit (IC) device. The MOS transistors are the fundamental elements of the IC device. Its properties, such as operation speed, determine the performance of the IC device.
FIGS. 1A-1C
are cross-sectional views, schematically illustrating a conventional fabrication process of a MOS transistor. In
FIG. 1A
, a field oxide layer (FOX)
12
serving as an isolation structure is formed on a semiconductor substrate
10
. An area of the substrate
10
other than the FOX layer
12
is called an active area, where an MOS transistor
14
is formed. The MOS transistor
14
includes a gate oxide layer
20
, a gate
22
, and a lightly doped region
16
, in which the gate oxide layer
20
and the gate
22
forms together as a gate structure
19
. Conventionally, in order to prevent a punch through effect from occurring on the junction, an anti-punch-through implantation is usually performed to form a halo doped region
18
below the lightly doped region
16
by a higher ion energy beam. The dopant type of the halo doped region
18
is opposite to the dopant type doped in the interchangeable source/drain region
16
. A dopant conventionally may be viewed as a substance, such as boron, added in small amounts to a pure semiconductor material to alter its conductive properties for use in transistors and diodes.
In
FIG. 1B
, a thin conformal silicon dioxide layer (not shown) is formed over the substrate
10
, and a silicon nitride layer (not shown) is formed on the silicon dioxide layer. An etching back process is performed to remove the silicon nitride layer and the silicon dioxide layer, all of which respectively leave a silicon dioxide remains
24
, or called a liner oxide layer
24
, and a silicon nitride remains
26
and form together on each side of the gate structure
19
to serve as a sidewall spacer
23
. As seen in
FIG. 1B
, the liner oxide layer
24
extends over the lightly doped region
16
. This extension may be thought of as an extension of gate oxide layer
20
that overlaps the lightly doped region
16
.
In
FIG. 1C
, using the FOX layer
12
, the gate structure
19
as a mask, an ion implantation process with a higher dosage density is performed to dope an exposed area of the substrate
10
at the lightly doped region
16
. After an annealing process, a heavily doped region
28
abutting the lightly doped region
16
and the halo doped region
18
is formed. All of the lightly doped region
16
, the heavily doped region
28
and the halo doped region
18
serve together as an interchangeable region of the transistor
14
.
In the above descriptions, for a design of a sub-micron IC device, in order to prevent the punch through effect from occurring on the junction, which is the interchangeable source/drain region, the anti-punch-through implantation is usually performed to form the halo doped region
18
below the lightly doped region
16
.
Moreover, in order to increase an direct-current (DC) operation speed of the MOS transistor
14
of
FIG. 1A
, the heavily doped region
28
is necessary to be formed. However, a depletion region usually exists at an interface of the interchangeable source/drain region and the substrate due to, for example, a depletion of electron-holes for P-type substrate. This depletion region behaves like an capacitor and contributes a junction capacitance. The junction capacitance is larger if the depletion region is larger. The depletion region is larger if the dopant density is larger or junction contact area is larger. A higher dopant density also needs a higher dopant density in the halo doped region in order to reduce a short channel effect. Since the heavily doped region
28
carries higher dopant density, it results in a higher junction capacitance. It is natural for an AC circuit that the junction capacitance can reduce an alternative-current (AC) operation speed. In addition, the gate oxide layer also induces an oxide capacitor, which is coupled with the junction capacitor in series. The oxide capacitor increases the junction capacitance and causes a slower AC operation speed.
Furthermore, if the junction capacitance is reduced through a reduction of the junction contact area, the junction depth is usually reduced. This causes a difficult control on the margin of junction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide an improved method for forming an interchangeable source/drain region. The improved method includes a formation of a low dopant density region below the interchangeable source/drain region so as to reduce a junction capacitance. An AC operation speed is further increased.
It is another an objective of the present invention to provide an improved method for forming an interchangeable source/drain region. The improved method includes a formation of a low dopant density region below the interchangeable source/drain region so as to allow a thicker junction depth to be formed. Thus a margin of the junction can be more easily controlled.
It is still another an objective of the present invention to provide an improved method for forming a spacer on each sidewall of a gate structure. The improved method includes forming a thin liner spacer instead so as to reduce a lateral extension length of the interchangeable source/drain region. The overlap region between the gate structure and the interchangeable source/drain region is therefore reduced so that a less overlapping capacitance can be obtained. An AC operation speed is further increased.
In accordance with the foregoing and other objectives of the present invention, an improved method for fabrication a MOS transistor is provided. The improved method is suitable for a semiconductor substrate having a gate structure. The improved method includes forming a liner spacer on each side of the gate structure. Using the gate structure and the liner spacer as a mask, an ion implantation process with very high beam energy is performed to form a low dopant density region deep inside the substrate. The dopant is a first-type dopant, which is opposite to the substrate. A lightly doped region with the first-type dopant is formed in the low dopant density region on the top portion preferably by ion implantation. An anti-punch-through region having a second-type dopant with a sufficient dopant density is formed between the low dopant density region and the lightly doped region. The second-type dopant is opposite to the first-type dopant so as to prevent a punch-through effect from occurring. A sidewall spacer is formed on the liner spacer, which is on each side of the gate structure. Using the gate structure and the spacers as a mask, an ion implantation process is performed to form a heavily doped region in the substrate on the top portion of the low dopant density region. The heavily doped region is doped with the first-type dopant and has a dopant density higher than the low dopant density region and the lightly doped region. Thus, the junction of the MOS transistor of the invention includes an interchangeable source/drain region, which includes the lightly doped region and the heavily doped region, the anti-punch-through regions and the low dopant density region below these three regions to separate these three regions from the substrate.
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patent: 5492847 (1996-02-01), Kao et al.
patent: 6133082 (2000-10-01), Masuoka
patent: 6162692 (2000-12-01), Gardner et al.
patent: 6268256 (2001-07-01), Kuo
patent: 6287925 (2001-09-01), Yu
patent: 6306702 (2001-10-01), Hao et al.
patent: 6329225 (2001-12-01), Rodder
patent: 6333217 (2001-12-01), Umimoto et al.
Chou Jih-Wen
Yeh Wen-Kuan
Smith Matthew
United Microelectronics Corp.
Yevsikov V.
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