Process for the formation of selfaligned silicon and aluminum gates

Abstract

Abstract A PROCESS FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS FORMATION OF SELFALIGNED SILICON GATES AND ALUMINUM GATES HAVING SELFALIGNED CHANNEL REGIONS ON THE SAME WAFER IS DISCLOSED. BASICALLY, THE PROCESS CONSISTS OF THE DEPOSITION OF SUCCESSIVE LAYERS OF SILICON NITRIDE AND POLYCRYSTALLINE SILICON OVER THICK AND THIN SILICON DIOXIDE REGIONS WHICH ARE DISPOSED ON THE SURFACE OF A SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER. POLYSILICON GATES ARE DELINEATED IN THE THIN OXIDE REGIONS. SUBSEQUENTLY, A CHEMICALLY VAPOR DEPOSITED SILICON DIOXIDE LAYER IS FORMED OVER THE SURFACE OF THE EXPOSED SILICON NITRIDE LAYER AND OVER THE POLYCRYSTALLINE SILICON GATE GEGIONS. AT THIS POINT, THE CVD OXIDE IS DELINEATED TO FORM AN OXIDE MASK WHICH WILL PERMIT THE REMOVAL OF SILICON NITRIDE DOWN TO THE THIN OXIDE AT CERTAIN REGIONS WHERE DIFFUSION WINDOWS ARE TO BE FORMED IN EXPOSED THIN OXIDE REGIONS WHICH ARE SUBSEQUENTLY REMOVED BY A DIP ETCH. WHILE THE EXPOSED THIN OXIDE REGIONS ARE MASKED BY EITHER SILICON NITRIDE PORTIONS OR POLYCRYSTALLINE SILICON GATE REGIONS, THE MASKING REGIONS OF CVD OXIDE WHICH PROTECTED THE SILICON NITRIDE LAYER ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY REMOVED BY THE DIP ETCH WHICH OPENS THE DIFFUSION WINDOWS IN THE THIN OXIDE REGIONS. AFTER A DIFFUSION STEP WHICH INCLUDES DEPOSITION OF A PHOSPHORUS DOPANT IN THE DIFFUSION WINDOWS FROM THE VAPOROUS PHASE AND A DRIVE-IN STEP, A THERMAL OXIDATION STEP IS CARRIED OUT WHICH COVERS THE DIFFUSED WINDOW REGIONS AND THE POLYSILICON GATES AND THICK OXIDE REGIONS LEAVING THE EXPOSED NITRIDE PORTIONS UNAFFECTED. IN A SUBSEQUENT MASKING STEP, DIFFUSION CONTACT WINDOWS AND SILICON GATES CONTACT WINDOWS ARE OPENED. THEN, METALLIZATION IS DEPOSITED EVERYWHERE AND DELINEATED TO FORM METAL GATES AND CONTACTS TO BOTH DIFFUSIONS AND SILICON GATES. METAL IS DELINEATED AND FORMED IN EACH OF THE EXPOSED SILICON NITRIDE REGIONS ONE OF WHICH IS A SELF-ALIGNED CHANNEL REGION FOR A METAL GATE FIELD-EFFECT TRANSISTOR. OTHER METAL GATES FOR A CHARGE COUPLED DEVICE ARE POSITIONED BY VIRTUE OF THE PRESENCE OF ADJACENT POLYSILICON GATES AND ARE INSULATED FROM THE SUBSTRATE BY A THIN OXIDE AND NITRIDE LAYER AND FROM THE SILICON GATES BY A LAYER OF THERMALLY GROWN SILICON DIOXIDE ON THE SURFACE OF THE SILICON GATES. THE RESULTING STRUCTURE INCLUDES A METAL GATE FIELD-EFFECT TRANSISTOR, A SELF-ALIGNED SILICON GATE FIELD-EFFECT TRANSISTOR, AND A CHARGE COUPLED DEVICE ON THE SAME WAFER. BY USING AN ADDITIONAL MASKING STEP OVER THAT REQUIRED FOR THE FORMATION OF SILICON SELF-ALIGNED GATES ALONE, METAL GATES WHICH ARE EITHER SELF-ALIGNED BY VIRTUE OF ADJACENT POLYSILICON GATES OR BY VIRTUE OF THE PRESENCE OF A SELF-ALIGNED CHANNEL ARE THUS OBTAINED. IN ADDITION, A RANDOM ACCESS CHARGE COUPLED DEVICE WHICH INCORPORATES A METAL TRANSFER GATE AND A POLYSILICON STORAGE PLATE IS ALSO DISCLOSED. THE STRUCTURE RESULTS FROM THE ABOVE DESCRIBED FABRICATION PROCESS AND IS STRUCTURALLY UNIQUE IN THAT THE METAL GATE IS DISPOSED IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO A DIFFUSION REGION WHICH ITSELF IS DISPOSED UNDER A THICK OXIDE LAYER. IN ADDITION, THE POLYCRYSTALLINE SILICON STORAGE PLATE IS SPACED FROM THE METAL GATE BY A LAYER OF THERMALLY GROWN SILICON DIOXIDE.

Inventors

• 👤 R Dennard
• 👤 D Spampinato

Bibliographic Details