MOS transistor construction with self aligned silicided contacts to gate, source, and drain regions

Claim 1

An improved integrated circuit structure having one or more MOS devices formed therein comprising: (a) a P type silicon substrate having an N+ buried layer formed therein, an N type epitaxial silicon layer grown over said buried layer, and oxide isolation regions formed in said epitaxial layer and extending into said structure sufficiently to provide isolation between adjacent devices formed therein; (b) a polysilicon gate having a raised contact portion formed over a gate oxide layer on said epitaxial layer overlying a channel region formed in said epitaxial layer; (c) oxide spacer means on the sidewall of said raised gate contact portion; (d) source and drain regions formed in said epitaxial layer contiguous with said channel region and separated from adjacent devices in said structure by said isolation oxide regions; (e) polysilicon source and drain contacts on said epitaxial layer raised to approximately the same level as said raised polysilicon gate contact; (f) metal silicide conductive layer portions respectively overlying said source and drain regions in said epitaxial layer and over the sides and tops of said raised polysilicon source and drain contacts to thereby provide horizontal conductive paths extending from said oxide spacer means on the sidewalls of said raised polysilicon gate contact to said raised polysilicon source and drain contacts, and vertical conductive paths from said respective horizontal conductive paths up the sides of said raised polysilicon source and drain contacts to decrease the resistance of the horizontal and vertical conductive paths respectively between the source and drain regions in said epitaxial layer and the metal silicide on the top of said raised polysilicon source and drain contacts to which metal contacts will subsequently be formed; and (g) a layer of insulating material over said structure which has been planarized to expose the tops of said raised source, gate, and drain contacts; whereby said structure having said raised contacts of even height comprises a highly planarized surface with self-aligned contacts and low resistance paths respectively between said tops of said raised source and drain contacts and said source and drain regions in said epitaxial layer.