Stable nickel silicide formation with fluorine incorporation and related IC structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9379207-B2
Application number	US-201414302585-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 12, 2014
Priority date	Jun 12, 2014
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

A method of forming a stable nickel silicide layer is provided. The method may include forming a nickel silicide layer on a substrate. A fluorine-rich nickel layer is formed over the nickel silicide layer. The fluorine-rich nickel layer is subjected to a process that drives the fluorine in the fluorine-rich nickel layer into the nickel silicide layer thereunder.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a stable nickel silicide layer, the method comprising:
forming a nickel silicide layer;
forming a fluorine-rich nickel layer over the nickel silicide layer; and
subjecting the fluorine-rich nickel layer to a process that drives the fluorine in the fluorine-rich nickel layer into the nickel silicide layer thereunder.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the process includes a laser annealing.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the laser annealing uses a temperature of between approximately 750° C. and 850° C.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the laser annealing uses a temperature of approximately 800° C.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the laser annealing has a duration of approximately 0.5 milliseconds.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the process includes a blanket annealing.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorine-rich nickel layer forming includes performing a reactive ion etching (RIE) using a fluorine-containing plasma.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the process includes a laser annealing occurring after the RIE.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorine-rich nickel layer forming includes exposing the nickel silicide layer to a fluorine-containing plasma.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorine-rich nickel layer includes nickel hexafluoro silicide (NiSiF 6 ).

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nickel silicide layer forming includes forming the nickel silicide layer across a source/drain region of a transistor device, and
wherein the fluorine-rich nickel layer forming includes forming a patterned dielectric layer over the nickel silicide layer, the patterned dielectric layer including a plurality of openings exposing selected regions of the nickel silicide layer and forming the fluorine-rich nickel layer in the plurality of openings.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the nickel silicide layer forming further includes forming the nickel silicide layer over a gate of the transistor device, and wherein the patterned dielectric layer includes an opening over the gate such that the fluorine-rich nickel layer also forms over the gate.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nickel silicide layer forming includes forming a patterned dielectric layer over a source/drain region of a transistor device, the patterned dielectric layer including a plurality of openings exposing selected regions of the source/drain region, and forming the nickel silicide layer in portions of the source/drain region through the plurality of openings; and
wherein the fluorine-rich nickel layer forming includes forming the fluorine-rich nickel layer in the plurality of openings over the nickel silicide layer.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the transistor device includes a spacer thereon, and wherein the fluorine-rich nickel layer forming includes performing a reactive ion etching (RIE) of the spacer using a fluorine-containing plasma.

15. A method of forming a stable nickel silicide layer, the method comprising:
forming a nickel silicide layer;
forming a fluorine-rich nickel layer over the nickel silicide layer by exposing the nickel silicide layer to a fluorine-containing plasma; and
annealing the fluorine-rich nickel layer to drive the fluorine in the fluorine-rich nickel layer into the nickel silicide layer thereunder.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the annealing includes a laser annealing.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the fluorine-rich nickel layer forming includes performing a reactive ion etching (RIE) using the fluorine-containing plasma.

Assignees

• Globalfoundries Inc
• Globalfoundries Inc

Inventors

• Breil Nicolas L

Classifications

• H10P95/90

  Thermal treatments, e.g. annealing or sintering · CPC title

• H10P95/00

  Generic processes or apparatus for manufacture or treatments not covered by the other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• H10P50/283

  by chemical means · CPC title

• H10P50/242

  of Group IV materials · CPC title

• H10P34/42

  with electromagnetic radiation, e.g. laser annealing (laser cutting H10P54/20) · CPC title