Semiconductor device comprising a transistor gate having multiple vertically oriented sidewalls

US9536971B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-9536971-B2
Application numberUS-201414561605-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateDec 5, 2014
Priority dateJul 8, 2005
Publication dateJan 3, 2017
Grant dateJan 3, 2017

How to read this patent

A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.

  1. Title

    What the patent document calls the invention.

  2. Abstract

    A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.

  3. Assignees and inventors

    Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.

  4. Key dates

    Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.

  5. First independent claim

    The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.

  6. CPC / IPC classifications

    Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.

  7. Citations and related patents

    Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.

Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

A method used in fabrication of a recessed access device transistor gate has increased tolerance for mask misalignment. One embodiment of the invention comprises forming a vertical spacing layer over a semiconductor wafer, then etching the vertical spacing layer and the semiconductor wafer to form a recess in the wafer. A conductive transistor gate layer is then formed within the trench and over the vertical spacing layer. The transistor gate layer is etched, which exposes the vertical spacing layer. A spacer layer is formed over the etched conductive gate layer and over the vertical spacing layer, then the spacer layer and the vertical spacing layer are anisotropically etched. Subsequent to anisotropically etching the vertical spacing layer, a portion of the vertical spacing layer is interposed between the semiconductor wafer and the etched conductive transistor gate layer in a direction perpendicular to the plane of a major surface of the semiconductor wafer.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

What is claimed is: 1. A semiconductor device comprising: a transistor comprising a conductive gate within and projecting elevationally outward of a trench in semiconductive material; a gate dielectric within the trench between the conductive gate and the semiconductive material; the conductive gate comprising opposing laterally outermost vertically oriented conductive gate sidewalls that are elevationally outward of the semiconductive material laterally outward of semiconductive material sidewalls of the trench, “elevationally” and “laterally” being with respect to two different directions that are perpendicular relative to one another, the gate comprising opposing laterally inner vertically oriented conductive gate sidewalls elevationally outward of the semiconductive material; a dielectric spacer along each of the laterally outermost vertical gate sidewalls; and a dielectric vertical spacing layer elevationally inward of the laterally outermost vertical gate sidewall on each of opposing sides of the gate, the vertical spacing layer extending laterally outward and laterally inward relative to the laterally outermost vertical gate sidewall on each of the opposing sides of the conductive gates, at least one of the dielectric vertical spacing layers on one of the opposing sides of the gate having a first portion that is under the gate and above the semiconductive material on that one opposing gate side and having a second portion that is under the spacer and above the semiconductive material on that one opposing gate side, the first portion that is under the gate being elevationally thicker than the second portion that is under the spacer, the first portion having a laterally outer sidewall on that one opposing gate side, the dielectric spacer on that one opposing gate side being directly against the first portion laterally outer sidewall on that one opposing gate side, no part of the second portion on that one opposing gate side being directly against the conductive gate. 2. The device of claim 1 comprising a pad dielectric elevationally between the dielectric vertical spacing layer and the semiconductive material on each of the opposing sides of the conductive gate. 3. A semiconductor device comprising: a transistor comprising a conductive gate within and projecting elevationally outward of a trench in semiconductive material; a gate dielectric within the trench between the conductive gate and the semiconductive material; the conductive gate comprising opposing laterally outermost vertically oriented conductive gate sidewalls that are elevationally outward of the semiconductive material laterally outward of semiconductive material sidewalls of the trench, “elevationally” and “laterally” being with respect to two different directions that are perpendicular relative to one another, the gate comprising opposing laterally inner vertically oriented conductive gate sidewalls elevationally outward of the semiconductive material; a dielectric spacer along each of the laterally outermost vertical gate sidewalls; and a dielectric vertical spacing layer elevationally inward of the laterally outermost vertical gate sidewall on each of opposing sides of the gate, the vertical spacing layer extending laterally outward and laterally inward relative to the laterally outermost vertical gate sidewall on each of the opposing sides of the conductive gates, the dielectric vertical spacing layers on each of the opposing sides of the gate having a first portion that is under the gate and above the semiconductive material and having a second portion that is under the spacer and above the semiconductive material, the first portion that is under the gate being elevationally thicker than the second portion that is under the spacer on each of the opposing gate sides, the first portion having a laterally outer sidewall on each of the opposing gate sides, the dielectric spacer on each of the opposing gate sides being directly against the first portion laterally outer sidewall on each of the opposing gate sides, no part of the second portion on each of the opposing gate sides being directly against the conductive gate.

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • H10P30/222Primary

    characterised by the angle between the ion beam and the crystal planes or the main crystal surface (characterised by the angle between the ion beam and the mask H10P30/221) · CPC title

  • having non-planar bodies, e.g. having recessed gate electrodes · CPC title

  • the thicknesses being non-uniform · CPC title

  • by etching at gate locations · CPC title

  • having asymmetry in the channel direction, e.g. lateral high-voltage MISFETs having drain offset region or extended-drain MOSFETs [EDMOS] · CPC title

Patent family

Related publications grouped by family.

External sources

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.

What does patent US9536971B2 cover?
A method used in fabrication of a recessed access device transistor gate has increased tolerance for mask misalignment. One embodiment of the invention comprises forming a vertical spacing layer over a semiconductor wafer, then etching the vertical spacing layer and the semiconductor wafer to form a recess in the wafer. A conductive transistor gate layer is then formed within the trench and ove…
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Micron Technology Inc
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification H10P30/222. Mapped technology areas include Electricity.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Jan 03 2017 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 8 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).