L-shaped spacer incorporating or patterned using amorphous carbon or CVD organic materials

US6893967B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Marilyn I. Wright · Austin, US
• Douglas J. Bonser · Irving, US
• Lu You · Santa Clara, US
• Kay Hellig · Austin, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 13, 2004
• Grant date: May 17, 2005
• Expiry date: Jan 13, 2024

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10D64/021

Abstract

A multilayer L-shaped spacer is formed of a lower portion comprising a CVD organic material or amorphous carbon, and an upper portion comprised of a protective material. The upper portion is patterned using a photoresist mask. During that patterning, the underlying substrate is protected by a layer of CVD organic material or amorphous carbon. The CVD organic material or amorphous carbon is then patterned using the patterned protective material as a mask. The chemistry used to pattern the CVD organic material or amorphous carbon is relatively harmless to the underlying substrate. Alternatively, an L-shaped spacer is patterned without using a photoresist mask by forming an amorphous carbon spacer around a gate that is covered with a conformal layer of a conventional spacer material. The conventional spacer material is patterned using the amorphous carbon spacer as an etch mask. The amorphous carbon spacer is easily formed without the need for lithographic patterning, and therefore this method is preferable to methods using photoresist masks.