Patent · US Expired

Method of fabricating a gate dielectric layer with reduced gate tunnelling current and reduced boron penetration

US7022625B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by
7References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 25, 2002
Grant dateApr 4, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 4, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/28211
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of forming a silicon nitride-silicon dioxide, composite gate dielectric layer, offering reduced risk of boron penetration from an overlying boron doped polysilicon gate structure, has been developed. A porous, silicon rich silicon nitride layer is first deposited on a semiconductor substrate, allowing a subsequent thermal oxidation procedure to grow a thin silicon dioxide layer on the semiconductor substrate, underlying the porous, silicon rich silicon nitride layer. A two step anneal procedure is then employed with a first step performed in a nitrogen containing ambient to densify the porous, silicon rich silicon nitride layer, while a second step of the anneal procedure, performed in an inert ambient at a high temperature, reduces the foxed charge at the silicon dioxide-semiconductor interface.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.