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US5937302A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Method of forming lightly doped drain region and heavily doping a gate using a single implant step

Assignee: Mosaid Technologies Inc
•
Filing: 1997-01-08
•
Granted: 1999-08-10
•
Expires: 2017-01-08
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Abstract

Abstract A method of making an IGFET includes providing a semiconductor substrate with an active region, forming a gate over the active region, forming displacement material segments over portions of the active region outside the gate, implanting a dopant into the gate, the displacement material segments and the active region using a single implant step, such that a peak concentration of the dopant is in the gate and the displacement material segments, and a light concentration of the dopant implanted through one of the displacement material segments forms a lightly doped drain region in the active region, and forming a source and a drain wherein the drain includes the lightly doped drain region. In this manner, the lightly doped drain region and heavy doping for the gate can be provided using a single implant step.

Inventors

  • 👤 Mark I. Gardner
  • 👤 Frederick N. Hause

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-03 17:57
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P30/00; H10P30/20; H10P30/202; H10P30/204; H10D; H10D30/00; H10D30/01; H10D30/021; H10D30/0223; H10D30/0227; H10P30/21; H10P30/212; H10P30/225

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim 114 words
A method of making an IGFET, the method comprising: providing a semiconductor substrate with an active region; forming a gate over the active region; forming displacement material segments over portions of the active region outside the gate; implanting a dopant into the gate, the displacement material segments and the active region using a single implant step, such that a peak concentration of the dopant is in the gate and the displacement material segments, and a light concentration of the dopant implanted through one of the displacement material segments forms a lightly doped drain region in the active region; and forming a source and a drain, wherein the drain includes the lightly doped drain region.
Claim 2
Independent Claim 114 words
A method of making an IGFET, the method comprising: providing a semiconductor substrate with an active region; forming a gate over the active region; forming displacement material segments over portions of the active region outside the gate; implanting a dopant into the gate, the displacement material segments and the active region using a single implant step, such that a peak concentration of the dopant is in the gate and the displacement material segments, and a light concentration of the dopant implanted through one of the displacement material segments forms a lightly doped drain region in the active region; and forming a source and a drain, wherein the drain includes the lightly doped drain region.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 29 words
The method of claim 1, wherein forming the displacement material segments includes depositing a displacement material over the active region and then removing the displacement material over the gate.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 18 words
The method of claim 2, wherein removing the displacement material over the gate includes polishing the displacement material.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 15 words
The method of claim 1, including removing the displacement material segments after implanting the dopant.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 29 words
The method of claim 1, wherein implanting the dopant includes using the gate as an implant mask such that essentially none of the dopant is implanted through the gate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 55 words
The method of claim 1, wherein a light concentration of the dopant implanted through another of the displacement material segments forms a lightly doped source region in the active region, the lightly doped source and drain regions are substantially aligned with opposing sidewalls of the gate, and the source includes the lightly doped source region.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 48 words
The method of claim 6, wherein forming the source and drain includes implanting a second dopant into the active region to form heavily doped source and drain regions in the active region using the gate and spacers adjacent to the sidewalls of the gate as an implant mask.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 23 words
The method of claim 7, including forming the lightly doped source and drain regions before forming the heavily doped source and drain regions.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 23 words
The method of claim 7, including forming the lightly doped source and drain regions after forming the heavily doped source and drain regions.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 18 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the displacement material segments are adjacent to opposing sidewalls of the gate.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 27 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the displacement material segments are selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, doped glass and metals.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 10 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the gate is polysilicon.
Claim 14
Independent Claim 195 words
A method of making an IGFET, the method comprising: providing a semiconductor substrate with an active region; forming a gate insulator on the active region; forming a gate on the gate insulator and over the active region; forming displacement material segments over portions of the active region outside the gate, wherein the displacement material segments have substantially planar top surfaces that are closer to the substrate than is a top surface of the gate, and the displacement material segments are in close proximity to opposing sidewalls of the gate; implanting a dopant into the gate, the displacement material segments and the active region using a single implant step, such that a peak concentration of the dopant is in the gate and the displacement material segments but not in the active region, a light concentration of the dopant implanted through the displacement material segments forms lightly doped source and drain regions in the active region that are substantially aligned with the sidewalls of the gate, and essentially none of the dopant is implanted through the gate into the active region; and forming a source and a drain that include the lightly doped source and drain regions.
Claim 15
Independent Claim 195 words
A method of making an IGFET, the method comprising: providing a semiconductor substrate with an active region; forming a gate insulator on the active region; forming a gate on the gate insulator and over the active region; forming displacement material segments over portions of the active region outside the gate, wherein the displacement material segments have substantially planar top surfaces that are closer to the substrate than is a top surface of the gate, and the displacement material segments are in close proximity to opposing sidewalls of the gate; implanting a dopant into the gate, the displacement material segments and the active region using a single implant step, such that a peak concentration of the dopant is in the gate and the displacement material segments but not in the active region, a light concentration of the dopant implanted through the displacement material segments forms lightly doped source and drain regions in the active region that are substantially aligned with the sidewalls of the gate, and essentially none of the dopant is implanted through the gate into the active region; and forming a source and a drain that include the lightly doped source and drain regions.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 33 words
The method of claim 13, wherein forming the displacement material segments includes depositing a displacement material over the substrate and then polishing the displacement material to remove the displacement material over the gate.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 33 words
The method of claim 14, wherein forming the displacement material segments includes applying an etch after the polishing step, wherein the etch removes a substantial amount of the displacement material outside the gate.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 67 words
The method of claim 13, including removing the displacement material segments after implanting the dopant, then forming spacers adjacent to the sidewalls of the gate, and implanting a second dopant into the gate and the active region to increase a doping concentration of the gate and to form heavily doped source and drain regions in the active region using the gate and spacers as an implant mask.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 32 words
The method of claim 13, wherein the gate is polysilicon, and the displacement material segments are selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, doped glass, and metals.
Claim 20
Independent Claim 366 words
A method of making an IGFET, including forming lightly doped source and drain regions and heavily doping a gate using a single implant step, the method comprising performing in the sequence set forth: providing a semiconductor substrate with an active region of first conductivity type; forming a gate oxide on the active region; forming a polysilicon layer on the gate oxide; forming a masking layer over the polysilicon layer; etching the polysilicon layer through openings in the masking layer such that an unetched portion of the polysilicon layer over the active region forms a gate; depositing a continuous layer of displacement material over the active region; removing the displacement material over the gate and upper portions of the displacement material outside the gate such that lower portions of the displacement material outside the gate form displacement material segments in close proximity to opposing sidewalls of the gate and with substantially planar top surfaces that are substantially closer to the substrate than is a top surface of the gate; implanting a first dopant of second conductivity type into the gate, the displacement material segments and the active region using a single implant step, such that a peak concentration of the first dopant is in the gate and the displacement material segments but not in the active region, a light concentration of the first dopant implanted through the displacement material segments forms lightly doped source and drain regions in the active region that are substantially aligned with the sidewalls of the gate, and essentially none of the first dopant is implanted through the gate into the active region; stripping the displacement material segments; forming spacers adjacent to the sidewalls of the gate; implanting a second dopant of second conductivity type into the gate and the active region using the gate and the spacers as an implant mask to increase a doping concentration of the gate and to form heavily doped source and drain regions in the active region; and applying a thermal cycle to activate and drive-in the first and second dopants, hereby forming a source that includes the lightly and heavily doped source regions and forming a drain that includes the lightly and heavily doped drain regions.
Claim 21
Independent Claim 366 words
A method of making an IGFET, including forming lightly doped source and drain regions and heavily doping a gate using a single implant step, the method comprising performing in the sequence set forth: providing a semiconductor substrate with an active region of first conductivity type; forming a gate oxide on the active region; forming a polysilicon layer on the gate oxide; forming a masking layer over the polysilicon layer; etching the polysilicon layer through openings in the masking layer such that an unetched portion of the polysilicon layer over the active region forms a gate; depositing a continuous layer of displacement material over the active region; removing the displacement material over the gate and upper portions of the displacement material outside the gate such that lower portions of the displacement material outside the gate form displacement material segments in close proximity to opposing sidewalls of the gate and with substantially planar top surfaces that are substantially closer to the substrate than is a top surface of the gate; implanting a first dopant of second conductivity type into the gate, the displacement material segments and the active region using a single implant step, such that a peak concentration of the first dopant is in the gate and the displacement material segments but not in the active region, a light concentration of the first dopant implanted through the displacement material segments forms lightly doped source and drain regions in the active region that are substantially aligned with the sidewalls of the gate, and essentially none of the first dopant is implanted through the gate into the active region; stripping the displacement material segments; forming spacers adjacent to the sidewalls of the gate; implanting a second dopant of second conductivity type into the gate and the active region using the gate and the spacers as an implant mask to increase a doping concentration of the gate and to form heavily doped source and drain regions in the active region; and applying a thermal cycle to activate and drive-in the first and second dopants, hereby forming a source that includes the lightly and heavily doped source regions and forming a drain that includes the lightly and heavily doped drain regions.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim 37 words
The method of claim 18, including implanting the first dopant with a dose of at least 1×10 15 atoms/cm 2 , and implanting the second dopant with a dose of at least 1×10 15 atoms/cm 2 .
Claim 23
Dependent Claim 54 words
The method of claim 18, wherein removing the displacement material includes polishing the displacement material to remove the displacement material over the gate, then applying a dry etch to remove portions of the displacement material that are outside the gate and no further from the substrate than is the top surface of the gate.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim 38 words
The method of claim 18, wherein vertical distances between the top surfaces of the displacement material segments and the substrate are at most one-half of a vertical distance between the top surface of the gate and the substrate.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim 25 words
The method of claim 18, wherein the light concentration of the first dopant is at most one-quarter of the peak concentration of the first dopant.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim 26 words
The method of claim 18, wherein the displacement material is selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, doped glass and metals.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

JPH03284853A Cited
JPH0479336A Cited
US5478776A Cited
US5599734A Cited
US5512506A Cited
US5736419A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 2002-08-09 2003-02-08 2003-08-10 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2006-08-09 2007-02-08 2007-08-10 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2010-08-09 2011-02-08 2011-08-10 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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