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US6388284B2 Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Capacitor structures

Assignee: Mosaid Technologies Inc
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Filing: 2001-01-03
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Granted: 2002-05-14
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Expires: 2021-01-03
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Abstract

Abstract Integrated circuitry capacitors and methods of forming the same are described. In accordance with one implementation, a capacitor plate is formed and a conductive layer of material is formed thereover. Preferably, the conductive layer of material is more conductive than the material from which the capacitor plate is formed. In a preferred implementation, the conductive layer of material comprises a titanium or titanium-containing layer. In another preferred implementation, the capacitor plate comprises an inner capacitor plate having an outer surface with a generally roughened surface area. In one aspect of this implementation, the roughened surface area comprises hemispherical grain polysilicon. Capacitors formed in accordance with the invention are particularly well suited for use in dynamic random access memory (DRAM) circuitry.

Inventors

  • 👤 Howard E. Rhodes
  • 👤 Lyle D. Breiner
  • 👤 Philip J. Ireland
  • 👤 Trung Tri Doan
  • 👤 Gurtej S. Sandhu
  • 👤 Sujit Sharan

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-09 01:49
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10D; H10D1/00; H10D1/60; H10D1/68; H10D1/692; H10D1/711; H10D1/712; H10D1/01; H10D1/041; H10D1/042; H10D1/62; H10D1/66; H10D1/714; H10D1/716; H10B; H10B12/00; H10B12/01; H10B12/02; H10B12/03; H10B12/033; H10B12/0335; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/01; H10W20/031; H10W20/0698

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 33
Claim 1
Independent Claim 206 words
A capacitor comprising: a substrate having a node location; a field effect transistor gate proximate the node location, the field effect transistor gate having a top and a sidewall proximate the node location which are covered with insulative material; an insulative layer disposed over the substrate and on the insulative material, the insulative layer having an opening over the node location and the insulative material; a first polysilicon material layer having a first conductivity only partially filling the insulative layer opening, the first polysilicon material layer being disposed within the opening in contacting relationship with both the insulative layer and the insulative material covering the gate sidewall, and operably connected with the node location; a second polysilicon material layer over the first polysilicon material layer and received within and only partially filling the opening, the second polysilicon material layer having an outermost surface within the opening which has a generally roughened surface area; a non-polysilicon conductive layer over the second polysilicon material layer's outermost surface received within and only partially filling the opening, the non-polysilicon conductive layer having a second conductivity which is greater than the first conductivity; a capacitor dielectric layer over the conductive material layer; and a capacitor plate over the capacitor dielectric layer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 206 words
A capacitor comprising: a substrate having a node location; a field effect transistor gate proximate the node location, the field effect transistor gate having a top and a sidewall proximate the node location which are covered with insulative material; an insulative layer disposed over the substrate and on the insulative material, the insulative layer having an opening over the node location and the insulative material; a first polysilicon material layer having a first conductivity only partially filling the insulative layer opening, the first polysilicon material layer being disposed within the opening in contacting relationship with both the insulative layer and the insulative material covering the gate sidewall, and operably connected with the node location; a second polysilicon material layer over the first polysilicon material layer and received within and only partially filling the opening, the second polysilicon material layer having an outermost surface within the opening which has a generally roughened surface area; a non-polysilicon conductive layer over the second polysilicon material layer's outermost surface received within and only partially filling the opening, the non-polysilicon conductive layer having a second conductivity which is greater than the first conductivity; a capacitor dielectric layer over the conductive material layer; and a capacitor plate over the capacitor dielectric layer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 22 words
The capacitor of claim 1 , wherein the capacitor plate comprises a cell plate layer which constitutes a portion of DRAM circuitry.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 15 words
The capacitor of claim 1 , wherein the second polysilicon material comprises hemispherical grain polysilicon.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 18 words
The capacitor of claim 1 , wherein the non-polysilicon conductive layer comprises elemental titanium or a titanium alloy.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 13 words
The capacitor of claim 1 , wherein the non-polysilicon conductive layer comprises TiN.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 13 words
The capacitor of claim 1 , wherein the non-polysilicon conductive layer comprises platinum.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 22 words
The capacitor of claim 1 wherein the non-polysilicon layer is at least in partial physical contacting relationship with the capacitor dielectric layer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 37 words
The capacitor of claim 1 wherein the node location comprises a diffusion region formed in semiconductor material, and the first polysilicon material layer is formed in physical contact with the diffusion region formed in the semiconductor material.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 219 words
A capacitor comprising: a substrate having a node location; a field effect transistor gate proximate the node location, the field effect transistor gate having a top and a sidewall proximate the node location which are covered with insulative material; an insulative layer disposed over the substrate and over the insulative material, the insulative layer having an opening over the node location; a first polysilicon material layer having a first conductivity only partially filling the insulative layer opening, the first polysilicon material layer being disposed within the opening and operably connected with the node location; a second polysilicon material layer over the first polysilicon material layer and received within and only partially filling the opening, the second polysilicon material layer having an outermost surface within the opening which has a generally roughened surface area, the second polysilicon material layer having a planar uppermost surface; a non-polysilicon conductive layer over the second polysilicon material layer's outermost surface received within and only partially filling the opening, the non-polysilicon conductive layer having a second conductivity which is greater than the first conductivity, the non-polysilicon conductive layer having a planar uppermost surface which is coplanar with the planar uppermost surface of the second polysilicon material layer; a capacitor dielectric layer over the conductive material layer; and a capacitor plate over the capacitor dielectric layer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 219 words
A capacitor comprising: a substrate having a node location; a field effect transistor gate proximate the node location, the field effect transistor gate having a top and a sidewall proximate the node location which are covered with insulative material; an insulative layer disposed over the substrate and over the insulative material, the insulative layer having an opening over the node location; a first polysilicon material layer having a first conductivity only partially filling the insulative layer opening, the first polysilicon material layer being disposed within the opening and operably connected with the node location; a second polysilicon material layer over the first polysilicon material layer and received within and only partially filling the opening, the second polysilicon material layer having an outermost surface within the opening which has a generally roughened surface area, the second polysilicon material layer having a planar uppermost surface; a non-polysilicon conductive layer over the second polysilicon material layer's outermost surface received within and only partially filling the opening, the non-polysilicon conductive layer having a second conductivity which is greater than the first conductivity, the non-polysilicon conductive layer having a planar uppermost surface which is coplanar with the planar uppermost surface of the second polysilicon material layer; a capacitor dielectric layer over the conductive material layer; and a capacitor plate over the capacitor dielectric layer.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 22 words
The capacitor of claim 9 , wherein the capacitor plate comprises a cell plates layer which constitutes a portion of DRAM circuitry.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 15 words
The capacitor of claim 9 , wherein the second polysilicon material comprises hemispherical grain polysilicon.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 18 words
The capacitor of claim 9 , wherein the non-polysilicon conductive layer comprises elemental titanium or a titanium alloy.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 13 words
The capacitor of claim 9 , wherein the non-polysilicon conductive layer comprises TiN.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 13 words
The capacitor of claim 9 , wherein the non-polysilicon conductive layer comprises platinum.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 37 words
The capacitor of claim 9 , wherein the capacitor dielectric layer is received over and contacting both the planar uppermost surface of the non-polysilicon conductive layer and the planar uppermost surface of the second polysilicon material layer.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 254 words
A capacitor comprising: a substrate having a node location; a field effect transistor gate proximate the node location, the field effect transistor gate having a top and a sidewall proximate the node location which are covered with insulative material; an insulative layer disposed over the substrate and over the insulative material, the insulative layer having an opening over the node location; a first polysilicon material layer having a first conductivity only partially filling the insulative layer opening, the first polysilicon material layer being disposed within the opening and operably connected with the node location, the first polysilicon material layer having a planar uppermost surface; a second polysilicon material layer over the first polysilicon material layer and received within and only partially filling the opening, the second polysilicon material layer having an outermost surface within the opening which has a generally roughened surface area, the second polysilicon material layer having a planar uppermost surface which is coplanar with the planar uppermost surface of the first polysilicon material layer; a non-polysilicon conductive layer over the second polysilicon material layer's outermost surface received within and only partially filling the opening, the non-polysilicon conductive layer having a second conductivity which is greater than the first conductivity, the non-polysilicon conductive layer having a planar uppermost surface which is coplanar with the planar uppermost surface of the second polysilicon material layer and the planar uppermost surface of the first polysilicon material layer; a capacitor dielectric layer over the conductive material layer; and a capacitor plate over the capacitor dielectric layer.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 254 words
A capacitor comprising: a substrate having a node location; a field effect transistor gate proximate the node location, the field effect transistor gate having a top and a sidewall proximate the node location which are covered with insulative material; an insulative layer disposed over the substrate and over the insulative material, the insulative layer having an opening over the node location; a first polysilicon material layer having a first conductivity only partially filling the insulative layer opening, the first polysilicon material layer being disposed within the opening and operably connected with the node location, the first polysilicon material layer having a planar uppermost surface; a second polysilicon material layer over the first polysilicon material layer and received within and only partially filling the opening, the second polysilicon material layer having an outermost surface within the opening which has a generally roughened surface area, the second polysilicon material layer having a planar uppermost surface which is coplanar with the planar uppermost surface of the first polysilicon material layer; a non-polysilicon conductive layer over the second polysilicon material layer's outermost surface received within and only partially filling the opening, the non-polysilicon conductive layer having a second conductivity which is greater than the first conductivity, the non-polysilicon conductive layer having a planar uppermost surface which is coplanar with the planar uppermost surface of the second polysilicon material layer and the planar uppermost surface of the first polysilicon material layer; a capacitor dielectric layer over the conductive material layer; and a capacitor plate over the capacitor dielectric layer.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim 22 words
The capacitor of claim 16 , wherein the capacitor plate comprises a cell plate layer which constitutes a portion of DRAM circuitry.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim 15 words
The capacitor of claim 16 , wherein the second polysilicon material comprises hemispherical grain polysilicon.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim 18 words
The capacitor of claim 16 , wherein the non-polysilicon conductive layer comprises elemental titanium or a titanium alloy.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim 13 words
The capacitor of claim 16 , wherein the non-polysilicon conductive layer comprises TiN.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim 13 words
The capacitor of claim 16 , wherein the non-polysilicon conductive layer comprises platinum.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim 48 words
The capacitor of claim 16 , wherein the capacitor dielectric layer is received over and contacting each of the planar uppermost surface of the non-polysilicon conductive layer, the planar uppermost surface of the second polysilicon material layer, and the planar uppermost surface of the first polysilicon material layer.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim 215 words
A capacitor comprising: a substrate having a node location; a field effect transistor gate proximate the node location, the field effect transistor gate having a top and a sidewall proximate the node location which are covered with insulative material; an insulative layer disposed over the substrate and over the insulative material, the insulative layer having an opening over the node location, the insulative layer having a planar uppermost surface; a first polysilicon material layer having a first conductivity only partially filling the insulative layer opening, the first polysilicon material layer being disposed within the opening and operably connected with the node location; a second polysilicon material layer over the first polysilicon material layer and received within and only partially filling the opening, the second polysilicon material layer having an outermost surface within the opening which has a generally roughened surface area; a non-polysilicon conductive layer over the second polysilicon material layer's outermost surface received within and only partially filling the opening, the non-polysilicon conductive layer having a second conductivity which is greater than the first conductivity, the non-polysilicon conductive layer having a planar uppermost surface which is coplanar with the planar uppermost surface of the insulative layer; a capacitor dielectric layer over the conductive material layer; and a capacitor plate over the capacitor dielectric layer.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim 215 words
A capacitor comprising: a substrate having a node location; a field effect transistor gate proximate the node location, the field effect transistor gate having a top and a sidewall proximate the node location which are covered with insulative material; an insulative layer disposed over the substrate and over the insulative material, the insulative layer having an opening over the node location, the insulative layer having a planar uppermost surface; a first polysilicon material layer having a first conductivity only partially filling the insulative layer opening, the first polysilicon material layer being disposed within the opening and operably connected with the node location; a second polysilicon material layer over the first polysilicon material layer and received within and only partially filling the opening, the second polysilicon material layer having an outermost surface within the opening which has a generally roughened surface area; a non-polysilicon conductive layer over the second polysilicon material layer's outermost surface received within and only partially filling the opening, the non-polysilicon conductive layer having a second conductivity which is greater than the first conductivity, the non-polysilicon conductive layer having a planar uppermost surface which is coplanar with the planar uppermost surface of the insulative layer; a capacitor dielectric layer over the conductive material layer; and a capacitor plate over the capacitor dielectric layer.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim 22 words
The capacitor of claim 23 , wherein the capacitor plate comprises a cell plate layer which constitutes a portion of DRAM circuitry.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim 15 words
The capacitor of claim 23 , wherein the second polysilicon material comprises hemispherical grain polysilicon.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim 18 words
The capacitor of claim 23 , wherein the non-polysilicon conductive layer comprises elemental titanium or a titanium alloy.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim 13 words
The capacitor of claim 23 , wherein the non-polysilicon conductive layer comprises TiN.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim 13 words
The capacitor of claim 23 , wherein the non-polysilicon conductive layer comprises platinum.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim 35 words
The capacitor of claim 23 , wherein the capacitor dielectric layer is received over and contacting both the planar uppermost surface of the non-polysilicon conductive layer and the planar uppermost surface of the insulating layer.

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 2005-05-13 2005-11-12 2006-05-14 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2009-05-13 2009-11-12 2010-05-14 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2013-05-13 2013-11-12 2014-05-14 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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