Taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company, ltd. (20240379378). Metal Contacts on Metal Gates and Methods Thereof simplified abstract

Metal Contacts on Metal Gates and Methods Thereof

Organization Name

taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company, ltd.

Inventor(s)

Pang-Sheng Chang of Hsinchu City (TW)

Yu-Feng Yin of Hsinchu County (TW)

Chao-Hsun Wang of Taoyuan County (TW)

Kuo-Yi Chao of Hsinchu City (TW)

Fu-Kai Yang of Hsinchu City (TW)

Mei-Yun Wang of Hsin-Chu (TW)

Feng-Yu Chang of Kaohsiung City (TW)

Chen-Yuan Kao of Hsinchu County (TW)

Chia-Yang Hung of Kaohsiung City (TW)

Chia-Sheng Chang of Hsinchu (TW)

Shu-Huei Suen of Hsinchu County (TW)

Jyu-Horng Shieh of Hsin-Chu City (TW)

Sheng-Liang Pan of Hsin-Chu (TW)

Jack Kuo-Ping Kuo of Hsinchu City (TW)

Shao-Jyun Wu of New Taipei City (TW)

Metal Contacts on Metal Gates and Methods Thereof - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 20240379378 titled 'Metal Contacts on Metal Gates and Methods Thereof

The semiconductor structure described in the patent application includes a metal gate structure with a gate dielectric layer and a gate electrode, a conductive layer on the gate electrode, and a gate contact on the conductive layer. The conductive layer extends both below and above the top surface of the metal gate structure, with the gate electrode containing at least a first metal and the conductive layer containing both the first metal and a second metal different from the first metal. The conductive layer is fully between the opposing sidewalls of the metal gate structure.

• Metal gate structure with gate dielectric layer and gate electrode
• Conductive layer on gate electrode
• Gate contact on conductive layer
• Conductive layer extends below and above top surface of metal gate structure
• Gate electrode contains at least one metal
• Conductive layer contains at least two different metals
• Conductive layer is fully between opposing sidewalls of metal gate structure

Potential Applications: - Advanced semiconductor devices - High-performance electronics - Integrated circuits

Problems Solved: - Improved performance and efficiency of semiconductor structures - Enhanced conductivity and contact properties

Benefits: - Increased speed and reliability of electronic devices - Enhanced functionality of integrated circuits

Commercial Applications: Title: Advanced Semiconductor Devices for High-Performance Electronics This technology could be utilized in the development of next-generation processors, memory chips, and other high-performance electronic devices. The improved conductivity and contact properties offered by this innovation could lead to faster and more efficient electronics, benefiting industries such as telecommunications, computing, and consumer electronics.

Questions about the technology: 1. How does the inclusion of multiple metals in the conductive layer impact the performance of the semiconductor structure? 2. What are the potential challenges in manufacturing semiconductor structures with such complex metal compositions?

Original Abstract Submitted

a semiconductor structure includes a metal gate structure including a gate dielectric layer and a gate electrode, a conductive layer disposed on the gate electrode, and a gate contact disposed on the conductive layer. the conductive layer extends from a position below a top surface of the metal gate structure to a position above the top surface of the metal gate structure. the gate electrode includes at least a first metal, and the conductive layer includes at least the first metal and a second metal different from the first metal. laterally the conductive layer is fully between opposing sidewalls of the metal gate structure.