Chapter 2 Modern CMOS Technology
Chapter 2 Modern CMOS Technology
1. Introduction.
2. CMOS process flow.
n-MOS & p-MOS require different channel background doping and source/drain region doping.
In CMOS, the gate is no longer “metal”, it is heavily doped poly-crystalline Si with low resistance.
2
CMOS is required by logic circuits
+V
+V
IN 1 NOR:
Inverter:
Output = IN1+IN2
Output = Input S
PMOS IN 2
D OUTPUT
OUTPUT
INPUT D
NMOS
S Output = GND = 0 if
any Input or both
GND are +V = 1
GND
Inverted to n-type
Body (bulk Si) is commonly tied to ground (0V).
When the gate is at a low voltage: When the gate is at a high voltage:
• P-type body is at low voltage, source-channel- • Positive charge on gate of MOS
drain is N+PN+. capacitor.
• If drain is positive bias (i.e. electrons flow from • Negative charge attracted to the top
the source and ‘drained’ to the drain), the right surface just below the gate oxide.
side PN+ diode is in reverse bias. • Inverts a channel under gate to n-
• Left side N+P is in zero-bias, as source is usually type, source-channel-drain is N+NN+.
connected to the grounded bulk Si. • Now current can flow through n-type
• No current flows through the channel, silicon from source through channel
transistor is OFF to drain, transistor is ON. 4
P-MOSFET (field effect transistor) operation
Since voltage has only a relative meaning. This is equivalent to the situation of:
grounded body/bulk Si, grounded source, negative (< 0V) drain voltage (so holes flow
from source and ‘drained’ to drain).
Then transistor is ON when gate is negatively biased, and OFF when gate is grounded.
5
Transistors as switches
6
CMOS inverter
Inverter:
Output = Input
g=Input=0, NMOS is
off, PMOS is on.
Output=+V=1.
When Input =1,
Output=GND=0
7
CMOS NAND gate
8
Cross-section of the CMOS IC
p
This is what we are going to fabricate in this chapter. 9
Fabrication “toolkit”
• Insulating Layers LPCVD: low pressure chemical vapor
o Oxidation, nitridation deposition.
o Deposition (LPCVD, PECVD, APCVD) PECVD: plasma enhanced CVD.
• Selective doping of silicon APCVD: atmospheric pressure CVD
o Diffusion (in-situ doping) RIE: reactive ion etching
o Ion implantation DRIE: deep RIE.
o Epitaxy (in-situ doping) CMP: chemical mechanical polishing
• Material deposition (silicon, metals, insulators)
o LPCVD
o PECVD
o Sputter deposition
• Patterning of Layers
o Lithography (UV, deep UV, e-beam & x-ray)
• Etching of (deposited) material
o Dry etches—plasma, RIE, sputter etch, DRIE
o Wet etches—etch in liquids, CMP etc
10
Chapter 2 Modern CMOS technology
1. Introduction.
2. CMOS process flow.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LOCOS 14
Alternative process to LOCOS isolation:
shallow trench isolation with filled implants (here P+)
LOCOS:
Bird’s Beak
problem,
unsuitable for
small device.
Mask #2 blocks a B+ implant to form the wells for the NMOS devices.
Typically dose 1013cm-2 @ 150-200 KeV (very high energy).
(Implant dose is in cm-2, doping concentration is in cm-3)
16
N-well formation
Strip photoresist, spin resist and photolithography, ion implantation
Mask #3 blocks a P+ implant to form the wells for the PMOS devices.
Typically 1013 cm-2 @ 300-400 KeV.
(P is heavier than B, so higher energy needed)
17
N- and P- well formation
Remove resist and anneal
18
Threshold voltage (VTH) adjustment
Spin photoresist, photolithography, B+ ion implantation
Implant dose
2 S qN A 2 f qQI
VTH VFB 2 f
COX COX
Figure 2-22
19
Note: section 2.2.5 is skipped
Threshold voltage (VTH) adjustment
Remove resist, then spin photoresist, photolithography, As+ ion implantation
20
Gate oxide growth
Remove resist, etch oxide, re-grow thermal oxide
The thin oxide over the active regions is stripped and a new gate oxide
grown, typically 3 - 5nm, which could be grown in 0.5 - 1 hrs @ 800˚C in O 2.
21
Poly-crystalline silicon deposition
25
Sidewall spacer formation
26
Sidewall spacer formation
29
Drive-in anneal
Remove resist and anneal (diffusion, damage repair and dopant activation)
30
Contact and local interconnect formation
Etch away oxide, deposit Ti
Figure 2-35
31
Contact and local interconnect formation
TiN
(conductive
TiSi2 Anneal in nitrogen
)
The SiO2 layer is often doped with P (PSG – phosphosilicate glass) that
protects the device against mobile ions like Na+.
B may also be added (BPSG – borophosphosilicate glass) to reduce
the flowing temperature of the glass (flow to smooth out the surface,
good for planarization).
34
Surface planarization
Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP)
Besides CMP, planarization can also be done by spinning resist and etching
back, using a recipe where etching rates for resist and glass are the same.
35
Multi-level metal formation
Spin resist, photolithography, oxide etching
Figure 2-40
36
W stud (via) formation
Remove resist, deposit TiN diffusion barrier/adhesion layer and W
37
W stud (via) formation
Polishing
38
Multi-level metal formation
Deposit Al, spin resist, photolithography, selectively etch Al
P
Inter-metal dielectric and second level metal are deposited and defined in the same way
as level #1.
Mask #14 is used to define contact via-holes.
Mask #15 is used to define metal 2.
Passivation/protection layer of Si3N4 is deposited by PECVD and patterned with Mask #16.
Final anneal (400-500oC, 30min, in forming gas – 10% H2 in N2) to alloy the metal contacts
and reduce electrical charges in the Si/SiO2 interfaces. 40
Finish the device
Wire bonding and packaging
41
Top view of an inverter
42
90 nm
generation
transistor and
interconnect Carrier
moves faster
in strained Si
Ni silicide (not Ti silicide).
Only 1.2nm gate oxide.
Strained silicon.
Low-k dielectric (lower ,
than SiO2,) to reduce
capacitance and RC delay
for faster circuit.
Copper interconnect (not
Al) by electroplating and
chemical mechanical
polishing (see next slide).
43
Advanced metallization: Cu based
Dual damascene IC process
44
CMOS interconnects
45