Use of band edge gate metals as source drain contacts

Abstract

A method includes providing a semiconductor substrate having intentionally doped surface regions, the intentionally doped surface regions corresponding to locations of a source and a drain of a transistor; depositing a layer a band edge gate metal onto a gate insulator layer in a gate region of the transistor while simultaneously depositing the band edge gate metal onto the surface of the semiconductor substrate to be in contact with the intentionally doped surface regions; and depositing a layer of contact metal over the band edge gate metal in the gate region and in the locations of the source and the drain. The band edge gate metal in the source/drain regions reduces a Schottky barrier height of source/drain contacts of the transistor and serves to reduce contact resistance. A transistor fabricated in accordance with the method is also described.

1 . A method to fabricate a structure, comprising:
 providing a semiconductor substrate having intentionally doped surface regions, the intentionally doped surface regions corresponding to locations of a source and a drain of a transistor;   depositing a layer of a band edge gate metal directly onto a gate insulator layer in a gate region of the transistor while simultaneously depositing the band edge gate metal directly onto the surface of the semiconductor substrate to be in contact with the intentionally doped surface regions; and   depositing a layer of contact metal directly onto the layer of band edge gate metal in the gate region and directly onto the band edge gate metal deposited in the locations of the source and the drain.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , where the transistor is a p-type field effect transistor, where the intentionally doped surface regions are doped with a p-type dopant, and where the band edge gate metal is comprised of at least one of Pt, Ir, Pd, Rh, Co, Ni, Ru, Re, and heir alloys, carbides, and nitrides. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , where the transistor is an n-type field effect transistor, where the intentionally doped surface regions are doped with an n-type dopant, and where the band edge gate metal is comprised of at least one of Al, Ti, Er, Yb, Ta, and their alloys, carbides, and nitrides. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , where the gate insulator layer is comprised of a high dielectric constant gate insulator material. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , where the gate region is formed by a replacement gate process that removes a dummy gate material leaving a gate opening in a dielectric material to expose an underlying surface of the substrate, further comprising forming openings in the dielectric material at locations of the source and the drain, masking the openings in the dielectric material at the locations of the source and the drain; depositing gate insulator material into the gate opening while preventing with the mask the deposition of the gate insulator material into the openings in the dielectric material at the locations of the source and the drain; removing the mask, depositing the band edge gate metal directly onto the gate insulator material in the gate opening and into the openings in the dielectric material at the locations of the source and the drain; and depositing the layer of contact metal over the band edge gate metal. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising removing excess band edge gate metal and contact metal and planarizing a top surface of the structure. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , where the gate region is formed by a gate-first process that removes a dummy gate material forming a gate opening that exposes an underlying surface of the gate insulator layer within the gate opening, further comprising depositing the band edge gate metal directly onto the gate insulator layer in the gate opening and into openings in the dielectric material at the locations of the source and the drain; and depositing the layer of contact metal over the band edge gate metal. 
     
     
         8 . A method to reduce a Schottky barrier height of source/drain contacts of a field effect transistor, comprising:
 forming a gate stack comprising a gate insulator layer that overlies a surface of a semiconductor substrate;   further forming the gate stack by depositing band edge gate metal directly onto the gate insulator layer, while also depositing the band edge gate metal directly onto the surface of the semiconductor substrate at locations of the source/drain contacts; and   further forming the gate stack by depositing contact metal directly onto the deposited band edge gate metal to form a gate contact and source/drain contacts.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , where depositing the band edge gate metal on the gate insulator layer and also onto the surface of the semiconductor substrate simultaneously deposits the same band edge gate metal on the gate insulator layer and also onto the surface of the semiconductor substrate. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , where depositing the contact metal is performed by blanket depositing the contact metal over the band edge metal. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , where the field effect transistor is a p-type field effect transistor, where a surface region of the semiconductor substrate at the locations of the source/drain contacts is doped with a p-type dopant, and where the band edge gate metal is comprised of at least one of Pt, Ir, Pd, Rh, Co. Ni, Ru, Re, and their alloys, carbides, and nitrides. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , where the field effect transistor is an n-type field effect transistor, where a surface region of the semiconductor substrate at the locations of the source/drain contacts is doped with an n-type dopant, and where the band edge gate metal is comprised of at least one of Al, Ti, Er, Yb, Ta, and their alloys, carbides, and nitrides. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , where the gate insulator layer is comprised of a high dielectric constant gate insulator material. 
     
     
         14 . The method of claim , where forming the gate stack comprises a replacement gate process that removes a dummy gate material leaving a gate opening in a dielectric material, and where the gate insulator layer is deposited in the gate opening subsequent to removing the dummy gate material. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 8 , where forming the gate stack comprises a replacement gate process that removes a dummy gate material leaving a gate opening in a dielectric material, and where the gate insulator layer is deposited prior to deposition of the dummy gate material and is exposed within the gate opening subsequent to removing the dummy gate material. 
     
     
         16 .- 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , where depositing the layer of band edge gate metal also deposits the layer of band edge gate metal upon sidewalls of openings formed in a layer of dielectric material at the locations of the source and drain of the transistor. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 1 , where depositing the layer of band edge gate metal also deposits the layer of band edge gate metal upon sidewalls of an opening formed in the gate region. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 8 , where depositing the layer of band edge gate metal also deposits the layer of band edge gate metal upon sidewalls of openings formed in a layer of dielectric material at the locations of the source/drain contacts. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 8 , where depositing the layer of band edge gate metal also deposits the layer of band edge gate metal upon sidewalls of an opening formed at a location of the gate stack.