Ni fully silicided gates for 45 nm CMOS applications

The Ni silicide phases and morphology in Ni fully silicided gates was investigated for varying deposited Ni to Si thickness ratios and rapid thermal processing conditions. The presence of NiSi 2, NiSi, Ni 3Si 2, Ni 2Si, Ni 31Si 12 and Ni 3Si as predominant phases was observed for increasing Ni to Si thickness ratios. In most samples, typically two of these phases were detected by X-ray diffraction. No secondary phases were detected on Ni 3Si samples (Ni to Si thickness ratio ∼1.7). For samples targeting NiSi as gate electrode, RBS and TEM analysis confirmed a layered structure with NiSi at the interface and a Ni-rich silicide layer (Ni 2Si, Ni 3Si 2) on top. Process conditions were determined for the formation of gate electrodes for NiSi, Ni 2Si and Ni 3Si. Only small changes in flat-band voltage or work function were found between these phases on SiO 2 or SiON for undoped samples. While significant changes in work function with dopants were observed for NiSi on SiO 2, little or no effects were found for NiSi on HfSiON (suggesting Fermi-level pinning) and for Ni 2Si on SiO 2. An increase of >300 mV was found from NiSi to Ni 3Si on HfSiON, suggesting unpinning of the Fermi level with the Ni-rich silicide.