Abstract:
One illustrative method disclosed herein includes, among other things, forming a source/drain contact structure between two spaced-apart transistor gate structures, recessing the source/drain contact structure to define a source/drain contact etch cavity and depositing a conformal second layer of insulating material above a first layer of insulating material and in the source/drain contact etch cavity. The method also includes forming a third layer of insulating material above the conformal second layer of insulating material, forming an opening in the conformal second layer of insulating material and forming a V0 via that is conductively coupled to the exposed portion of the recessed source/drain contact structure.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     Generally, the present disclosure relates to the manufacture of sophisticated semiconductor devices, and, more specifically, to various methods of forming V0 structures for semiconductor devices that includes recessing a contact structure and various semiconductor devices having the resulting V0 structural configurations. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In modern integrated circuits, such as microprocessors, storage devices and the like, a very large number of circuit elements, especially transistors, are provided and operated on a restricted chip area. Generally, in complex circuitry including complex logic portions, MOS technology is presently a preferred manufacturing technique in view of device performance and/or power consumption and/or cost efficiency. In integrated circuits fabricated using MOS technology, field effect transistors (FETs), such as planar field effect transistors and/or FinFET transistors, are provided that are typically operated in a switched mode, i.e., these transistor devices exhibit a highly conductive state (on-state) and a high impedance state (off-state). The state of the field effect transistor is controlled by a gate electrode, which controls, upon application of an appropriate control voltage, the conductivity of a channel region formed between a drain region and a source region. 
     To improve the operating speed of FETs, and to increase the density of FETs on an integrated circuit device, device designers have greatly reduced the physical size of FETs over the years, particularly the channel length of transistor devices. As a result of the reduced dimensions of the transistor devices, the operating speed of the circuit components has been increased with every new device generation, and the “packing density,” i.e., the number of transistor devices per unit area, in such products has also increased during that time. Such improvements in the performance of transistor devices has reached the point where one limiting factor relating to the operating speed of the final integrated circuit product is no longer the individual transistor element but the electrical performance of the complex wiring system that is formed above the device level where the actual semiconductor-based circuit elements, such as transistors, are formed in and above the semiconductor substrate. 
     Typically, due to the large number of circuit elements and the required complex layout of modern integrated circuits, the electrical connections or “wiring arrangement” for the individual circuit elements cannot be established within the same device level on which the circuit elements are manufactured. Accordingly, the various electrical connections that constitute the overall wiring pattern for the integrated circuit product are formed in one or more additional stacked so-called “metallization layers” that are formed above the device level of the product. These metallization layers are typically comprised of layers of insulating material with conductive metal lines or conductive vias formed in the layers of material. Generally, the conductive lines provide the intra-level electrical connections, while the conductive vias provide the inter-level connections or vertical connections between different levels. These conductive lines and conductive vias may be comprised of a variety of different materials, e.g., copper, with appropriate barrier layers, etc. The first metallization layer in an integrated circuit product is typically referred to as the “M1” layer, while the conductive vias that are used to establish electrical connection between the M1 layer and lower level conductive structures (explained more fully below) are typically referred to as “V0” vias. The conductive lines and conductive vias in these metallization layers are typically comprised of copper, and they are formed in layers of insulating material using known damascene or dual-damascene techniques. Additional metallization layers are formed above the M1 layer, e.g., M2/V1, M3/V2, etc. Within the industry, conductive structures below the V0 level are generally considered to be “device-level” contacts or simply “contacts,” as they contact the “device” (e.g., a transistor) that is formed in the silicon substrate. 
       FIG. 1A  is a cross-sectional view of an illustrative integrated circuit product  10  comprised of a plurality of transistor devices  15  formed in and above a semiconductor substrate  12 . A schematically depicted isolation region  13  has also been formed in the substrate  12 . In the depicted example, the transistor devices  15  are comprised of an illustrative gate structure, i.e., a gate insulation layer  16  and a gate electrode  18 , a gate cap layer  20 , a sidewall spacer  22  and simplistically depicted source/drain regions  24 . At the point of fabrication depicted in  FIG. 1A , layers of insulating material  17 A,  17 B, i.e., interlayer dielectric materials, have been formed above the product  10 . Other layers of material, such as contact etch stop layers and the like, are not depicted in the attached drawings. Also depicted are illustrative source/drain contact structures  28  which include a combination of a so-called “trench silicide” (TS) region  28 A and a metal region  28 B (such as tungsten). In the depicted process flow, the upper surface of the source/drain contact structures  28  is approximately planar with the upper surface of the gate cap layers  20 . Also depicted in  FIG. 1A  are a plurality of so-called “CA contact” structures  32  and an illustrative gate contact structure  31  which is sometimes referred to as a “CB contact” structure. The CA contact structures  32  and the CB contact structure  31  are formed to provide electrical connection between the underlying devices and the V0 via level. The CA contact structures  31  are formed to provide electrical contact to the source/drain contact structures  28 , while the CB contact  31  is formed so as to contact a portion of the gate electrode  18  of one of the transistors  15 . In a plan view (not shown), the CB contact  31  is positioned vertically above the isolation region  13 , i.e., the CB contact  31  is not positioned above the active region defined in the substrate  12 . The CA contact structures  32  may be in the form of discrete contact elements, i.e., one or more individual contact plugs having a generally square-like or cylindrical shape, that are formed in an interlayer dielectric material, as shown in  FIG. 1A . In other applications (not shown in  FIG. 1A ), the CA contact structures  32  may also be a line-type feature that contacts underlying line-type features, e.g., the source/drain contact structures  28  that contact the source/drain region  24  and typically extend across the entire active region on the source/drain region  24 . Typically, the CB contact  31  is in the form of a round or square plug. 
     In one embodiment, the process flow of forming the source/drain contact structures  28 , CA contacts  32  and CB contact  31  may be as follows. After a first layer of insulating material  17 A is deposited, source/drain contact openings are formed in the first layer of insulating material  17 A that expose portions of underlying source/drain regions  24 . Thereafter, traditional silicide  28 A is formed through the source/drain contact openings, followed by forming a metal  28 B (such as tungsten) on the metal silicide regions  28 A, and performing a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process down to the top of the gate cap layer  20 . Then, a second layer of insulating material  17 B is deposited. In older devices, the packing density was such that the openings in the layer of insulating material  17 B for both the CA contact structures  32  and the CB contact structure  31  could be formed using a single patterned etch mask. However, as packing densities have increased with newer device generations, the openings in the layer of insulating material  17 B for the CA contact structures  32  and the CB contact structure  31  are formed separately using two different masking layers—a CA masking layer and a CB masking layer. Thus, in one illustrative process flow, using the CA masking layer, the contact openings for the CA contacts  32  are formed first in the second layer of insulating material  17 B so as to expose portions of the tungsten metallization  28 B of the underlying source/drain contact structure  28 . Then the CA masking layer is removed and the CB masking layer is formed over the second layer of insulating material  17 B and in the previously formed CA contact openings formed therein. Next, using the CB masking layer, the opening for the CB contact  31  is formed in the second layer of insulating material  17 B and through the gate cap layer  20  so as to expose a portion of the gate electrode  18 . Thereafter, the CB masking layer is removed and the CA contacts  32  and the CB contact  31  are formed in their corresponding openings in the second layer of insulating material  17 B by performing one or more common metal deposition and CMP process operations, using the second layer of insulating material  17 B as a polish-stop layer to remove excess material positioned outside of the contact openings. The CA contacts  32  and CB contact  31  typically contain a uniform body of metal, e.g., tungsten, and may also include one or more metallic barrier layers (not shown) positioned between the uniform body of metal and the layer of insulating material  17 B. The source/drain contact structures  28 , the CA contacts  32  and the CB contact  31  are all considered to be device-level contacts within the industry. 
     Also depicted in  FIG. 1A  is the first metallization layer—the so-called M1 layer—of the multi-level metallization system for the product  10  formed in a layer of insulating material  34 , e.g., a low-k insulating material. A plurality of conductive vias—so-called V0 vias  40 —are provided to establish electrical connection between the device-level contacts—CA contacts  32  and the CB contact  31 —and the M1 layer. The M1 layer typically includes a plurality of metal lines  38  that are routed as needed across the product  10 . 
       FIGS. 1B-1F  depict a semiconductor device with self-aligned contacts where a line-type CA structure  30  ( FIG. 1C ) was formed using one illustrative prior art technique. In this illustrative example, the CA contact structure  30  is not formed in a separate layer of insulating material, as was the CA contact structures  32  (in the layer  17 B) described above. Rather, in this process flow, the upper metal portion of the source/drain contact structure (positioned below the level of the gate cap layers  20 ) serves as the “CA contact structure.” In this process flow, only the CB contact is formed above the gate cap layers  20  in a separate layer of insulating material. That is, using this process flow, the formation of a separate CA contact in a layer of insulating material positioned above the level of the gate cap layers  20  is omitted, and only a single masking layer—the CB masking layer—is used to form the equivalent of the CA contacts  32  and the gate contact  31  described above. However, relative to the process flow described in connection with  FIG. 1A  above, this process flow does require the formation of an extended-length V0 via to contact the CA contact structure  30 , as described more fully below. 
       FIG. 1B  depicts an illustrative prior art integrated circuit product  10  comprised of first and second transistors  15 A,  15 B formed in and above a semiconductor substrate  12 . In the depicted example, each of the transistors  15 A,  15 B is comprised of the gate insulation layer  16  and the gate electrode  18 , the gate cap layer  20  and a sidewall spacer  22 . Typically, the gate cap layer  20  and the sidewall spacer  22  are made of a material such as silicon nitride and their purpose is to effectively encapsulate and protect the gate structure. The gate structure may be formed using either gate first or replacement gate techniques. In the case where the gate structure is formed using replacement gate techniques, the cap layer  20  is formed after a sacrificial gate structure (not shown) is removed and after a replacement gate structure (e.g., high-k insulation layer and one or more metal layers is formed in the position previously occupied by the removed sacrificial gate structure). With continuing reference to  FIG. 1B , also depicted are illustrative raised source/drain regions  24  and a layer of insulating material  26  (e.g., silicon dioxide) that is formed above the product  10  and planarized. 
       FIGS. 1B-1F  will only depict the formation of a source/drain contact structure between the gate structures  15 A,  15 B so as to facilitate explanation. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in practice, a corresponding source/drain contact structure will be formed for all of the source/drain regions, i.e., on the source/drain region to the left of the gate structure  15 A and on the source/drain region to the right of the gate structure  15 B. 
     Accordingly,  FIG. 1C  depicts the product  10  after several process operations were performed to form a so-called self-aligned contact that is conductively coupled to the raised source/drain region  24 . First, a patterned etch mask (not shown) was formed above the product  10  so as to expose the area between the gate structures  15 A- 15 B. Thereafter, at least the insulating material  26  was etched selectively relative to the sidewall spacers  22  and the gate cap layer  20  to thereby expose the raised source/drain region  24 . Next, the patterned etch mask was removed and a trench silicide structure  28 A was formed on the exposed source/drain region  24  by performing traditional silicide processing operations. Thereafter, a line-type CA contact structure  30  comprised of, for example, tungsten, was formed so as to be conductively coupled to the trench silicide structure  28 A. In one embodiment, the line-type CA contact structure  30  may be formed of a material such as tungsten and it may extend across substantially the entire active region of the substrate  12 , just like the trench silicide structure  28 A. In one particular example, the line-type CA contact structure  30  may be formed by overfilling the area above the trench silicide structure  28 A with tungsten and thereafter performing a CMP process. 
       FIG. 1D  depicts the product  10  after several process operations were performed. First, a layer of material  32  having a substantially uniform thickness was formed above the product depicted in  FIG. 1C . The substantially uniform thickness of the layer of material  32  may vary depending upon the particular application. In one example, the layer of material  32  may be a material such as N-block (SiCNH). Thereafter, a patterned layer of insulating material  34 , such as a low-k material (k value less than 3.3), having an opening  34 A formed therein, was formed above the layer of material  32 . The product depicted in  FIG. 1D  is the result of initially blanket depositing the layer of insulating material  34  above the product  10 , and thereafter patterning the layer of material  34  through a patterned etch mask (not shown) so as to form the patterned layer of insulating material  34 , with the opening  34 A, as depicted in  FIG. 1D . 
       FIG. 1E  depicts the product  10  after several process operations were performed. First, the layer of material  32  was patterned using a patterned etch mask (not shown) so as to define the opening  32 A, as depicted in  FIG. 1E . The opening  32 A is for the conductive V0 via  40  that will be subsequently formed therein. Ideally, the opening  32 A will be relatively large in the lateral width direction so that the resulting V0 via  40  will also be relatively large—a “fat” V0. A relatively larger V0 is desirable in that it reduces the electrical resistance of the V0 structure  40  and it makes it easier to actually contact the underlying CA contact  30 , i.e., the chances of missing the CA contact  30  decrease if the V0 via is relatively wide. Then, the conductive lines  38  and conductive V0 vias  40  were formed in the openings  34 A,  32 A, respectively, by depositing one or more conductive materials, e.g., barrier layers and copper, and performing a polarization process to remove excess conductive materials positioned outside of the opening  34 A.  FIG. 1E  depicts an idealized V0 structure  40  that results when the etch process that is performed to form the opening  32 A in the material layer  32  is timed perfectly such that there is effectively no consumption of the underlying gate cap layers  20  exposed by the opening  32 A. Note that, in this process flow, the V0 via must extend down to at least the level of the upper surface of the gate cap layer  20  so that electrical contact may be made to the CA contact  30 . 
       FIG. 1F  depicts a situation wherein the idealized V0 structure  40  depicted in  FIG. 1D  is not achieved. As noted above, the opening  32 A in the material layer  32  is formed such that it is relatively wide so that the ultimate V0 via will also be relatively wide or “fat.” As shown in  FIG. 1F , the width of the opening  32 A is such that it typically overlaps the gate cap layer  20  of one or both of the transistors, as indicated by the dimensioned arrows  35 . Unfortunately, there is typically little etch selectivity between the material of the material layer  32 , which is frequently N-block, and the material of the gate cap layers  20 , which is typically silicon nitride. As a result, if the etch process that is performed to form the opening  32 A in the material layer  32  is not timed perfectly, some or all of the underlying gate cap  20  may also be consumed, thereby exposing a portion of the gate electrode  18 . As a result, when the V0 via  40  is formed, the V0 via  40  may actually contact the exposed gate structures  18 , as indicated in the dashed lines  37 . Such a situation results in an electrical short between at least the V0 structure  40  (and perhaps the CA contact  30 ) and the gate electrode  18 . Such a situation can result in complete device failure. 
     The present disclosure is directed to various methods of forming V0 structures for semiconductor devices, and various semiconductor devices having the resulting V0 structural configurations, that may solve or reduce one or more of the problems identified above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is discussed later. 
     Generally, the present disclosure is directed to various methods of forming V0 structures for semiconductor devices that includes recessing a contact structure and various semiconductor devices having the resulting V0 structural configurations. One illustrative method disclosed herein includes, among other things, forming a source/drain contact structure between two spaced-apart transistor gate structures, recessing the source/drain contact structure to define a recessed source/drain contact having a recessed upper surface, wherein the recessing of the source/drain contact structure defines a source/drain contact etch cavity, and performing a conformal deposition process to deposit a conformal second layer of insulating material above a first layer of insulating material, in the source/drain contact etch cavity and on the recessed upper surface of the recessed source/drain contact. In this example the method also includes forming a third layer of insulating material above the conformal second layer of insulating material, forming an opening in the conformal second layer of insulating material so as to expose at least a portion of the recessed upper surface of the recessed source/drain contact, and forming a V0 via such that it is conductively coupled to the exposed portion of the recessed source/drain contact structure, the V0 via being at least partially positioned in the opening in the conformal second layer of insulating material. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure may be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which: 
         FIGS. 1A-1F  depict a semiconductor device with self-aligned contacts where a line-type CA structure was formed using one illustrative prior art technique; 
         FIGS. 2A-2F  depict various illustrative methods disclosed herein for forming V0 structures for semiconductor devices and devices that include the resulting V0 structural configurations; and 
         FIGS. 3A-3J  depict other illustrative methods disclosed herein for forming V0 structures for semiconductor devices that includes recessing a contact structure and devices that include the resulting V0 structural configurations. 
     
    
    
     While the subject matter disclosed herein is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Various illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers&#39; specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     The present subject matter will now be described with reference to the attached figures. Various structures, systems and devices are schematically depicted in the drawings for purposes of explanation only and so as to not obscure the present disclosure with details that are well known to those skilled in the art. Nevertheless, the attached drawings are included to describe and explain illustrative examples of the present disclosure. The words and phrases used herein should be understood and interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the understanding of those words and phrases by those skilled in the relevant art. No special definition of a term or phrase, i.e., a definition that is different from the ordinary and customary meaning as understood by those skilled in the art, is intended to be implied by consistent usage of the term or phrase herein. To the extent that a term or phrase is intended to have a special meaning, i.e., a meaning other than that understood by skilled artisans, such a special definition will be expressly set forth in the specification in a definitional manner that directly and unequivocally provides the special definition for the term or phrase. 
     The present disclosure is directed to various methods of forming V0 structures for semiconductor devices that includes recessing a contact structure, and various semiconductor devices having the resulting V0 structural configurations. As will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a complete reading of the present application, the methods disclosed herein may be employed with a variety of different technologies, e.g., NMOS, PMOS, CMOS, etc., and in manufacturing a variety of different integrated circuit products, including, but not limited to, logic products, memory products, etc. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present application, the methods disclosed herein may also be employed when manufacturing a variety of different type devices, e.g., planar devices, FinFET devices, nanowire devices, etc. Lastly, the gate structures for the illustrative transistor devices depicted herein may be formed using either “gate-first” or “replacement gate” manufacturing techniques. With reference to the attached figures, various illustrative embodiments of the methods and devices disclosed herein will now be described in more detail. 
       FIGS. 2A-2F  depict various illustrative methods disclosed herein for forming V0 structures.  FIG. 2A  is a simplified view of an illustrative semiconductor product  100  at an early stage of manufacturing that corresponds to that depicted in  FIG. 1C  above, i.e., after a line-type CA contact  30  was formed. That is, the CA contact  30  depicted in these drawings was formed without the use of a traditional CA masking layer.  FIGS. 2A-2F  will depict the formation of a source/drain contact structure (i.e., the TS structure  28 A and the CA contact  30 ) above each of the source/drain regions  24 . As depicted, the upper surfaces of the CA contact  30  are substantially planar with the upper surface of the gate cap layers  20 . 
       FIG. 2B  depicts the product  100  after a layer of material  102  having a non-uniform thickness was formed on the product. More specifically, the non-uniform thickness layer of material  102  is formed such that its thickness  102 B above the silicon nitride gate cap layers  20  is substantially thicker than its thickness  102 A above the tungsten CA contact structures  30 . In one illustrative embodiment, the non-uniform thickness layer of material  102  may be formed such that the thickness  102 B is at least 10-30 nm greater than the thickness  102 A. In absolute terms, the thickness  102 A may fall within the range of about 5-25 nm, while the thickness  102 B may fall within the range of about 15-55 nm. In one illustrative example, the non-uniform thickness layer of material  102  may be a layer of silicon nitride that is formed by the TELOS process (by LAM Research™) wherein the silicon nitride material selectively forms on the silicon nitride gate cap layer  20  at a much faster rate than it does on the tungsten CA contacts  30 . In general, this process operation involves coating the upper metal surface of the tungsten CA contacts  30  with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM—not shown) so as to retard the growth of the layer of material  102  above the CA contacts  30 . Generally, this SAM makes the metal surface hydrophobic. Accordingly, the layer of material  102  will grow at a faster rate above the silicon nitride gate cap layers  20  than it does above the upper metal surfaces of the metal CA contacts  30 . 
       FIG. 2C  depicts the product  100  a layer of insulating material  104 , such as a low-k material (k value less than 3.3), was blanket deposited above the product  100 . 
       FIG. 2D  depicts the product  100  after the layer of insulating material  104  was patterned using a patterned etch mask (not shown) so as to define an opening  104 A in the layer of insulating material  104 . The opening  104 A exposes a portion of the non-uniform thickness layer of material  102  for further processing. 
       FIG. 2E  depicts the product  100  after several process operations were performed. First, a patterned etch mask  105  (such as a patterned layer of photoresist) having an opening  105 A was formed above the product  100 . The opening  105 A corresponds to an opening for a V0 via that will be formed in the non-uniform thickness layer of material  102  to establish electrical contact to the underlying CA contact  30 . So as to facilitate explanation, only the formation of a V0 via for the middle CA contact  30  will be depicted in the following drawings. Of course, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a similar V0 via will be formed for each of the CA contacts  30 . Thereafter, an etching process was performed through the patterned etch mask  105  so as to define an opening  102 X in the non-uniform thickness layer of material  102 . The opening  102 X exposes at least a portion of the underlying CA contact  30 . Some recessing of the exposed portion of the CA contact  30  may occur during this etching process, but such recessing is not depicted in the attached drawings. 
     In the depicted example, the lateral width  105 X of the opening  105 A is such that it overlaps the gate electrode  18  of one of the transistors. More specifically, the opening  105 A exposes both the thinner ( 102 A) and thicker ( 102 B) portions of the non-uniform thickness layer of material  102 . Due to the presence of the thicker portions  102 B of the non-uniform thickness layer of material  102  above the gate electrode, there is more material present to protect the gate electrode, e.g., the combined thickness of the gate cap layer  20  plus the thicker portion  102 B of the non-uniform thickness layer of material  102 . Additionally, the thicker material that is present above the gate electrode provides a greater process window when performing the etching process as the etching process does not have to be timed as accurately as when a uniform thickness layer of material (such as the layer  32  shown in  FIG. 1D ) was formed above the gate cap layers  20 . Moreover, due to the presence of the thicker portions  102 B of the non-uniform thickness layer of material  102 , the lateral width  105 X of the opening  105 A, and the corresponding via opening  102 X, may be made larger, thereby resulting in a larger V0 structure, which is desirable. 
     Next, as shown in  FIG. 2F , after the patterned etch mask  105  was removed, known process operations were performed to form a conductive V0 via  106  and a conductive metal line  108  in the M1 metallization layer. These conductive structures may be comprised of a variety of different materials, e.g., copper, and may also include one or more barrier layers (not shown). In general, conductive materials may be formed in the openings  102 X and  104 A, and one or more CMP processes may be performed to planarize the upper surface of the layer  104  and to remove excess conductive material positioned outside of the opening  104 A. At the point of fabrication depicted in  FIG. 2F , additional metallization layers (not shown) may be formed above the M1 layer, e.g., M2/V1, M3/V2, etc. 
       FIGS. 3A-3J  depict other illustrative methods disclosed herein for forming V0 structures for semiconductor devices and devices that include the resulting V0 structural configurations. In this illustrative process flow, the CA contact  30  will be formed using a CA masking layer (not shown).  FIGS. 3A-3J  will depict the formation of a source/drain contact structure above only the middle source/drain region  24  so as to facilitate explanation of the present subject matter. Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in practice, a corresponding source/drain contact structure will be formed for all of the source/drain regions, i.e., on the source/drain region to the left of the gate structure  15 A and on the source/drain region to the right of the gate structure  15 B.  FIG. 3A  is a simplified view of an illustrative semiconductor product  100  at an early stage of manufacturing after the source/drain regions  24  and the gate structures were formed and after a planarization process was performed on a layer of insulating material  26 , e.g., silicon dioxide. Thereafter, another layer of insulating material  27 , e.g., silicon nitride or silicon dioxide, was formed above the gate cap layers  20  and the layer of insulating material  26 . In this example, the gate structures may replacement gate structures wherein the cap layers  20  were formed after the materials for the replacement gate structure were formed in the space (gate cavity) between the sidewall spacers  22  and recessed. 
       FIG. 3B  depicts the product  100  after several process operations were performed to form a so-called self-aligned contact that is conductively coupled to the middle raised source/drain region  24 . First, a patterned etch mask (a CA etch mask—not shown) was formed above the product  10  so as to expose the area between the gate structures  15 A- 15 B. Thereafter, one or more etching processes were performed through the patterned CA etch mask to selectively remove portions of at least the layers of insulating material  26 ,  27  relative to the sidewall spacers  22  and the gate cap layer  20 . This process operation exposes the raised source/drain region  24 . Next, the patterned CA etch mask was removed and the above-described trench silicide (TS) structure  28 A was formed on the exposed source/drain region  24  by performing traditional silicide processing operations. Thereafter, a line-type CA contact structure  30  comprised of, for example, tungsten, was formed so as to be conductively coupled to the trench silicide structure  28 A. In one particular example, the line-type CA contact structure  30  may be formed by overfilling the area above the trench silicide structure  28 A with tungsten and thereafter performing a CMP process to planarize the upper surface of the layer  27  and thereby remove any excess conductive materials. 
       FIG. 3C  depicts the product  100  after a recess etching process is performed to remove at least some of the layer  27 , and, in the depicted example, substantially all of the layer  27  relative to the surrounding materials. This recess etching process exposes an upper portion of the CA contact structure  30 . 
     Then, as shown in  FIG. 3D , a layer of insulating material  120  was formed on the product  100  and a CMP process was performed. The layer of insulating material  120  may be comprised of a variety of different materials, e.g., silicon nitride, etc., and it may be formed using traditional techniques, e.g., chemical vapor deposition (CVD), etc. At this point, the layer of insulating material  120  may have a thickness that falls within the range of about 15-30 nm. At the point depicted in  FIG. 3D , the upper surface of the layer of insulating material  120  is at or near the same level as the upper surface of the CA contact structure  30 . 
     Next, as shown in  FIG. 3E , a contact recess etching process is performed to reduce the height or thickness of the CA contact structure  30 . This recessing operation results in the formation of a CA contact etch cavity  121  above the recessed CA contact structure  30 . This recess etching process also results in the formation of an opening  122  in the layer of insulating material  120 . At this point in fabrication, the opening  122  has a lateral width  122 A. 
       FIG. 3F  depicts the product after a timed isotropic etching process was performed on the layer of insulating material  120 . This etching process has the effect of increasing the lateral width of the opening  122  to a larger dimension  122 B and also results in a thinning of the layer of insulating material  120 , which has now been re-labeled with the number  120 A to reflect its reduced thickness. In one illustrative embodiment, the reduced thickness layer of material  120 A may have a thickness of about 6-15 nm. This process operation also has the effect of increasing the lateral width of the CA contact etch cavity  121 , which has now been re-labeled with the number  121 A to reflect its increased lateral width. 
       FIG. 3G  depicts the product  100  after several process operations were performed. First, a conformably deposited layer of insulating material  124  is formed on the product  100 . In one illustrative embodiment, the layer of insulating material  124  may have a thickness of about 5-20 nm, and it may be formed by performing a conformal CVD process. The layer of insulating material  124  may only partially fill the CA contact etch cavity  121 A. The layer of insulating material  124  may be comprised of a variety of different insulating materials, e.g., silicon nitride, N-Block, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbon boron nitride, etc. Next, the above-described layer of insulating material  104  was blanket deposited above the product  100 . 
       FIG. 3H  depicts the product  100  after the layer of insulating material  104  was patterned using a patterned etch mask (not shown) so as to define the opening  104 A in the layer of insulating material  104 . The opening  104 A exposes a portion of the layer of insulating material  124  for further processing. 
       FIG. 3I  depicts the product  100  after several process operations were performed. First, a patterned etch mask  107  (such as a patterned layer of photoresist) having an opening  107 A was formed above the product  100 . The opening  107 A corresponds to an opening for a V0 via that will be formed in the layer of insulating material  124  to establish electrical contact to the underlying CA contact  30 . So as to facilitate explanation, only the formation of a V0 via for the middle CA contact  30  will be depicted in the following drawings. Of course, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a similar V0 via will be formed for each of the CA contacts  30 . Thereafter, an etching process was performed through the patterned etch mask  107  so as to define an opening  124 X in the layer of insulating material  124 . The opening  124 X exposes at least a portion of the underlying CA contact  30  (that was exposed prior to the formation of the layer of insulating material  124  (see  FIG. 3E )). 
     In the depicted example, the lateral width  107 X of the opening  107 A is such that it overlaps the gate electrode  18  of one of the transistors on the left. However, due to the presence of the reduced thickness layer of material  120 A being positioned vertically above the gate electrode, there is more material present to protect the gate electrode, e.g., the combined thickness of the gate cap layer  20  plus the thickness of the reduced thickness layer of material  120 A. Additionally, by recessing the CA contact structure  30  (and thereby forming the CA contact etch cavity  121  (or  121 A) and the opening  122  in the layer of insulating material  120 / 120 A) prior to forming the layer of insulating material  124 , there is less protective material above the CA contact structure  30  than there is above the gate electrode. This provides a greater process window when performing the etching process on the layer of insulating material  124  as the etching process does not have to be timed as accurately as when a uniform thickness layer of material (such as the layer  32  shown in  FIG. 1D ) was formed above the gate cap layers  20  and the CA contact structure  30 . Moreover, due to the presence of the thicker portions of material above the gate electrodes, the lateral width  107 X of the opening  107 A, and the corresponding via opening  124 X, may be made larger, thereby resulting in a larger V0 structure. 
     Next, as shown in  FIG. 3J , after the patterned etch mask  107  was removed, known process operations were performed to form the above-described conductive V0 via  106  and a conductive metal line  108  in the M1 metallization layer. At the point of fabrication depicted in  FIG. 3J , additional metallization layers (not shown) may be formed above the M1 layer, e.g., M2/V1, M3/V2, etc. 
     The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. For example, the process steps set forth above may be performed in a different order. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below.