Finfet devices including high mobility channel materials with materials of graded composition in recessed source/drain regions

A finFET device can include a high mobility semiconductor material in a fin structure that can provide a channel region for the finFET device. A source/drain recess can be adjacent to the fin structure and a graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material, that includes a component of the high mobility semiconductor material, can be located in the source/drain recess.

BACKGROUND

The parasitic series resistance of a finFET device can be an issue in addressing the performance of those devices, particularly when the channel length is reduced. Two components of the total parasitic resistance are the contact resistance between the metal contact and the semiconductor fin, and the spreading resistance of the doped region of the semiconductor fin.

Whether one or the other component is dominant may depend on the barrier height presented by the metal/semiconductor interface. For example, a relatively high barrier height (e.g., 300 meV or more) may result in the total parasitic resistance being dominated by the contact resistance, whereas with a smaller barrier height (on the order of 100 meV or less), the dominant component of the total parasitic resistance may be the spreading resistance.

Parasitic resistance is discussed further, for example, in U.S. Patent Publication numbers 2006/0202266 and 2009/0166742, the disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

SUMMARY

Embodiments according to the invention can provide finFET devices including high mobility channel materials with materials of graded composition in a recessed source/drain regions and methods of forming the same. Pursuant to these embodiments, a finFET device can include a high mobility semiconductor material in a fin structure that can provide a channel region for the finFET device. A source/drain recess can be adjacent to the fin structure and a graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material, that includes the high mobility semiconductor material, can be located in the source/drain recess.

In some embodiments according to the inventive concept, an uppermost surface of the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material is recessed below an uppermost surface of the fin structure. In some embodiments according to the inventive concept, the finFET device can further include a source/drain contact recess in the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material, where the source/drain contact recess has a depth that is limited to a point where beyond which an incremental decrease in the spreading resistance value associated with the horizontal interface is less than an incremental increase in the total resistance.

In some embodiments according to the inventive concept, the finFET device can further include a metal-semiconductor alloy on the uppermost surface of the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material and a metal on the metal-semiconductor alloy. In some embodiments according to the inventive concept, the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material can include a high mobility semiconductor material rich composition contacting the high mobility semiconductor material of the fin structure at a channel interface and including a high mobility semiconductor material lean composition in the alloy farthest from the channel interface.

In some embodiments according to the inventive concept, the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material can include a maximum reduction in an amount of the high mobility semiconductor material in the alloy of about 2% per Angstrom. In some embodiments according to the inventive concept, the high mobility semiconductor material rich composition has a component equal to that of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material in the fin structure and the high mobility semiconductor material lean composition has a component about zero.

In some embodiments according to the inventive concept, the high mobility semiconductor material rich composition has a component within +/−30% of being equal to that of a component in the high mobility semiconductor material in the fin structure and the high mobility semiconductor material lean composition has a component within 0-25% of that of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material.

In some embodiments according to the inventive concept, the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material can include a decreasing composition of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material as a distance from the channel interface increases. In some embodiments according to the inventive concept, a component of the high mobility semiconductor material in the fin structure comprises Ge or Ga and the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material comprises SiGe or InGaAs, respectively.

In some embodiments according to the inventive concept, the finFET device can be an N type finFET device having a first composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material in the source/drain recess, and the finFET device can further include a P type finFET device including a second composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material in a second source/drain recess.

In some embodiments according to the inventive concept, a finFET device can include a high mobility semiconductor material in a fin structure, providing a channel region for the finFET device. A source/drain recess can be adjacent to the fin structure and a graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material can include a component of the high mobility semiconductor material in the source/drain recess, where the alloy material can have an uppermost surface that is recessed below an uppermost surface of the fin structure, and can include a high mobility semiconductor material rich composition contacting a channel interface and including a high mobility semiconductor material lean composition farthest from the channel interface in the alloy material. A source/drain contact recess can be in the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material and a metal can be in the source/drain contact recess. In some embodiments according to the inventive concept, the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material can include a maximum reduction in an amount of the high mobility semiconductor material of about 2% per Angstrom.

In some embodiments according to the inventive concept, a method of forming a finFET device can be provided by forming a fin structure including a high mobility semiconductor material to provide a channel region for the finFET device and forming a source/drain recess, adjacent to the fin structure. A graded composition semiconductor alloy material can be epitaxially formed to include a component of the high mobility semiconductor material in the source/drain recess so that the alloy material includes a high mobility semiconductor material rich composition in contact with the high mobility semiconductor material at a channel interface and includes a high mobility semiconductor material lean composition that is farthest from the channel interface in the alloy material. A metal-semiconductor alloy can be formed with a portion of the alloy that includes the high mobility semiconductor material lean composition and a metal can be formed on the metal-semiconductor alloy.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION

Example embodiments are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many different forms and embodiments are possible without deviating from the spirit and teachings of this disclosure and so the disclosure should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the sizes and relative sizes of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity. Like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout.

Example embodiments of the inventive concepts are described herein with reference to cross-sectional illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments and intermediate structures of example embodiments. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, example embodiments of the inventive concepts should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes illustrated herein but include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing.

FIGS. 1A-Cinclude views illustrating a finFET device with a fin structure100including a high mobility semiconductor material and an adjacent recess105including a remaining portion of a graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110recessed to a depth “D” to provide a source/drain contact recess140on a source/drain region115for the finFET device in some embodiments according to the invention.

In some embodiments according to the invention, a metal-semiconductor alloy layer125can be formed on the alloy material110in the recess140and a metal can be deposited thereon to provide a contact to the source/drain region115and the channel region of the fin structure100. A gate101can cross-over the fin structure100and can be used in operation of the finFET to control conduction of charge in the channel region. In some embodiments according to the invention, no recess140is formed within the alloy material110.

The high mobility semiconductor material included in the fin structure100can be any semiconductor material that promotes increased mobility of majority carriers in the channel region that is provided for by the finFET structure100. In some embodiments according to the invention, a component of the high mobility semiconductor material can be germanium (Ge) introduced into a silicon lattice to provide a fin structure including a high mobility semiconductor material such as SiGe. In some embodiments according to the invention, the only component of the high mobility semiconductor material included in the fin structure100is Ge, to provide a fin structure100including only Ge. In still other embodiments according to the invention, a component of the high mobility semiconductor material can be Gallium (Ga), which can be included in a lattice of Indium (In) and Arsenic (As) to provide InGaAs as the semiconductor material in the fin structure100. It will be further understood that the high mobility semiconductor material included in the fin structure100can be a combination of different semiconductor materials in Groups III-V or II-VI.

It will be understood that in some embodiments according to the invention, the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material (i.e., alloy material)110can be an alloy of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material included in the fin structure100and at least one other semiconductor material. For example, in some embodiments according to the invention, where a component of the high mobility semiconductor material in the fin structure100is Ge, the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110can be an alloy of Si and Ge (i.e., SiGe), the particular composition of which varies within the alloy material itself as a function of distance from, for example, where the graded SiGe alloy material contacts the SiGe (or Ge) channel. Still further, in some embodiments according to the invention, when a component of the high mobility semiconductor material included in the fin structure100is Ga, the alloy material110can be an alloy of In, As, and Ga (i.e., InGaAs) the particular composition of which varies within the alloy material itself as a function of distance from, for example, where the graded InGaAs alloy material contacts the InGaAs channel. Other semiconductor materials may also be used to provide the alloy.

Still further, it will be understood that in some embodiments according to the invention, the composition of the epi-grown semiconductor alloy material is graded as a function of the distance from the surface on which the semiconductor alloy material is epitaxially grown. For example, in some embodiments according to the invention, the composition of the alloy material110gradually changes as the epi-growth proceeds. In some embodiments according to the invention, the amount of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material included in the alloy material110decreases with the distance from vertical interface106to the fin structure100. Similarly, the amount of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material included in the alloy material110also decreases with the distance from a horizontal interface107to the fin structure100.

In some embodiments according to the invention, when the fin structure100includes a component of the high mobility semiconductor material being Ge in a Si lattice (i.e., SiGe), the alloy material110can be formed so that the composition thereof at the vertical interface106(or the horizontal interface107) is substantially the same as that provided in the fin structure100. However, the amount of Ge included in the alloy material110can be gradually reduced as the epi-growth proceeds until the amount of Ge reaches a minimum at an uppermost surface of the alloy material110, where the metal-semiconductor alloy125can be formed.

In some embodiments according to the invention, when the fin structure100includes a component of the high mobility semiconductor material being Si in a Ge lattice (i.e., SiGe), the alloy material110can be formed so that the composition thereof at the vertical interface106(or the horizontal interface107) is substantially the same as that provided in the fin structure100. However, the amount of Si included in the alloy material110can be gradually reduced as the epi-growth proceeds until the amount of Si reaches a minimum at an uppermost surface of the alloy material110, where the metal-semiconductor alloy125can be formed.

It will be understood, therefore, that the composition of the alloy material110can be rich in a component of the high mobility semiconductor material at the interface to the fin structure100, but smoothly transitions to a lean composition of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material at the portion of the alloy material110where the metal-semiconductor alloy125may be formed.

The rich composition of the alloy material100, at the interface to the channel, can be similar to that of the fin structure100to reduce the formation of defects during the epi-growth of the semiconductor alloy material110. The lean composition of the alloy material110, at the contact, can be such that a relatively low barrier height is formed with, for example, the metal-semiconductor alloy125(or metal contact140if the metal-semiconductor alloy125is not present). The graded composition of the epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110may avoid significant abrupt changes or discontinuities in the lattice structure of the alloy material110to promote both a low defect material as well as a low resistivity/low barrier height contact to the channel included in the fin structure100.

In some embodiments, an additional component, but not of the high mobility semiconductor material, may be incorporated in the epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110at a particular point during the epi growth, and may not be incorporated in the epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110at another particular point during the epi growth, without introducing significant abrupt changes or discontinuities in the lattice structure of the alloy material110.

FIGS. 2A-Care graphs illustrating different composition profiles for the alloy material110in some embodiments according to the invention. According toFIG. 2A, the profile for the alloy is shown as being rich in a component of the high mobility semiconductor material at, or close to, the channel interface (vertical106and horizontal107) to the fin structure100. Moreover, as the distance, z, is increased from the channel interface, the amount of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material included in the alloy110is gradually reduced until reaching a targeted lean composition at a point where the metal contact may be provided to the alloy material110. For example, as shown inFIG. 2A, the amount of a component of high mobility semiconductor material in the alloy110gradually decreases as shown by gradations A-F as the distance z increases. It will be understood that although the concentrations A-F of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material in the alloy110can represent discrete levels, the transitions between these levels are gradual to avoid any significant abrupt changes in the lattice structure, which may help avoid the formation of defects in the alloy material110during epi-growth. It will be understood that other types of gradual changes from the rich to the lean composition of high mobility semiconductor material can be utilized, including linear and non-linear gradations.

In some embodiments according to the invention, the maximum change in the amount of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material included in the alloy110is about 1% per Å. In some embodiments according to the invention, the maximum change in the amount of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material included in the alloy110is less than 2% per Å. In some embodiments according to the invention, a component of the high mobility semiconductor material rich composition is within about 30% of being equal to that of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material included in the fin structure100, whereas a component of the high mobility semiconductor material lean composition can be within about 0-25% of that of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material included in the fin structure100. In other words, in some embodiments according to the invention, the rich composition may be provided by having slightly more or less of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material in the alloy110than what is included in the fin structure100, whereas the lean composition can be at zero, but not necessarily equal to zero, and still provide many of the same benefits of other embodiments according to the invention.

FIGS. 2B and 2Cshow different profiles of graded composition of the alloy material110in some embodiments according to the invention that are different from those shown inFIG. 2A. As shown inFIG. 2B, the profile of the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110can be different for different types of dopants used to form the source/drain115. An alloy material110included in a device having a source/drain115that is doped with a first electrically active species (i.e., n- or p-type) can have a composition that is constant over the distance from the channel interface. In some embodiments, the composition that is constant has a component of the high mobility semiconductor material in the alloy110within about 30% of being equal to that of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material included in the fin structure100. In contrast, however, a semiconductor alloy material110in a device having a source/drain115that is doped with a second electrically active species (i.e., n- or p-type) can have a graded composition as described, for example, in conjunction withFIG. 2A.

As shown inFIG. 2C, in some embodiments according to the invention, source/drains115having different types of dopants can have different alloy materials110formed thereon where each has a different graded composition profile. For example, a second doped species can be formed with a linear graded composition profile whereas the first doped species can be a non-linear graded profile. Other types of grading profiles may also be used in each of the embodiments described inFIGS. 2A-C.

FIGS. 3-8are cross-sectional views illustrating the formation of finFET devices including graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy materials on the source/drains thereof in some embodiments according to the invention. According toFIG. 3, a fin structure100is formed of a fin material which can include a component of the high mobility semiconductor material, such as Ge, Ga, or other elements included in Groups II, III, IV, V, or VI. In particular, the fin structure100can be formed of Si combined with Ge as the high mobility semiconductor material to provide a fin structure100of SiGe. In still other embodiments according to the invention, the semiconductor material included in the fin structure100can be InGaAs, where Ga is the component of the high mobility semiconductor material included therein. The high mobility semiconductor material can be formed in the fin structure100using any process to provide the semiconductor material in the fin structure with any composition that provides a high mobility material for the finFET device.

The fin structure100is formed to provide a recess105adjacent to the fin, which is partially defined by a vertical channel interface106and horizontal channel interface107. It will be also understood that other types of geometry for the fin structure100may be defined such that the shape of the recess105is different from that shown inFIG. 3. For example, inFIGS. 4A and 4B, other shapes are provided for the recess105when forming the fin structure100. In particular,FIG. 4Ashows the fin structure100including a tapered vertical interface106andFIG. 4Bshows a substantially curved interface106for the fin structure100. Other shapes may also be provided for the vertical interface106and horizontal interface107as part of the fin structure100.

According toFIG. 5, the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110is grown in the recess105. For simplicity, only a portion of the epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110grown in the recess105is shown inFIG. 5. In particular, the alloy material110includes a component of the high mobility semiconductor material included in the fin100. More specifically, in some embodiments, the composition of the alloy material110epi-grown at the interface106and interface107is the same as, or close to, that in the fin structure100. For example, at the interface106, the composition of the alloy material110may be rich in a component of the high mobility semiconductor material so that it matches, or is within 30% of, that included in the fin structure100, such that when the semiconductor material included in the fin structure100is SiGe, the composition of the alloy110is configured relative to that included in the fin structure100to reduce the formation of defects at the interface106and interface107.

As the epi-growth proceeds, however, the amount of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material included in the alloy110is gradually changed with the distance Z (measured relative to the interface106and to the interface107). The gradation of the composition of the high mobility semiconductor material in the epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110is changed to gradually modify the amount of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material therein to avoid any significant abrupt changes in the composition which could otherwise increase the resistivity or result in the formation of defects in the alloy material110. Still further, the targeted end composition for the alloy material110(i.e., the lean composition) is such that the amount of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material included in a portion of the alloy material110that is farthest from the interfaces106and107is configured to reduce the barrier height defined by the alloy material110and the metal-semiconductor alloy/metal contact formed thereon.

For example, in some embodiments according to the invention, when a component of the high mobility semiconductor material is Ge, and the material included in the fin structure100is SiGe, the composition of the alloy material110is such that the epi-growth provides for essentially a SiGe material in the source/drain at the interface106and the interface107. However, as the distance Z increases away from the interfaces106and107, the amount of Ge included in the alloy material110is gradually reduced to approach that of pure Si at the point which is farthest from each of the interfaces and where the metal-semiconductor alloy will be formed to promote a lower resistance contact to the channel in the fin structure100.

The doped epitaxial SiGe can be grown using Dichlorosilane (SiH2Cl2) as the source of Si and germane (GeH4) diluted (e.g. at 2% in H2) as the source of Ge. Gaseous hydrochloric acid (HCl) can be added for selectivity. Diborane (B2H6) and phosphine (PH3) diluted (e.g. at 2000 parts ppm) in H2 can be used as the sources of B and P, respectively. Growth temperature can be in the 450 to 550 C range. Through the deposition, the composition of the SiGe alloy can be varied by changing the flow rates of the different gases, and specifically by changing the flow rates of Dichlorosilane and diluted Germane.

It will be further understood that, in some embodiments according to the invention, during the epitaxial growth of the alloy material110, in-situ doping can be utilized to provide doping of the epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110. Accordingly, if an n type finFET device is to be formed, an n-type dopant can be used for the in-situ doping of the source/drain semiconductor material whereas if a p type finFET device is to be formed, a p-type dopant can be used. In some embodiments according to the invention, the fin material may be implanted with dopants before the epi-growth of the alloy material110. In some embodiments according to the invention, the implantation of dopants may take place after the epi-growth of the alloy material110.

According toFIG. 6, in some embodiments according to the invention, the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110is etched to provide a remaining portion thereof at a predetermined depth “D” forming a source/drain contact recess. In some embodiments, the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110is only grown from the interfaces106and107to provide a portion at a predetermined depth “D” forming a source/drain contact recess. The depth D is predetermined to minimize the total resistance of the finFET device based on a predetermined barrier height value for the finFET device. For example, the predetermined barrier height value can be determined based on the combination of: the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110used (e.g., SiGe), the particular metal used for the contact on the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110(e.g., nickel), and the particular dopant concentration and type of dopant used for the source/drain region (i.e., n or p type).

It will be understood that the term “contact” can include the metal material formed in the recess on the uppermost surface of the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110, as well as a metal-semiconductor alloy that is generated using a reaction process with the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110. Accordingly, an interface having an associated contact (interface) resistivity can refer to the boundary where the metal material contacts the remaining portion of the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110.

The predetermined barrier height value can be compared to a predetermined barrier height threshold value to indicate whether the predetermined barrier height value for the finFET device is likely to provide a relatively high barrier height or a relatively low barrier height for the finFET device. If the predetermined barrier height value is determined to be relatively high (such as greater than about 300 meV) then the depth D of the remaining portion of the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110can be reduced in anticipation that the lowest total resistance of the finFET will be achieved with a smaller value of D. In some embodiments according to the invention, a relatively high predetermined barrier height value can be greater than about 200 meV. In still other embodiments according to the invention, a relatively high predetermined barrier height value can be greater than about 100 meV.

In contrast, if the predetermined barrier height value is determined to be relatively low (such as less than or equal to about 100 meV) then the depth D of the remaining portion of the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110may be larger in anticipation that the lowest total resistance of the finFET may be achieved with a greater value of D.

As a first example of predetermined n and p-type barrier heights, contacts to n-type or p-type Si formed with NiSi have barrier heights of about 0.6 eV for NMOS and about 0.5 eV for PMOS, respectively, with interface resistivity on the order of 10−8ohm-cm2. As a second example of a predetermined p-type barrier height, contacts to p-type Ge formed by any metal have a barrier height of about 0.1 eV with interface resistivity on the order of 10−9ohm-cm2.

As further appreciated by the present inventors, however, in cases where the predetermined barrier height is relatively low, simply increasing the depth D to which the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110is recessed may actually increase the total resistance of the finFET device unless the depth D is limited to a point where beyond which an incremental decrease in a spreading resistance value for a horizontal portion of a source/drain contact in the recess provided by increased depth may be less than an incremental increase in total resistance due to the increase in the vertical portion of the source/drain contact. Accordingly, in some embodiments according to the invention, the depth may be limited to a value where the total resistance does not incrementally increase due to the increase in the vertical portion of the source/drain contact.

The above effect can be described by addressing the relationship of the different components of the total resistance to the different portions of a contact to the fin structure100. Referring toFIG. 1B, for example, when a metal is formed in the recess105on the remaining portion of the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110, the contact can include a vertical portion130that faces the fin structure100and a horizontal portion135. A current that is conducted into the fin structure100can be primarily determined based on the contact resistance component for the vertical portion130of the contact.

The vertical portion130can have a relatively small area due to the fact that the contact is formed to a relatively narrow cross-sectional area defined by the face of the fin structure100which the vertical portion130faces. Accordingly, even though the vertical portion130may have a vertical dimension of “D”, the width “W” shown inFIG. 1Cillustrates that the overall cross-sectional area can be small due to the narrow width of the fin structure100.

By contrast, the current122that is conducted into the fin structure100from the horizontal portion135of the contact can be primarily determined based on the spreading resistance components for the horizontal portion135of the contact.

The above effects can be further described by noting that as the remaining portion of the graded composition epi-grown semiconductor alloy material110is further recessed, such that D increases, the area of surface130through which the current121flows increases. Similarly, as H decreases, the area of surface of height H and in the same plane as surface130through which current122flows in the channel decreases. For the case in which the contact (interface) resistivity ρCis very high (>>1E-9 ohm-cm2), the current121that passes through the vertical surface130is small in which case the total current flow will be primarily current122which is primarily determined by the spreading resistance and not by contact resistance. Thus, for the case in which ρCis very high, as D increases and H decreases, the total current flow which is primarily comprised of current122thus decreases as D increases. For the case in which the which the contact (interface) resistivity ρCis very low (<<1E-11 ohm-cm2), the current121that passes through the vertical surface130can be large in which case the total current flow will be primarily current121which is primarily determined by the contact resistance and not by spreading resistance. Thus, for the case in which ρCis very low, as D increases and H decreases, the total current flow which is primarily comprised of current121thus increases as D increases.

As appreciated by the present inventors, the recessed depth D can be tailored to a point where any further recessing may cause the total current to decrease, rather than increase, due to the value of contact (interface) resistivity, ρC. A mathematical relationship showing how this depth D can be determined, for the simple case in which current121is determined only by contact resistance, ρC, and current122is determined only by spreading resistance, ρS, is given by:

where ρCHis the channel resistivity of the fin structure100, σtotis the total conductivity of the finFET device, and total current is proportional to σtot.

FIG. 9Ais a graph illustrating a relationship between effective current, similar to total current above, and recess depth in some embodiments according to the invention. In particular, effective finFET device current is plotted over a range of recess depths for three different contact (interface) resistivities: (A) 1×10−11ohm-cm2, (B) 1×10−10ohm-cm2, and (C) 1×10−9ohm-cm2. As shown inFIG. 9A, in general, starting from a shallow recess depth on the left, the effective current increases as the recess depth increases. For example, Ieff of device (A) increases essentially continuously from the shallow portion to beyond 25 nm indicating that at such a low resistivity, Ieff, which is primarily comprised of current121, thus increases essentially continuously as D increases.

In contrast, devices (B) and (C) both indicate that the effective current increases starting from the shallow recess depth on the left, and but actually stabilizes and is reduced as the recess is etched further. For example, the data for device (C) shows that at about 13 nm recessed depth, the effective current reaches a maximum value and thereafter decreases as the depth continues to increase. Furthermore, the data for device (B) shows that at about 17 nm recessed depth, the effective current reaches a maximum and thereafter begins to decrease as the recess is further etched. Therefore, for both devices (B) and (C), a particular recess depth can be determined given the particular interface resistivity for the device, beyond which the recess should not be etched further in order to avoid decreasing the effective current.

It will be further understood that althoughFIG. 9Ashows data for only three devices at the illustrated range of recess depths, these relationships can be utilized to extrapolate or interpolate suitable recess depths for finFET devices having a predetermined interface resistivity (which as described herein can be related to the predetermined barrier height). For example, a segment225can be drawn to intersect each of the portions of the different curves at about the point where the recess depth results in the effective current reaching a maximum.

It will be further understood that as shown inFIG. 9A, the point at which the effective current reaches a maximum can be effectively defined to include a range of values230on either side of the maximum point such that any other finFET device having a predetermined resistivity can be plotted to intersect the segment225and thereby indicate the approximate location where the recess depth results in the maximum. In some embodiments according to the invention, the range of values on either side of the maximum point can be about ±10% of the recess depth at which the maximum is provided.

FIG. 9Bis a graph illustrating a relationship between recess depth and interface resistivity in some embodiments according to the invention. In particular,FIG. 9Brepresents the same data shown inFIG. 9Abut expresses the relationship between the interface resistivity and the recessed depth. For example,FIG. 9Bshows the inversely proportional relationship between the recess depth and the interface resistivity such that as the interface resistivity decreases, the depth to which the recess may be formed to provide an increased Ieff increases.

As shown inFIG. 7, the remaining portion of the alloy material110shown inFIG. 6can be subjected to a self-aligned metal-semiconductor alloy process to form a metal-semiconductor alloy725on vertical and horizontal portions of the remaining semiconductor alloy material110to provide the contact for the finFET device in some embodiments according to the invention. Accordingly, the vertical portion and the horizontal portion will be understood to define the barrier height for the contact at the interface between metal-semiconductor alloy725and remaining portion of the semiconductor alloy material110. In other words, in some embodiments according the invention, the metal-semiconductor alloy and the metal formed on the metal-semiconductor alloy be considered together to provide the contact to the finFET. According toFIG. 8, a metal-fill process can be used to deposit a metal810on the metal-semiconductor alloy725to form a contact810for the finFET device.

As described herein, the composition of an epi-grown semiconductor alloy material can be graded as a function of the distance from the surface on which the semiconductor alloy material is grown. For example, in some embodiments according to the invention, the composition of the alloy material110gradually changes as the epi-growth proceeds such that the amount of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material included in the alloy material110decreases with the distance from vertical interface106to the fin structure100. Similarly, the amount of a component of the high mobility semiconductor material included in the alloy material110can also decrease with the distance from a horizontal interface107to the fin structure100.