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A successful selective epitaxial Si1-xGex deposition process for HBT-BiCMOS and high-mobility heterojunction pMOS applications R. Loo, M. Caymax, I. Peytier, S. Decoutere, N. Collaert, IMEC P. Verheyen, W. Vandervorst, and K. De Meyer, K.U. Leuven, ESAT-INSYS
Si1-xGex/Si heterostructures are useful for a wide variety of device applications where device performance is improved by band offsets and/or increased carrier mobility. The use of selective epitaxial growth for the implementation of Si1-xGex has some advantages compared to a non-selective growth process. However, some issues such as thickness non-uniformity (micro-loading on a µm scale and gas depletion on wafer scale) and facet formation have to be solved. In this paper, we give a detailed overview of our selective Si1-xGex growth process in a standard production-oriented chemical vapor deposition system for Ge contents between 0 and 32%. Our process allows layer deposition with no pattern dependence of the growth rate and Ge content (no micro-loading), and with a wafer scale layer non-uniformity better then the accuracy of the measurement techniques (~2%). Facet formation was avoided by choosing the correct growth conditions, and by preventing lateral growth over the mask material. Selective epitaxial layers did not show a degradation of photoluminescence characteristics. The layer quality is further demonstrated by the performance of Si1-xGex heterojunction bipolar transistors (0.35 µm and 0.25 µm technology), and p-type Si1-xGex heterojunction MOS devices (effective gate length down to 70 nm).
Introduction
The implementation of Si1-xGex layers in active device structures is nowadays recognized as an efficient way to improve device characteristics. Currently, chip manufacturers focus mainly on the integration of Si1-xGex in heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT) in Bi complementary metal oxide semiconductor (BiCMOS) technology1-15. In the next phase, attention will go to the fabrication of Si/Si1-xGex heterojunction CMOS devices to improve the performance of the p-type MOS device16-24, and to elevated Si1-xGex source/drain contacts to reduce short channel effects in CMOS technology 25-29. For the first two applications, both selective 64
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and non-selective epitaxial growth by means of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) can be used. In the case of non-selective epitaxial growth on patterned wafers, deposition occurs simultaneously in the Si windows (epitaxial growth) and on the mask material (polycrystalline growth)1,6,30. In the case of selective epitaxial growth (SEG), deposition on the mask material is prevented by adding HCl to the gas mixture in appropriate deposition conditions1,29-33. The top layer of the mask material can be oxide or nitride. For BiCMOS applications, SEG has the advantage of replacing the existing implanted base by a grown, in-situ doped boxlike boron profile, which avoids the generation of interstitials. In the case of heterojunction MOS devices, the SEG technique allows the deposition of the required channel material for the active region of the pMOS