Nickel Germanosilicide contacts formed on heavily boron doped Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ source/drain junctions for nanoscale CMOS

Formation of source/drain junctions with a small parasitic series resistance is one of the key challenges for CMOS technology nodes beyond 100 nm. A new source/drain technology based on selective deposition of heavily in situ doped Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ layers was recently developed in this laboratory. This paper presents formation and structural characterization of self-aligned nickel germanosilicide contacts formed on heavily boron doped Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ alloys. The results show that thin NiSi/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ contacts with a resistivity of /spl sim/25 /spl mu//spl Omega/-cm can be formed on Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ alloys at temperatures as low as 350/spl deg/C. However, the low resistivity and the structural integrity of the NiSi/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ films can be maintained up to a maximum temperature of 450/spl deg/C. At higher temperatures, Ge out-diffusion from NiSi/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ grains results in interface roughening and NiSi spikes. If the maximum processing temperature is kept within 400/spl deg/C, p/sup +/-n junctions with excellent leakage behavior can be formed. A minimum contact resistivity of 2/spl times/10/sup -8/ /spl Omega/-cm/sup 2/ is demonstrated for Ge concentrations above /spl sim/40%, which can be linked to the smaller semiconductor bandgap and high boron activation under the metal contact. The results suggest that NiSi/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ contacts formed on Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ junctions have the potential to satisfy the contact resistivity requirements of future CMOS technology nodes.