A Snapshot Review on Salicide Technology Evolution for CMOS Fabrication from the Perspective of Process Integration

Salicide (self-aligned silicide) technology has been widely used in CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) fabrication for several generations, to provide stable Ohmic contacts with low contact resistivity on active regions (source, drain and gate) and reduce sheet resistivity. As the CMOS device scaling continues, the salicide technology has evolved over the decades. This paper provides a concise overview of the development of salicide technology in CMOS fabrication, and summarizes the challenges and future prospects from a process integration perspective.