Sulfur-Induced PtSi:C/Si:C Schottky Barrier Height Lowering for Realizing N-Channel FinFETs With Reduced External Resistance

In this letter, sulfur (S) segregation was exploited to attain a record-low electron barrier height (Phi
_B

^N
) of 110 meV for platinum-based silicide contacts. Sulfur-incorporated PtSi:C/Si:C contacts were also demonstrated in strained FinFETs with Si:C source/drain stressors. Incorporation of sulfur at the PtSi:C/Si:C interface in the source/drain regions of FinFETs provides a 51% improvement in external resistances and a 45% enhancement in drive current as compared to devices without S segregation. The remarkable reduction in Phi
_B

^N
is explained using charge transfer and dipole formation at the silicide/semiconductor interface with S segregation.