Performance improvement of metal-gate/high-k CMOS by NiPt-silicidation using laser annealing

NiPt-silicide formation using advanced annealing such as laser annealing (LA) or microwave annealing (MWA) is applied for gate-first metal gate/high-k CMOS. It is found that LA enhances NMOS drive current due to the reduction of parasitic resistance. It is found that LA produces characteristic Pt-distribution and reduces interfacial resistance between NiPtSi and Si especially for NMOS. On the other hand, MWA produces homogeneous NiPt-silicide and suppresses defect density related to contact leakage current.