A low-temperature metal-doping technique for engineering the gate electrode of replacement metal gate CMOS transistors

This letter describes a low-temperature metal annealing technique that can be a helpful tool for fabricating the gate electrode of replacement metal gate CMOS transistors. The goal of the technique is to form doped metal (TaSiN, TiSiN, TaCN, TaPN, etc.) to change the work function of the metal gate electrode. The low-temperature doping process was performed in an ambient containing the precursors of the dopants, including silane, phosphine, and carbon-rich organic precursors. Experiments have been conducted to incorporate dopants such as P, C, Si into TaN or TiN. The transistor and C-V data show the resultant doped metals are suitable materials for P- and NMOSFETs by providing the right metal work function.