AN ETCH STOP LAYER OF REDUCED THICKNESS FOR PATTERNING A DIELECTRIC MATERIAL IN A CONTACT LEVEL OF CLOSELY SPACED TRANSISTORS

摘要

In a dual stress liner approach, an intermediate etch stop material (234) may be provided on the basis of a plasma-assisted oxidation process (250) rather than by deposition so the corresponding thickness (234T) of the etch stop material (234) may be reduced. Consequently, the resulting aspect ratio may be less pronounced compared to conventional strategies, thereby reducing deposition-related irregularities which may translate into a significant reduction of yield loss, in particular for highly scaled semiconductor devices (200).