Appeal 2007-0287
Application 10/705,347
According to Appellants, the invention is directed to a method for
forming a field-effect transistor on a substrate, where the substrate includes a
high-k dielectric layer situated over the substrate, and a gate electrode layer
situated over the high-k dielectric layer (Br. 3). The method includes the
step of etching the gate electrode layer and the high-k dielectric layer in a
plasma process chamber to form a gate stack, followed by a nitridation
process using a nitrogen containing plasma in the plasma process chamber to
nitridate the sidewalls and form an oxygen diffusion barrier (id.).
Independent claim 1 is illustrative of the invention and is reproduced below:
1. A method for forming a field-effect transistor on a substrate, said
substrate including a high-k dielectric layer situated over said substrate and a
gate electrode layer situated over said high-k dielectric layer, said method
comprising steps of:
etching said gate electrode layer and said high-k dielectric layer to
form a gate stack, said gate stack comprising a high-k dielectric segment
situated over said substrate and a gate electrode segment situated over said
high-k dielectric segment;
performing a nitridation process on said gate stack, said nitridation
process utilizing a nitrogen containing plasma to nitridate sidewalls of said
gate stack, said nitridation process on said gate stack causing nitrogen to
enter said high-k dielectric segment, said nitrogen forming an oxygen
diffusion barrier in said high-k dielectric segment;
wherein said step of etching said gate electrode layer and said high-k
dielectric layer to form said gate stack is performed in a plasma process
chamber, said plasma process chamber being utilized to perform said step of
performing said nitridation process on said gate stack.
2
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