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Effect of silicidation on silicon-based thin film resistors in SiGe integrated circuits

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Abstract

The resistance variation of the silicon–germanium (SiGe) thin film resistor caused by the fabrication process of SiGe integrated circuits (ICs) was investigated. The SiGe resistor and the Si resistor were made of the thin films identical with the p-type SiGe base layer and the n-type Si emitter layer of the SiGe hetero-junction bipolar transistor, respectively. The range of the resistance value of the SiGe resistor was much larger than that of the Si resistor, and an abnormally high resistance of the SiGe resistor was often observed. Ti–B precipitates and Ti(Si1−x Ge x )2 protrusions were created as the result of the Ti silicidation of the p-type SiGe layer, whereas no precipitates and protrusions were generated in the case of the n-type Si layer. It was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy that the nonuniform resistance of the SiGe resistor was induced by the removal of the protrusions and underlying field oxides in the contact window. Resistance uniformity of the SiGe resistor was much improved by increasing the contact size. The simulation result of the detrimental influence of the resistance change on ICs indicated that the fabrication process and the structure of the thin film resistor should be optimized for enhancing IC reliability.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by R&D Programs (SiGe-based Quantum Channel Nano-Device Technology) funded by the Korean Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IT Convergence & Components Laboratory, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-700, Korea

    Sang-Heung Lee, Seung-Yun Lee, Chan Woo Park & Dongwoo Suh

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  1. Sang-Heung Lee
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  2. Seung-Yun Lee
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  3. Chan Woo Park
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  4. Dongwoo Suh
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Correspondence to Seung-Yun Lee.

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Lee, SH., Lee, SY., Park, C.W. et al. Effect of silicidation on silicon-based thin film resistors in SiGe integrated circuits. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 20, 354–359 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-008-9733-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-008-9733-y

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