US 11,705,492 B2
Method for fabricating semiconductor structure
Yi-Fan Li, Tainan (TW); Kuo-Chin Hung, Changhua County (TW); Wen-Yi Teng, Kaohsiung (TW); and Ti-Bin Chen, Tainan (TW)
Assigned to UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP., Hsin-Chu (TW)
Filed by UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP., Hsin-Chu (TW)
Filed on May 3, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/246,726.
Application 16/701,122 is a division of application No. 15/853,867, filed on Dec. 25, 2017, granted, now 10,541,309, issued on Jan. 21, 2020.
Application 17/246,726 is a continuation of application No. 16/701,122, filed on Dec. 2, 2019, granted, now 11,031,477.
Prior Publication US 2021/0257471 A1, Aug. 19, 2021
Int. Cl. H01L 29/417 (2006.01); H01L 29/49 (2006.01); H01L 29/423 (2006.01); H01L 21/311 (2006.01); H01L 29/66 (2006.01); H01L 29/161 (2006.01); H01L 29/78 (2006.01); H01L 29/165 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 29/41775 (2013.01) [H01L 21/31116 (2013.01); H01L 29/161 (2013.01); H01L 29/42364 (2013.01); H01L 29/495 (2013.01); H01L 29/6653 (2013.01); H01L 29/66545 (2013.01); H01L 29/66575 (2013.01); H01L 29/7843 (2013.01); H01L 29/165 (2013.01); H01L 29/6656 (2013.01); H01L 29/7848 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising:
providing a substrate;
forming a first gate and a second gate on the substrate with a gap between the first and second gates, wherein the first gate has a first sidewall, and the second gate has a second sidewall directly facing the first sidewall, and wherein a first sidewall spacer is disposed on the first sidewall, and a second sidewall spacer is disposed on the second sidewall;
depositing a contact etch stop layer on the first and second gates and on the first and second sidewall spacers;
depositing a protection layer on the contact etch stop layer, wherein the protection layer comprises a silicon dioxide layer;
subjecting the contact etch stop layer to a plasma etching process to trim a corner portion of the contact etch stop layer; and
depositing an inter-layer dielectric layer on the contact etch stop layer and into the gap.