We study the effects of a strained contact etch stop layer (CESL) on fully depleted (FD) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) devices with ultra thin silicon channels. As expected from extensive simulation analysis, the electrical results demonstrate that in spite of the raised source/drain architecture, the stress is effectively transferred from the liner into the underlying channel. Using a tensile liner for the n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (nMOS) and a compressive liner for the p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (pMOS), transistor performance enhancements of 10% and 17%, respectively, were obtained. Moreover, with a tensile (/compressive) liner, tensile (/compressive) edge effects become dominant for short devices whereas the stress becomes less tensile (/compressive) for longer devices. Indeed, the balance between these two contributions and the strain level in the channel are highly dependent on geometrical parameters (W, L gate ).

Wetting efficiency of microstructures or nanostructures patterned on Si wafers is a real concern in integrated circuits manufacturing. We present here a high-frequency acoustic method which enables the local determination of the wetting state of a liquid on real DTI and TSV structures. Partial wetting states for non-hydrophobic surfaces or low surface tension liquids are detectable with this method. Filling time of TSV structures has also been measured.

From MEMS to CMOS applications, silicon wet anisotropic etching is nowadays considered as an interesting alternative to face new and various technological challenges. This paper focuses on the TMAH chemistry and its use for Si and Si 1-x Ge x alloys etching. Comparing two different dispense modes (immersion and spin-on), the impact of TMAH experimental conditions on the etching kinetics as well as on the surface morphology is discussed. We demonstrated that alleviating TMAH-induced Si surface degradation can be obtained by transferring the TMAH etching process on a spray dispense tool. We also highlight the drastic impact of germanium incorporation on the silicon etch rate which opens the scope to TMAH for many applications.

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