Advancements in single-crystal silicon with elevated-laser-liquid-phase-epitaxy (ELLPE) for monolithic 3D ICs

Abstract

In this study, we present a low thermal budget Elevated-Laser-Liquid-Phase-Epitaxy (ELLPE) technique designed for the precise fabrication of single-crystal islands (SCIs) intended for use in middle-end-of-line (MEOL) FinFETs. Each of these single-crystal islands features a (100) orientation tended from Si seeding structure and is successfully integrated as channel materials in the MEOL circuit of a monolithic 3D integrated circuit (3DIC). This technique effectively mitigates the typical performance disparities associated with poly-Si channel materials in upper tiers, addressing a significant challenge in advanced electronic device fabrication and potentially enhancing the performance and reliability of MEOL FinFETs in monolithic 3DIC.