International Business Machines Corporation
VFET devices with ILD protection

Abstract:

A method of forming a semiconductor device and resulting structures having an etch-resistant interlayer dielectric (ILD) that maintains height during a top epitaxy clean by forming a dielectric layer on a semiconductor structure; wherein the dielectric layer includes a first dielectric material; converting at least a portion of the dielectric layer to a second dielectric material; and exposing the portion of the dielectric layer to an etch material; wherein the etch material includes a first etch characteristic defining a first rate at which the etch material etches the first dielectric material; and wherein the etch material further includes a second etch characteristic defining a second rate at which the etch material etches the portion of the dielectric layer; wherein the first rate is different than the second rate.