Work function tuning of fully silicided NiSi metal gates using a TiN capping layer

This paper investigates a new way of tuning the work function of fully silicided (FUSI) NiSi metal gates for dual-gate CMOS using a TiN capping layer on Ni to control the poly-Si dopant distribution during FUSI formation. In addition, by comparing the work function change of NiSi FUSI with and without TiN capping, we provide clear evidence that dopants at the gate electrode and dielectric interface are responsible for the work function change. The TiN capping layer causes no degradation to the underlying gate dielectric in terms of fixed-oxide charge, gate leakage current, and time-dependent dielectric breakdown characteristics.