The present invention is directed to secreted and transmembrane polypeptides and to nucleic acid molecules encoding those polypeptides. Also provided herein are vectors and host cells comprising those nucleic acid sequences, chimeric polypeptide molecules comprising the polypeptides of the present invention fused to heterologous polypeptide sequences, antibodies which bind to the polypeptides of the present invention and to methods for producing the polypeptides of the present invention.

Secreted and Transmembrane Polypeptides and Nucleic Acids Encoding the Same

More specifically, a process is provided for etching a multilayer structure to form a predetermined etched pattern therein. The subject process comprises providing the multilayer structure having a plurality of structural layers. The structural layers of the multilayer structure comprise a silicon dioxide outer layer on an underlying silicon nitride stop layer. Then, a chemical etchant protective layer is formed on a major surface of the multilayer structure having a predetermined pattern of openings, thereby exposing areas of the silicon dioxide outer layer corresponding to the predetermined pattern of openings. The exposed areas of the silicon dioxide outer layer are then etched down to the silicon nitride stop layer, at a high SiO 2 etch rate and at a high level of selectivity of the SiO 2 etch rate with respect to the Si 3 N 4 etch rate, with a fluorinated chemical etchant system. The fluorinated chemical etchant system includes an etchant material and an additive material. The additive material comprises a fluorocarbon material in which the number of hydrogen atoms is equal to or greater than the number of fluorine atoms. The etching step forms a substantially predetermined etch pattern in the silicon dioxide outer layer in which the contact sidewalls of said SiO 2 outer layer are substantially upright.

Process for selectively etching a layer of silicon dioxide on an underlying stop layer of silicon nitride

An improved DRAM cell having a tantalum metal lower plate, a tantalum-silicide buried contact, and a tantalum oxide capacitor dielectric layer is disclosed. Also disclosed are several methods for fabricating the improved cell. Fabrication of an array of the improved cells proceeds through the storage-node contact opening stage in a manner consistent with the fabrication process utilized for conventional stacked-cell DRAM arrays. The process for fabricating the improved cells deviates from convention after storage-node contact openings are formed. A tantalum metal layer is conformally deposited over the wafer surface, patterned and etched to create individual storage-node plates. The wafer is then subjected to an elevated temperature step in an oxygen ambient, which creates both a tantalum silicide layer at the tantalum-silicon interface of each storage-node contact, and a tantalum oxide dielectric layer on the exposed surfaces of each storage-node plate. The tantalum oxide layer then annealed in order to reduce its leakage current characteristics. Following the annealing step, a thin barrier layer of a material such as silicon nitride is blanket deposited. This is followed by the deposition of a polysilicon cell plate layer.

Dram cell having a stacked capacitor with a tantalum lower plate, a tantalum oxide dielectric layer, and a silicide buried contact

A method to anisotropically etch an oxide/silicide/poly sandwich structure on a silicon wafer substrate in situ, that is, using a single parallel plate plasma reactor chamber and a single inert cathode, with a variable gap between cathode and anode. This method has an oxide etch step and a silicide/poly etch step. The fully etched sandwich structure has a vertical profile at or near 90° from horizontal, with no bowing or notching.

Anisotropic etch method

A method for use in the fabrication of semiconductor devices includes forming a layer of nitridated cobalt on a surface including silicon. A film cap including titanium is formed over the layer of cobalt and a thermal treatment is performed to form cobalt silicide from the layer of cobalt and the silicon. Further, a layer of cobalt or nickel may be formed over a titanium film on a surface including silicon. The titanium film is formed in an atmosphere including at least one of nitrogen and oxygen and a thermal treatment is performed for reversal and silicidation of the titanium film and the layer of cobalt or nickel to form cobalt silicide or cobalt nickel. The methods may be used for silicidation of a contact area, in forming a polycide line, or in use for other metal silicidation applications.

Metal silicidation methods and methods for using same

A method for protecting a refractory metal silicide during high-temperature processing using a dual-layer cap of silicon oxide and silicon nitride. The problem of a silicon nitride protective layer detaching itself from an underlying refractory metal silicide layer during high-temperature processing, thus allowing tungsten atoms within the layer to oxidize, is solved by laying down a silicon oxide layer beneath the silicon nitride layer. The oxide layer acts as a mechanical stress relief layer between the refractory metal silicide and the silicon nitride layer, preventing the lifting of the nitride layer during high-temperature processing steps.

Ruojia R. Lee

Papers

Protection of a refractory metal silicide during high-temperature processing using a dual-layer cap of silicon dioxide and silicon nitride