Abstract: Semiconductor device structures for use with bipolar junction transistors and methods of fabricating such semiconductor device structures. The semiconductor device structure includes a semiconductor body having a top surface and sidewalls extending from the top surface to an insulating layer, a first region including a first semiconductor material with a first conductivity type, and a second region including a second semiconductor material with a second conductivity type. The first and second regions each extend across the top surface and the sidewalls of the semiconductor body. The device structure further includes a junction defined between the first and second regions and extending across the top surface and the sidewalls of the semiconductor body.

Abstract: In a first aspect, a first method of manufacturing a dielectric material with a reduced dielectric constant is provided. The first method includes the steps of (1) forming a dielectric material layer including a trench on a substrate; and (2) forming a cladding region in the dielectric material layer by forming a plurality of air gaps in the dielectric material layer along at least one of a sidewall and a bottom of the trench so as to reduce an effective dielectric constant of the dielectric material. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Abstract: Semiconductor structures and methods for suppressing latch-up in bulk CMOS devices. The semiconductor structure comprises first and second adjacent doped wells formed in the semiconductor material of a substrate. A trench, which includes a base and first sidewalls between the base and the top surface, is defined in the substrate between the first and second doped wells. The trench is partially filled with a conductor material that is electrically coupled with the first and second doped wells. Highly-doped conductive regions may be provided in the semiconductor material bordering the trench at a location adjacent to the conductive material in the trench.

Abstract: Methods of forming a semiconductor structure having FinFET's and planar devices, such as MOSFET's, on a common substrate by a damascene approach, and semiconductor structures formed by the methods. A semiconductor fin of the FinFET is formed on a substrate with damascene processing in which the fin growth may be interrupted to implant ions that are subsequently transformed into a region that electrically isolates the fin from the substrate. The isolation region is self-aligned with the fin because the mask used to form the damascene-body fin also serves as an implantation mask for the implanted ions. The fin may be supported by the patterned layer during processing that forms the FinFET and, more specifically, the gate of the FinFET. The electrical isolation surrounding the FinFET may also be supplied by a self-aligned process that recesses the substrate about the FinFET and at least partially fills the recess with a dielectric material.

Abstract: Semiconductor device structures and fabrication methods for field effect transistors in which a gate electrode is provided with an air gap or void disposed adjacent to a sidewall of the gate electrode. The void may be bounded by a dielectric spacer proximate to the sidewall of the gate electrode and a dielectric layer having a spaced relationship with the dielectric spacer. The methods of the invention involve the use of a temporary spacer consisting of a sacrificial material supplied adjacent to the sidewall of the gate electrode, which is removed after the dielectric layer is formed.

Abstract: A method (and system) of reducing contact resistance on a silicon-on-insulator device, including controlling a silicide depth in a source-drain region of the device.

Abstract: Interconnect structures including liner layers that are non-planar with at least the adjacent insulating layer and at least one capping layer on conductive features embedded in the insulating layer. The interconnect structure includes an insulating layer of a dielectric material having a top surface and a bottom surface between the top surface and a substrate. An opening, such as a trench, has sidewalls extending from the top surface of the insulating layer toward the bottom surface and is at least partially filled by a conductive feature. A capping layer is disposed on at least a top surface of the conductive feature. A conductive liner layer is disposed between the insulating layer and the conductive feature along at least the sidewalls of the opening. The conductive liner layer has sidewall portions projecting above the top surface of the insulating layer adjacent to the sidewalls of the opening.

Abstract: A finFET structure and a method of fabricating the finFET structure. The method includes: forming a silicon fin on a top surface of a silicon substrate; forming a gate dielectric on opposite sidewalls of the fin; forming a gate electrode over a channel region of the fin, the gate electrode in direct physical contact with the gate dielectric layer on the opposite sidewalls of the fin; forming a first source/drain in the fin on a first side of the channel region and forming a second source/drain in the fin on a second side of the channel region; removing a portion of the substrate from under at least a portion of the first and second source/drains to create a void; and filling the void with a dielectric material. The structure includes a body contact between the silicon body of the finFET and the substrate.

Abstract: Semiconductor device structures with reduced junction capacitance and drain induced barrier lowering, methods for fabricating such device structures, and methods for forming a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate. The semiconductor structure comprises a semiconductor layer and a dielectric layer disposed between the semiconductor layer and the substrate. The dielectric layer includes a first dielectric region with a first dielectric constant and a second dielectric region with a second dielectric constant that is greater than the first dielectric constant. In one embodiment, the dielectric constant of the first dielectric region may be less than about 3.9 and the dielectric constant of the second dielectric region may be greater than about ten (10). The semiconductor-on-insulator substrate comprises a semiconductor layer separated from a bulk layer by an insulator layer of a high-dielectric constant material.

Abstract: Semiconductor structures and methods for suppressing latch-up in bulk CMOS devices. The semiconductor structure comprises first and second adjacent doped wells formed in the semiconductor material of a substrate. A trench, which includes a base and first sidewalls between the base and the top surface, is defined in the substrate between the first and second doped wells. The trench is partially filled with a conductor material that is electrically coupled with the first and second doped wells. Highly-doped conductive regions may be provided in the semiconductor material bordering the trench at a location adjacent to the conductive material in the trench.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure with an insulating layer on a silicon substrate, a plurality of electrically-isolated silicon-on-insulator (SOI) regions separated from the substrate by the insulating layer, and a plurality of electrically-isolated silicon bulk regions extending through the insulating layer to the substrate. Each of one number of the SOI regions is oriented with a first crystal orientation and each of another number of the SOI regions is oriented with a second crystal orientation that differs from the first crystal orientation. The bulk silicon regions are each oriented with a third crystal orientation. Damascene or imprinting methods of forming the SOI regions and bulk silicon regions are also provided.

Abstract: Hybrid substrates characterized by semiconductor islands of different crystal orientations and methods of forming such hybrid substrates. The methods involve using a SIMOX process to form an insulating layer. The insulating layer may divide the islands of at least one of the different crystal orientations into mutually aligned device and body regions. The body regions may be electrically floating relative to the device regions.

Abstract: Semiconductor structures and methods for suppressing latch-up in bulk CMOS devices. The structure comprises a first doped well formed in a substrate of semiconductor material, a second doped well formed in the substrate proximate to the first doped well, and a deep trench defined in the substrate. The deep trench includes sidewalls positioned between the first and second doped wells. A buried conductive region is defined in the semiconductor material bordering the base and the sidewalls of the deep trench. The buried conductive region intersects the first and second doped wells. The buried conductive region has a higher dopant concentration than the first and second doped wells. The buried conductive region may be formed by solid phase diffusion from a mobile dopant-containing material placed in the deep trench. After the buried conductive region is formed, the mobile dopant-containing material may optionally remain in the deep trench.

Abstract: Semiconductor structures and methods for suppressing latch-up in bulk CMOS devices. The semiconductor structure comprises a shaped-modified isolation region that is formed in a trench generally between two doped wells of the substrate in which the bulk CMOS devices are fabricated. The shaped-modified isolation region may comprise a widened dielectric-filled portion of the trench, which may optionally include a nearby damage region, or a narrowed dielectric-filled portion of the trench that partitions a damage region between the two doped wells. Latch-up may also be suppressed by providing a lattice-mismatched layer between the trench base and the dielectric filler in the trench.

Abstract: Methods of fabricating a semiconductor structure in which a body of monocrystalline silicon is formed on a sidewall of a sacrificial mandrel and semiconductor structures made by the methods. After the body of monocrystalline silicon is formed, the sacrificial material of the mandrel is removed selective to the monocrystalline silicon of the body. The mandrel may be composed of porous silicon and the body may be fabricated using either a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate or a bulk substrate. The body may be used to fabricate a fin body of a fin-type field effect transistor.

Abstract: Semiconductor device structures for use with bipolar junction transistors and methods of fabricating such semiconductor device structures. The semiconductor device structure comprises a semiconductor body having a top surface and sidewalls extending from the top surface to an insulating layer, a first region including a first semiconductor material with a first conductivity type, and a second region including a second semiconductor material with a second conductivity type. The first and second regions each extend across the top surface and the sidewalls of the semiconductor body. The device structure further comprises a junction defined between the first and second regions and extending across the top surface and the sidewalls of the semiconductor body.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure for a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cell array that includes a plurality of vertical memory cells built on a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) wafer and a body contact electrically coupling a semiconductor body and a semiconductor substrate of the SOI wafer. The semiconductor body includes a channel region for the access device of one of the vertical memory cells. The body contact, which extends through a buried dielectric layer of the SOI wafer, provides a current leakage path that reduces the impact of floating body effects upon the vertical memory cell. The body contact may be formed by etching a via that extends through the semiconductor body and buried dielectric layer of the SOI wafer and extends into the substrate and partially filling the via with a conductive material that electrically couples the semiconductor body with the substrate.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure for a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cell array that includes a plurality of vertical memory cells built on a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) wafer and a body contact in the buried dielectric layer of the SOI wafer. The body contact electrically couples a semiconductor body with a channel region of the access device of one vertical memory cell and a semiconductor substrate of the SOI wafer. The body contact provides a current leakage path that reduces the impact of floating body effects upon the vertical memory cell. The body contact may be formed by an ion implantation process that modifies the stoichiometry of a region of the buried dielectric layer so that the modified region becomes electrically conductive with a relatively high resistance.

Abstract: In a first aspect, a first method of manufacturing a PFET on a substrate is provided. The first method includes the steps of (1) forming a gate channel region of the PFET having a first thickness on the substrate; and (2) forming at least one composite source/drain diffusion region of the PFET having a second thickness greater than the first thickness on the substrate. The at least one composite source/drain diffusion region is adapted to cause a strain in the gate channel region. Further, significantly all of the at least one composite source/drain diffusion region is below a bottom surface of a gate of the PFET. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention generally relate to the field of semiconductor devices, and more specifically to fin-based junction diodes. A portion of a doped semiconductor fin may protrude through a first doped layer. An intrinsic layer may be disposed on the protruding semiconductor fin. A second semiconductor layer may be disposed on the intrinsic layer, thereby forming a PIN diode compatible with FinFET technology and having increased junction area.