Abstract: A MOSFET fabrication methodology and device structure, exhibiting improved gate activation characteristics. The gate doping that may be introduced while the source drain regions are protected by a damascene mandrel to allow for a very high doping in the gate conductors, without excessively forming deep source/drain diffusions. The high gate conductor doping minimizes the effects of electrical depletion of carriers in the gate conductor. The MOSFET fabrication methodology and device structure further results in a device having a lower gate conductor width less than the minimum lithographic minimum image, and a wider upper gate conductor portion width which may be greater than the minimum lithographic image. Since the effective channel length of the MOSFET is defined by the length of the lower gate portion, and the line resistance is determined by the width of the upper gate portion, both short channel performance and low gate resistance are satisfied simultaneously.