Abstract: Read Quality of Service in a solid state drive is improved by allowing a host system communicatively coupled to the solid state drive to control garbage collection in the solid state drive. Through the use of controlled garbage collection, the host system can control when to start and stop garbage collection in the solid state drive and the number of NAND dies engaged in garbage-collection operations.

Abstract: A nanowire device having a plurality of internal spacers and a method for forming said internal spacers are disclosed. In an embodiment, a semiconductor device comprises a nanowire stack disposed above a substrate, the nanowire stack having a plurality of vertically-stacked nanowires, a gate structure wrapped around each of the plurality of nanowires, defining a channel region of the device, the gate structure having gate sidewalls, a pair of source/drain regions on opposite sides of the channel region; and an internal spacer on a portion of the gate sidewall between two adjacent nanowires, internal to the nanowire stack. In an embodiment, the internal spacers are formed by depositing spacer material in dimples etched adjacent to the channel region. In an embodiment, the dimples are etched through the channel region. In another embodiment, the dimples are etched through the source/drain region.

Abstract: Integrated circuit structures having a dielectric gate wall and a dielectric gate plug, and methods of fabricating integrated circuit structures having a dielectric gate wall and a dielectric gate plug, are described. For example, an integrated circuit structure includes a sub-fin having a portion protruding above a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure. A plurality of horizontally stacked nanowires is over the sub-fin. A gate dielectric material layer is over the protruding portion of the sub-fin, over the STI structure, and surrounding the horizontally stacked nanowires. A conductive gate layer is over the gate dielectric material layer. A conductive gate fill material is over the conductive gate layer. A dielectric gate wall is laterally spaced apart from the sub-fin and the plurality of horizontally stacked nanowires, the dielectric gate wall on the STI structure. A dielectric gate plug is on the dielectric gate wall.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein include transistor devices and methods of making such devices. In an embodiment, the transistor device comprises a stack of semiconductor channels with a first source/drain region on a first end of the semiconductor channels and a second source/drain region on a second end of the semiconductor channels. In an embodiment, the first source/drain region and the second source/drain region have a top surface and a bottom surface. In an embodiment, the transistor device further comprises a first source/drain contact electrically coupled to the top surface of the first source/drain region, and a second source/drain contact electrically coupled to the bottom surface of the second source/drain region. In an embodiment, the second source/drain contact is separated from the second source/drain region by an interfacial layer.

Abstract: Integrated circuit structures having varied epitaxial source or drain structures and device types are described. In an example, an integrated circuit structure includes a first plurality of horizontally stacked nanowires laterally spaced apart from a second plurality of horizontally stacked nanowires, each of the second plurality of horizontally stacked nanowires having a lateral width less than a lateral width of each of the first plurality of horizontally stacked nanowires. First epitaxial source or drain structures are at ends of the first plurality of horizontally stacked nanowires, each of the first epitaxial source or drain structures having a maximum lateral width. Second epitaxial source or drain structure are at ends of the second plurality of horizontally stacked nanowires, each of the second epitaxial source or drain structures having a maximum lateral width greater than the maximum lateral width of each of the first epitaxial source or drain structures.

Abstract: Techniques and mechanisms to impose stress on a transistor which includes a channel region and a source or drain region each in a fin structure. In an embodiment, a gate structure of the transistor extends over the fin structure, wherein a first spacer portion is at a sidewall of the gate structure and a second spacer portion adjoins the first spacer portion. Either or both of two features are present at or under respective bottom edges of the spacer portions. One of the features includes a line of discontinuity on the fin structure. The other feature includes a concentration of a dopant in the second spacer portion being greater than a concentration of the dopant in the source or drain region. In another embodiment, the fin structure is disposed on a buffer layer, wherein stress on the channel region is imposed at least in part with the buffer layer.

Abstract: A fabrication method and associated integrated circuit (IC) structures and devices that include a metal-all-around contact structure coupled with an S/D region are described herein. In one example, an IC structure may include a region of a doped semiconductor material. An IC structure may include a stack of nanoribbons of a semiconductor material including first portions and second portions on either side of the region, wherein the first portions are in contact with a first side of the region and the second portions are in contact with a second side of the region. An IC structure may include a conductive material over portions of the region between the first side and the second side in a same layer as at least one of the nanoribbons of the stack.

Abstract: An IC device may have active regions and one or more isolation regions. The IC device includes gates that are in parallel. One or more semiconductor structures (e.g., fins, nanoribbons, etc.) may extend across each gate in the IC device. Some of the gates are in the active regions. The other gates are in the isolation region. A gate in an active region may be between semiconductor regions, which may function as the source region and drain region of a transistor. A gate in an isolation region may be between insulator regions. The insulator regions may be formed from the backside of the IC device. For instance, semiconductor regions may be formed in both the active regions and the isolation regions. The semiconductor regions in the regions designated to be isolation regions may be removed from the backside and filled with one or more electrical insulators.

Abstract: Read Quality of Service in a solid state drive is improved by allowing a host system communicatively coupled to the solid state drive to control garbage collection in the solid state drive. Through the use of controlled garbage collection, the host system can control when to start and stop garbage collection in the solid state drive and the number of NAND dies engaged in garbage-collection operations.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein include transistor devices and methods of making such devices. In an embodiment, the transistor device comprises a stack of semiconductor channels with a first source/drain region on a first end of the semiconductor channels and a second source/drain region on a second end of the semiconductor channels. In an embodiment, the first source/drain region and the second source/drain region have a top surface and a bottom surface. In an embodiment, the transistor device further comprises a first source/drain contact electrically coupled to the top surface of the first source/drain region, and a second source/drain contact electrically coupled to the bottom surface of the second source/drain region. In an embodiment, the second source/drain contact is separated from the second source/drain region by an interfacial layer.

Abstract: An IC device may have activation regions and an isolation region between the active regions. An active region may include one or more transistors. The IC device includes gates that are in parallel. Some of the gates are in the active regions. The other gates are in the isolation region. A source or drain region may be formed between a gate in the isolation region and a gate in a transistor in the first direction. The IC device may include one or more semiconductor structures that extend across a gate in a transistor, and the semiconductor structures may constitute a channel region of the transistor. The IC device may also include one or more semiconductor structures that extend across an individual gate in the isolation region. An insulative structure may be formed between two gates in the isolation region. The insulative structure may be over the source or drain region.

Abstract: An IC device may include a support structure and a transistor built based on the support structure. The transistor may include an electrical contact over a semiconductor region in the transistor. The electrical contact may be a single structure formed by filling a single opening region with a conductive material. In an example, an end of the electrical contact may contact the semiconductor region, and another end of the electrical contact may contact a deep via. The deep via may extend through the support structure and contact a backside metal layer for delivering power or signal to the semiconductor region. In another example, an end of the electrical contact may contact the semiconductor region, and another end of the electrical contact may contact a semiconductor region in another transistor. A dielectric structure may be between the two semiconductor regions.

Abstract: A pupil expander assembly includes a delivery device having a body having a proximal end portion, a distal end portion, and a longitudinal axis. A discharge port extends distally from the distal end portion. An expander receiver is located inside the body in the distal end portion and has a proximal slot and a distal slot, each of which extends along the longitudinal axis. The proximal slot and the discharge slot are both in fluid communication with the discharge port. A slider is slidingly disposed in the body and configured to longitudinally translate along the longitudinal axis. A hook extends distally from the slider and is configured to slide through the proximal slot and the distal slot and out the discharge port. A pupil expander is disposed in the expander receiver and configured to be pushed distally by the hook through the distal slot and the discharge port for delivery.

Abstract: Fabrication methods for integrated circuit (IC) structures and devices including asymmetric source and drain regions are described herein. In one example, an integrated circuit structure includes a transistor including a first region and a second region, where one of the first region and the second region is a source region of the transistor, and another of the first region and the second region is a drain region of the transistor, and where the first and second regions have different widths. In one example, the first region has a first width and the second region has a second width that is smaller than the first width.

Abstract: A fabrication method and associated integrated circuit (IC) structures and devices that include a conductive via with front-side and back-side connections with an S/D region are described herein. In one example, an IC structure includes a conductive via extending between a first layer and a second layer and an S/D region of a transistor between the first layer and the second layer, where the S/D region includes a first semiconductor material and a second semiconductor material. In one such example, the second semiconductor material may be epitaxially grown on the first semiconductor material of the S/D region from a back side of the IC structure. Conductive elements in layers over and under the conductive via may couple the conductive via with the S/D region from both the front-side and back-side S/D contact structures.

Abstract: Apparatus, system and method to provide switchable coils in a computing device, comprising: a plurality of electrically conductive coils to transfer electromagnetic energy; a sensor coupled to a processor, to select a coil from among the plurality of electrically conductive coils; a switch to energize the selected coil; and a switch controller coupled to the switch and to the processor. In some embodiments, the plurality of coils may comprise an inductive charging interface. Some embodiments may further include a communication interface between the processor to the plurality of electrically conductive coils, the plurality of coils comprising an interface for near-field communications (NFC). The antenna coils may be arranged to provide improved NFC coverage when the computing device is in a respective predetermined physical configuration. Sensors may be used to detect the configuration and switch NFC communications to use a preferred antenna coil for the detected configuration.

Abstract: Fabrication methods for integrated circuit (IC) structures and devices involving back-side nanoribbon removal are described herein. In one example, back-side nanoribbon removal involves providing stacks of nanoribbons from a first side of an IC structure, followed by removing one or more of the nanoribbons from a second side that is opposite the first side. In one example, an IC structure fabricated with back-side nanoribbon removal techniques may include a first stack of nanoribbons over a support and a second stack of nanoribbons over the support, where the number of nanoribbons in the first stack is less than in the second stack. A first transistor includes first channel regions in the nanoribbons of the first stack and a second transistor includes second channel regions in the nanoribbons of the second stack. Therefore, in one such example, the first transistor has channel regions in fewer nanoribbons than the second transistor.

Abstract: Fabrication methods for integrated circuit (IC) structures and devices with different nanoribbon thicknesses are disclosed. In one example, an IC structure includes a stack of nanoribbons stacked above one another over the support, including a first nanoribbon with a first channel region and a second nanoribbon with a second channel region, where the first channel region has a first thickness and the second channel region has a second thickness, and where the first thickness of the first channel region is different (e.g., greater) than the second thickness of the second channel region.

Abstract: IC devices with angled transistors, and related assemblies and methods, are disclosed herein. A transistor is referred to as “angled” if a longitudinal axis of an elongated semiconductor structure (e.g., a fin or a nanoribbon) based on which the transistor is built is at an angle other than 0 degrees or 90 degrees with respect to edges of front or back faces of a support structure on/in which the transistor resides, e.g., at an angle between 10 degrees and 80 degrees with respect to at least one of such edges. Angled transistors provide a promising way to increasing densities of transistors on the limited real estate of semiconductor chips.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention describe a epitaxial region on a semiconductor device. In one embodiment, the epitaxial region is deposited onto a substrate via cyclical deposition-etch process. Cavities created underneath the spacer during the cyclical deposition-etch process are backfilled by an epitaxial cap layer. The epitaxial region and epitaxial cap layer improves electron mobility at the channel region, reduces short channel effects and decreases parasitic resistance.