Abstract: Non-planar I/O and logic semiconductor devices having different workfunctions on common substrates and methods of fabricating non-planar I/O and logic semiconductor devices having different workfunctions on common substrates are described. For example, a semiconductor structure includes a first semiconductor device disposed above a substrate. The first semiconductor device has a conductivity type and includes a gate electrode having a first workfunction. The semiconductor structure also includes a second semiconductor device disposed above the substrate. The second semiconductor device has the conductivity type and includes a gate electrode having a second, different, workfunction.

Abstract: A microelectronic transistor may be fabricated having an airgap spacer formed as a gate sidewall spacer, such that the airgap spacer is positioned between a gate electrode and a source contact and/or a drain contact of the microelectronic transistor. As the dielectric constant of gaseous substances is significantly lower than that of a solid or a semi-solid dielectric material, the airgap spacer may result in minimal capacitive coupling between the gate electrode and the source contact and/or the drain contact, which may reduce circuit delay of the microelectronic transistor.

Abstract: Vertical non-planar semiconductor devices for system-on-chip (SoC) applications and methods of fabricating vertical non-planar semiconductor devices are described. For example, a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor fin disposed above a substrate, the semiconductor fin having a recessed portion and an uppermost portion. A source region is disposed in the recessed portion of the semiconductor fin. A drain region is disposed in the uppermost portion of the semiconductor fin. A gate electrode is disposed over the uppermost portion of the semiconductor fin, between the source and drain regions.

Abstract: An embodiment includes an apparatus comprising: a non-planar fin having first, second, and third portions each having major and minor axes and each being monolithic with each other; wherein (a) the major axes of the first, second, and third portions are parallel with each other, (b) the major axes of the first and second portions are non-collinear with each other, (c) each of the first, second, and third portions include a node of a transistor selected from the group comprising source, drain, and channel, (e) the first, second, and third portions comprise at least one finFET. Other embodiments are described herein.

Abstract: Integrated circuit structures including a pillar resistor disposed over a surface of a substrate, and fabrication techniques to form such a resistor in conjunction with fabrication of a transistor over the substrate. Following embodiments herein, a small resistor footprint may be achieved by orienting the resistive length orthogonally to the substrate surface. In embodiments, the vertical resistor pillar is disposed over a first end of a conductive trace, a first resistor contact is further disposed on the pillar, and a second resistor contact is disposed over a second end of a conductive trace to render the resistor footprint substantially independent of the resistance value. Formation of a resistor pillar may be integrated with a replacement gate transistor process by concurrently forming the resistor pillar and sacrificial gate out of a same material, such as polysilicon. Pillar resistor contacts may also be concurrently formed with one or more transistor contacts.

Abstract: Non-planar I/O and logic semiconductor devices having different workfunctions on common substrates and methods of fabricating non-planar I/O and logic semiconductor devices having different workfunctions on common substrates are described. For example, a semiconductor structure includes a first semiconductor device disposed above a substrate. The first semiconductor device has a conductivity type and includes a gate electrode having a first workfunction. The semiconductor structure also includes a second semiconductor device disposed above the substrate. The second semiconductor device has the conductivity type and includes a gate electrode having a second, different, workfunction.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a first semiconductor fin and a second semiconductor fin that is parallel to the first semiconductor fin. The first semiconductor fin extends from a first region of a substrate near a circuit that produces thermal energy when a circuit is in operation to a second region of the substrate, which is disposed away from the circuit. The second semiconductor fin extends from the first region to the second region and has a different material composition than the first semiconductor fin. The first and second semiconductor fins collectively exhibit a Seebeck effect when the circuit is in operation. The apparatus includes interconnects to couple the first and second semiconductor fins to a power supply circuit to transfer electricity generated due to the Seebeck effect to the power supply circuit.

Abstract: A microelectronic transistor may be fabricated having an airgap spacer formed as a gate sidewall spacer, such that the airgap spacer is positioned between a gate electrode and a source contact and/or a drain contact of the microelectronic transistor. As the dielectric constant of gaseous substances is significantly lower than that of a solid or a semi-solid dielectric material, the airgap spacer may result in minimal capacitive coupling between the gate electrode and the source contact and/or the drain contact, which may reduce circuit delay of the microelectronic transistor.

Abstract: Semiconductor device(s) including a transistor with a gate electrode having a work function monotonically graduating across the gate electrode length, and method(s) to fabricate such a device. In embodiments, a gate metal work function is graduated between source and drain edges of the gate electrode for improved high voltage performance. In embodiments, thickness of a gate metal graduates from a non-zero value at the source edge to a greater thickness at the drain edge. In further embodiments, a high voltage transistor with graduated gate metal thickness is integrated with another transistor employing a gate electrode metal of nominal thickness. In embodiments, a method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes graduating a gate metal thickness between a source end and drain end by non-uniformly recessing the first gate metal within the first opening relative to the surrounding dielectric.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for forming a transistor with enhanced thermal performance. The enhanced thermal performance can be derived from the inclusion of thermal boost material adjacent to the transistor, where the material can be selected based on the transistor type being formed. In the case of PMOS devices, the adjacent thermal boost material may have a high positive linear coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) (e.g., greater than 5 ppm/° C. at around 20° C.) and thus expand as operating temperatures increase, thereby inducing compressive strain on the channel region of an adjacent transistor and increasing carrier (e.g., hole) mobility. In the case of NMOS devices, the adjacent thermal boost material may have a negative linear CTE (e.g., less than 0 ppm/° C. at around 20° C.) and thus contract as operating temperatures increase, thereby inducing tensile strain on the channel region of an adjacent transistor and increasing carrier (e.g., electron) mobility.

Abstract: IC device structures including a lateral compound resistor disposed over a surface of a substrate, and fabrication techniques to form such a resistor in conjunction with fabrication of a transistor. Rather than being stacked vertically, a compound resistive trace may include a plurality of resistive materials arranged laterally over a substrate. Along a resistive trace length, a first resistive material is in contact with a sidewall of a second resistive material. A portion of a first resistive material along a centerline of the resistive trace may be replaced with a second resistive material so that the second resistive material is embedded within the first resistive material.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for forming a transistor with one or more additional gate spacers. The additional spacers may be formed between the gate and original gate spacers to reduce the parasitic coupling between the gate and the source/drain, for example. In some cases, the additional spacers may include air gaps and/or dielectric material (e.g., low-k dielectric material). In some cases, the gate may include a lower portion and an upper portion. In some such cases, the lower portion of the gate may be narrower in width between the original gate spacers than the upper portion of the gate, which may be as a result of the additional spacers being located between the lower portion of the gate and the original gate spacers. In some such cases, the gate may approximate a “T” shape or various derivatives of that shape such as -shape or -shape, for example.

Abstract: An embodiment includes an apparatus comprising: a non-planar fin having first, second, and third portions each having major and minor axes and each being monolithic with each other; wherein (a) the major axes of the first, second, and third portions are parallel with each other, (b) the major axes of the first and second portions are non-collinear with each other, (c) each of the first, second, and third portions include a node of a transistor selected from the group comprising source, drain, and channel, (e) the first, second, and third portions comprise at least one finFET. Other embodiments are described herein.

Abstract: An embodiment includes an apparatus comprising: a first photovoltaic cell; a first through silicon via (TSV) included in the first photovoltaic cell and passing through at least a portion of a doped silicon substrate, the first TSV comprising (a)(i) a first sidewall, which is doped oppositely to the doped silicon substrate, and (a)(ii) a first contact substantially filling the first TSV; and a second TSV included in the first photovoltaic cell and passing through at least another portion of the doped silicon substrate, the second TSV comprising (b)(i) a second sidewall, which comprises the doped silicon substrate, and (b)(ii) a second contact substantially filling the second TSV; wherein the first and second contacts each include a conductive material that is substantially transparent. Other embodiments are described herein.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for forming a transistor with one or more additional spacers, or inner-gate spacers, as referred to herein. The additional spacers may be formed between the gate and original spacers to reduce the parasitic coupling between the gate and the source/drain, for example. In some cases, the additional spacers may include air gaps and/or dielectric material (e.g., low-k dielectric material). In some cases, the gate may include a lower portion, a middle portion, and an upper portion. In some such cases, the lower and upper portions of the gate may be wider between the original spacers than the middle portion of the gate, which may be as a result of the additional spacers being located between the middle portion of the gate and the original spacers. In some such cases, the gate may approximate an I-shape, -shape, -shape, ?-shape, L-shape, or J-shape, for example.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to dual threshold voltage (VT) channel devices and their methods of fabrication. In an example, a semiconductor device includes a gate stack disposed on a substrate, the substrate having a first lattice constant. A source region and a drain region are formed on opposite sides of the gate electrode. A channel region is disposed beneath the gate stack and between the source region and the drain region. The source region is disposed in a first recess having a first depth and the drain region disposed in a second recess having a second depth. The first recess is deeper than the second recess. A semiconductor material having a second lattice constant different than the first lattice constant is disposed in the first recess and the second recess.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for forming a planar-like transistor device on a fin-based field-effect transistor (finFET) architecture during a finFET fabrication process flow. In some embodiments, the planar-like transistor can include, for example, a semiconductor layer which is grown to locally merge/bridge a plurality of adjacent fins of the finFET architecture and subsequently planarized to provide a high-quality planar surface on which the planar-like transistor can be formed. In some instances, the semiconductor merging layer can be a bridged-epi growth, for example, comprising epitaxial silicon. In some embodiments, such a planar-like device may assist, for example, with analog, high-voltage, wide-Z transistor fabrication.

Abstract: Two or more types of fin-based transistors having different gate structures and formed on a single integrated circuit are described. The gate structures for each type of transistor are distinguished at least by the thickness or composition of the gate dielectric layer(s) or the composition of the work function metal layer(s) in the gate electrode. Methods are also provided for fabricating an integrated circuit having at least two different types of fin-based transistors, where the transistor types are distinguished by the thickness and composition of the gate dielectric layer(s) and/or the thickness and composition of the work function metal in the gate electrode.

Abstract: An impurity source film is formed along a portion of a non-planar semiconductor fin structure. The impurity source film may serve as source of an impurity that becomes electrically active subsequent to diffusing from the source film into the semiconductor fin. In one embodiment, an impurity source film is disposed adjacent to a sidewall surface of a portion of a sub-fin region disposed between an active region of the fin and the substrate and is more proximate to the substrate than to the active area. In further embodiments, the impurity source film may provide a source of dopant that renders the sub-fin region complementarily doped relative to a region of the substrate forming a P/N junction that is at least part of an isolation structure electrically isolating the active fin region from a region of the substrate.

Abstract: A high-voltage transistor structure is provided that includes a self-aligned isolation feature between the gate and drain. Normally, the isolation feature is not self-aligned. The self-aligned isolation process can be integrated into standard CMOS process technology. In one example embodiment, the drain of the transistor structure is positioned one pitch away from the active gate, with an intervening dummy gate structure formed between the drain and active gate structure. The dummy gate structure is sacrificial in nature and can be utilized to create a self-aligned isolation recess, wherein the gate spacer effectively provides a template for etching the isolation recess. This self-aligned isolation forming process eliminates a number of the variation and dimensional constraints attendant non-aligned isolation forming techniques, which in turn allows for smaller footprint and tighter alignment so as to reduce device variation.