Abstract: High voltage three-dimensional devices having dielectric liners and methods of forming high voltage three-dimensional devices having dielectric liners are described. For example, a semiconductor structure includes a first fin active region and a second fin active region disposed above a substrate. A first gate structure is disposed above a top surface of, and along sidewalls of, the first fin active region. The first gate structure includes a first gate dielectric, a first gate electrode, and first spacers. The first gate dielectric is composed of a first dielectric layer disposed on the first fin active region and along sidewalls of the first spacers, and a second, different, dielectric layer disposed on the first dielectric layer and along sidewalls of the first spacers. The semiconductor structure also includes a second gate structure disposed above a top surface of, and along sidewalls of, the second fin active region.

Abstract: Memory cells having isolated charge sites and methods of fabricating memory cells having isolated charge sites are described. In an example, a nonvolatile charge trap memory device includes a substrate having a channel region, a source region and a drain region. A gate stack is disposed above the substrate, over the channel region. The gate stack includes a tunnel dielectric layer disposed above the channel region, a first charge-trapping region and a second charge-trapping region. The regions are disposed above the tunnel dielectric layer and separated by a distance. The gate stack also includes an isolating dielectric layer disposed above the tunnel dielectric layer and between the first charge-trapping region and the second charge-trapping region. A gate dielectric layer is disposed above the first charge-trapping region, the second charge-trapping region and the isolating dielectric layer. A gate electrode is disposed above the gate dielectric layer.

Abstract: Microelectronic structures embodying the present invention include a field effect transistor (FET) having highly conductive source/drain extensions. Formation of such highly conductive source/drain extensions includes forming a passivated recess which is back filled by epitaxial deposition of doped material to form the source/drain junctions. The recesses include a laterally extending region that underlies a portion of the gate structure. Such a lateral extension may underlie a sidewall spacer adjacent to the vertical sidewalls of the gate electrode, or may extend further into the channel portion of a FET such that the lateral recess underlies the gate electrode portion of the gate structure. In one embodiment the recess is back filled by an in-situ epitaxial deposition of a bilayer of oppositely doped material. In this way, a very abrupt junction is achieved that provides a relatively low resistance source/drain extension and further provides good off-state subthreshold leakage characteristics.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for forming transistor architectures having extended recessed spacer and source/drain (S/D) regions. In some embodiments, a recess can be formed, for example, in the top of a fin of a fin-based field-effect transistor (finFET), such that the recess allows for forming extended recessed spacers and S/D regions in the finFET that are adjacent to the gate stack. In some instances, this configuration provides a higher resistance path in the top of the fin, which can reduce gate-induced drain leakage (GIDL) in the finFET. In some embodiments, precise tuning of the onset of GIDL can be provided. Some embodiments may provide a reduction in junction leakage (Lb) and a simultaneous increase in threshold voltage (VT). The disclosed techniques can be implemented with planar and non-planar fin-based architectures and can be used in standard metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) and complementary MOS (CMOS) process flows, in some embodiments.

Abstract: Non-planar semiconductor devices having self-aligned fins with top blocking layers and methods of fabricating non-planar semiconductor devices having self-aligned fins with top blocking layers are described. For example, a semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor fin disposed above a semiconductor substrate and having a top surface. An isolation layer is disposed on either side of the semiconductor fin, and recessed below the top surface of the semiconductor fin to provide a protruding portion of the semiconductor fin. The protruding portion has sidewalls and the top surface. A gate blocking layer has a first portion disposed on at least a portion of the top surface of the semiconductor fin, and has a second portion disposed on at least a portion of the sidewalls of the semiconductor fin. The first portion of the gate blocking layer is continuous with, but thicker than, the second portion of the gate blocking layer. A gate stack is disposed on the first and second portions of the gate blocking layer.

Abstract: Techniques for providing non-volatile antifuse memory elements and other antifuse links are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the antifuse memory elements are configured with non-planar topology such as FinFET topology. In some such embodiments, the fin topology can be manipulated and used to effectively promote lower breakdown voltage transistors, by creating enhanced-emission sites which are suitable for use in lower voltage non-volatile antifuse memory elements. In one example embodiment, a semiconductor antifuse device is provided that includes a non-planar diffusion area having a fin configured with a tapered portion, a dielectric isolation layer on the fin including the tapered portion, and a gate material on the dielectric isolation layer. The tapered portion of the fin may be formed, for instance, by oxidation, etching, and/or ablation, and in some cases includes a base region and a thinned region, and the thinned region is at least 50% thinner than the base region.

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: Low leakage non-planar access transistors for embedded dynamic random access memory (eDRAM) and methods of fabricating low leakage non-planar access transistors for eDRAM are described. For example, a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor fin disposed above a substrate and including a narrow fin region disposed between two wide fin regions. A gate electrode stack is disposed conformal with the narrow fin region of the semiconductor fin, the gate electrode stack including a gate electrode disposed on a gate dielectric layer. The gate dielectric layer includes a lower layer and an upper layer, the lower layer composed of an oxide of the semiconductor fin. A pair of source/drain regions is included, each of the source/drain regions disposed in a corresponding one of the wide fin regions.

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: Microelectronic structures embodying the present invention include a field effect transistor (FET) having highly conductive source/drain extensions. Formation of such highly conductive source/drain extensions includes forming a passivated recess which is back filled by epitaxial deposition of doped material to form the source/drain junctions. The recesses include a laterally extending region that underlies a portion of the gate structure. Such a lateral extension may underlie a sidewall spacer adjacent to the vertical sidewalls of the gate electrode, or may extend further into the channel portion of a FET such that the lateral recess underlies the gate electrode portion of the gate structure. In one embodiment the recess is back filled by an in-situ epitaxial deposition of a bilayer of oppositely doped material. In this way, a very abrupt junction is achieved that provides a relatively low resistance source/drain extension and further provides good off-state subthreshold leakage characteristics.

Abstract: A MOS antifuse with an accelerated dielectric breakdown induced by a void or seam formed in the electrode. In some embodiments, the programming voltage at which a MOS antifuse undergoes dielectric breakdown is reduced through intentional damage to at least part of the MOS antifuse dielectric. In some embodiments, damage may be introduced during an etchback of an electrode material which has a seam formed during backfilling of the electrode material into an opening having a threshold aspect ratio. In further embodiments, a MOS antifuse bit-cell includes a MOS transistor and a MOS antifuse. The MOS transistor has a gate electrode that maintains a predetermined voltage threshold swing, while the MOS antifuse has a gate electrode with a void accelerated dielectric breakdown.

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: 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: A dielectric and isolation lower fin material is described that is useful for fin-based electronics. In some examples, a dielectric layer is on first and second sidewalls of a lower fin. The dielectric layer has a first upper end portion laterally adjacent to the first sidewall of the lower fin and a second upper end portion laterally adjacent to the second sidewall of the lower fin. An isolation material is laterally adjacent to the dielectric layer directly on the first and second sidewalls of the lower fin and a gate electrode is over a top of and laterally adjacent to sidewalls of an upper fin. The gate electrode is over the first and second upper end portions of the dielectric layer and the isolation material.

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.

Abstract: Microelectronic structures embodying the present invention include a field effect transistor (FET) having highly conductive source/drain extensions. Formation of such highly conductive source/drain extensions includes forming a passivated recess which is back filled by epitaxial deposition of doped material to form the source/drain junctions. The recesses include a laterally extending region that underlies a portion of the gate structure. Such a lateral extension may underlie a sidewall spacer adjacent to the vertical sidewalls of the gate electrode, or may extend further into the channel portion of a FET such that the lateral recess underlies the gate electrode portion of the gate structure. In one embodiment the recess is back filled by an in-situ epitaxial deposition of a bilayer of oppositely doped material. In this way, a very abrupt junction is achieved that provides a relatively low resistance source/drain extension and further provides good off-state subthreshold leakage characteristics.

Abstract: An embodiment includes an apparatus comprising: a non-planar transistor comprising a fin, the fin including a source region having a source region width and a source region height, a channel region having a channel region width and a channel region height, a drain region having a drain width and a drain height, and a gate dielectric formed on a sidewall of the channel region; wherein the apparatus includes at least one of (a) the channel region width being wider than the source region width, and (b) the gate dielectric including a first gate dielectric thickness at a first location and a second gate dielectric thickness at a second location, the first and second locations located at an equivalent height on the sidewall and the first and second gate dielectrics thicknesses being unequal to one another. Other embodiments are described herein.

Abstract: An embodiment includes an apparatus comprising: a non-planar fm 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 fmFET. Other embodiments are described herein.

Abstract: Planar and non-planar field effect transistors with extended-drain structures, and techniques to fabricate such structures. In an embodiment, a field plate electrode is disposed over an extended-drain, with a field plate dielectric there between. The field plate is disposed farther from the transistor drain than the transistor gate. In a further embodiment, an extended-drain transistor has source and drain contact metal at approximately twice a pitch, of the field plate and the source and/or drain contact metal. In a further embodiment, an isolation dielectric distinct from the gate dielectric is disposed between the extended-drain and the field plate. In a further embodiment, the field plate may be directly coupled to one or more of the transistor gate electrode or a dummy gate electrode without requiring upper level interconnection.

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.