Abstract: A method of forming isolation pillars for a gate structure, the method including: providing a preliminary structure including a substrate having a plurality of fins thereon, an STI formed between adjacent fins, an upper surface of the STIs extending higher than an upper surface of the fins, and a hardmask over the upper surface of the fins and between adjacent STIs; forming a first trench in a first selected STI and between adjacent fins in a gate region, and forming a second trench in a second selected STI and between adjacent fins in a TS region; and filling the first and second trenches with an isolation fill thereby forming a first isolation pillar in the gate region and a second isolation pillar in the TS region, the first and second isolation pillars extending below the upper surface of the STIs.

Abstract: Integrated circuit devices include trenches in a material layer that divide the material layer into fins. With such devices, an insulator partially fills the trenches and contacts the material layer. The top surface of the insulator (e.g., the surface opposite where the insulator contacts the material layer) has a convex dome shape between at least two of the fins. The dome shape has a first thickness from (from the bottom of the trench) where the insulator contacts the fins, and a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness where the insulator is between the fins. Further, there is a maximum thickness difference between the first and second thicknesses at the midpoint between the fins (e.g., the highest point of the dome shape is at the midpoint between the fins). Also, the top surface of the first insulator has concave divots where the first insulator contacts the fins.

Abstract: Methods of forming a structure for a fin-type field-effect transistor and structures for a fin-type field-effect transistor. A plurality of sacrificial layers are formed on a dielectric layer. An opening is formed that includes a first section that extends through the sacrificial layers and a second section that extends through the dielectric layer. A semiconductor material is epitaxially grown inside the opening to form a fin. The first section of the opening has a first width dimension, and the second section of the opening has a second width dimension that is less than the first width dimension.

Abstract: The disclosure provides integrated circuit (IC) structures with single diffusion break (SDB) abutting end isolation regions, and methods of forming the same. An IC structure may include: a plurality of fins positioned on a substrate; a plurality of gate structures each positioned on the plurality of fins and extending transversely across the plurality of fins; an insulator region positioned on the plurality of fins and laterally between the plurality of gate structures; at least one single diffusion break (SDB) positioned within the insulator region and one of the plurality of fins, the at least one SDB region extending from an upper surface of the substrate to an upper surface of the insulator region; and an end isolation region abutting a lateral end of the at least one SDB along a length of the plurality of gate structures, the end isolation region extending substantially in parallel with the plurality of fins.

Abstract: Methods of forming a structure for a fin-type field-effect transistor and structures for a fin-type field-effect transistor. A plurality of sacrificial layers are formed on a dielectric layer. An opening is formed that includes a first section that extends through the sacrificial layers and a second section that extends through the dielectric layer. A semiconductor material is epitaxially grown inside the opening to form a fin. The first section of the opening has a first width dimension, and the second section of the opening has a second width dimension that is less than the first width dimension.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to semiconductor structures and, more particularly, to scaled memory structures with middle of the line cuts and methods of manufacture The structure comprises: a plurality of fin structures formed on a substrate; a plurality of gate structures spanning over adjacent fin structures; a cut in adjacent epitaxial source/drain regions; and a cut in contact material formed adjacent to the plurality of gate structures, which provides separate contacts.

Abstract: One illustrative method disclosed herein includes, among other things, forming first and second adjacent gates above a semiconductor substrate, each of the gates comprising a gate structure and a gate cap, forming a conductive resistor structure between the first and second adjacent gates, the conductive resistor structure having an uppermost surface that is positioned at a level that is below a level of an uppermost surface of the gate caps of the first and second adjacent gates, and forming first and second separate conductive resistor contact structures, each of which is conductively coupled to the conductive resistor structure.

Abstract: Methods of forming a structure for a fin-type field-effect transistor and structures for a fin-type field-effect transistor. An etch stop layer, a sacrificial layer, and a dielectric layer are arranged in a layer stack formed on a substrate. a plurality of openings are formed that extend through the layer stack to the substrate. A semiconductor material is epitaxially grown inside each of the plurality of openings from the substrate to form a plurality of fins embedded in the layer stack. The sacrificial layer is removed selective to the etch stop layer to reveal a section of each of the plurality of fins.

Abstract: A shallow trench isolation (STI) structure is formed from a conventional STI trench structure formed of first dielectric material extending into the substrate. The conventional STI structure undergoes further processing, including removing a first portion of the dielectric material and adjacent portions of the semiconductor substrate to create a first recess, and then removing another portion of the dielectric material to create a second recess in just the dielectric material. A nitride layer is formed above remaining dielectric material and on the sidewalls of the substrate. A second dielectric material is formed on the spacer layer and fills the remainder of first and second recesses. The nitride layer provides an “inner spacer” between the first insulating material and the second insulating material and also separates the substrate from the second insulating material.

Abstract: A shallow trench isolation (STI) structure is formed from a conventional STI trench structure formed of first dielectric material extending into the substrate. The conventional STI structure undergoes further processing, including removing a first portion of the dielectric material and adjacent portions of the semiconductor substrate to create a first recess, and then removing another portion of the dielectric material to create a second recess in just the dielectric material. A nitride layer is formed above remaining dielectric material and on the sidewalls of the substrate. A second dielectric material is formed on the spacer layer and fills the remainder of first and second recesses. The nitride layer provides an “inner spacer” between the first insulating material and the second insulating material and also separates the substrate from the second insulating material.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the formation of an oxide spacer layer to modify the critical dimension of a gate cut opening in connection with a replacement metal gate process. The oxide spacer layer is deposited after etching a gate cut opening in an overlying hard mask such that the oxide spacer layer is deposited onto sidewall surfaces of the hard mask within the opening and directly over the top surface of a sacrificial gate. The oxide spacer may also be deposited into recessed regions within an interlayer dielectric located adjacent to the sacrificial gate. By filling the recessed regions with an oxide, the opening of trenches through the oxide spacer layer and the interlayer dielectric to expose source/drain junctions can be simplified.

Abstract: Methods form integrated circuit structures that include a semiconductor layer having at least one fin. At least three gate stacks contact, and are spaced along, the top of the fin. An insulator in trenches in the fin contacts the first and third of the gate stacks, and extends into the fin from the first and third gate stacks. Source and drain regions in the fin are adjacent a second of the gate stacks. The second gate stack is between the first and third gate stacks along the top of the fin. Additionally, a protective liner is in the trench between a top portion of the insulator a bottom portion of the insulator.

Abstract: One illustrative method disclosed herein includes, among other things, forming first and second adjacent gates above a semiconductor substrate, each of the gates comprising a gate structure and a gate cap, forming a conductive resistor structure between the first and second adjacent gates, the conductive resistor structure having an uppermost surface that is positioned at a level that is below a level of an uppermost surface of the gate caps of the first and second adjacent gates, and forming first and second separate conductive resistor contact structures, each of which is conductively coupled to the conductive resistor structure.

Abstract: One illustrative integrated circuit product disclosed herein includes a first final gate structure, a second final gate structure and an insulating gate separation structure positioned between the first and second final gate structures. In this example, the insulating gate separation structure comprises an upper portion and a lower portion. The lower portion has a first lateral width in a first direction that is substantially uniform throughout a vertical height of the lower portion. The upper portion has a substantially uniform second lateral width in the first direction that is substantially uniform throughout a vertical height of the upper portion, wherein the second lateral width is less than the first lateral width.

Abstract: Disclosed is a semiconductor structure, including at least one fin-type field effect transistor and at least one single-diffusion break (SDB) type isolation region, and a method of forming the semiconductor structure. In the method, an isolation bump is formed above an isolation region within a semiconductor fin and sidewall spacers are formed on the bump. During an etch process to reduce the height of the bump and to remove isolation material from the sidewalls of the fin, the sidewall spacers prevent lateral etching of the bump. During an etch process to form source/drain recesses in the fin, the sidewalls spacers protect the semiconductor material adjacent to the isolation region. Consequently, the sides and bottom of each recess include semiconductor surfaces and the angle of the top surfaces of the epitaxial source/drain regions formed therein is minimized, thereby minimizing the risk of unlanded source/drain contacts.

Abstract: Disclosed is a semiconductor structure, including at least one fin-type field effect transistor and at least one single-diffusion break (SDB) type isolation region, and a method of forming the semiconductor structure. In the method, an isolation bump is formed above an isolation region within a semiconductor fin and sidewall spacers are formed on the bump. During an etch process to reduce the height of the bump and to remove isolation material from the sidewalls of the fin, the sidewall spacers prevent lateral etching of the bump. During an etch process to form source/drain recesses in the fin, the sidewalls spacers protect the semiconductor material adjacent to the isolation region. Consequently, the sides and bottom of each recess include semiconductor surfaces and the angle of the top surfaces of the epitaxial source/drain regions formed therein is minimized, thereby minimizing the risk of unlanded source/drain contacts.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a FinFET structure involves forming gate cuts within a sacrificial gate layer prior to patterning and etching the sacrificial gate layer to form longitudinal sacrificial gate structures. By forming transverse cuts in the sacrificial gate layer before defining the sacrificial gate structures longitudinally, dimensional precision of the gate cuts at lower critical dimensions can be improved.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a FinFET structure involves forming gate cuts within a sacrificial gate layer prior to patterning and etching the sacrificial gate layer to form longitudinal sacrificial gate structures. By forming transverse cuts in the sacrificial gate layer before defining the sacrificial gate structures longitudinally, dimensional precision of the gate cuts at lower critical dimensions can be improved.

Abstract: A method for eliminating line voids during RMG processing and the resulting device are provided. Embodiments include forming dummy gates over PFET and NFET regions of a substrate, each dummy gate having spacers at opposite sides, and an ILD filling spaces between spacers; removing dummy gate material from the gates, forming a cavity between each pair of spacers; forming a high-k dielectric layer over the ILD and spacers and in the cavities; forming a metal capping layer over the high-k dielectric layer; forming a first work function metal layer over the metal capping layer; removing the first work function metal layer from the PFET region; forming a second work function metal layer over the metal capping layer in the PFET region and over the first work function metal layer in the NFET region; and forming a metal layer over the second work function metal layer, filling the cavities.

Abstract: Methods of forming a sacrificial gate cap and a self-aligned contact for a device structure. A gate electrode is arranged between a first sidewall spacer and a second sidewall spacer. A top surface of the gate electrode is recessed to open a space above the top surface of the recessed gate electrode that partially exposes the first and second sidewall spacers. Respective sections of the first and second sidewall spacers, which are arranged above the top surface of the recessed gate electrode, are removed in order to increase a width of the space. A sacrificial cap is formed in the widened space.