Abstract: A method includes bonding a first package and a second package over a package component, adhering a first Thermal Interface Material (TIM) and a second TIM over the first package and the second package, respectively, dispensing an adhesive feature on the package component, and placing a heat sink over and contacting the adhesive feature. The heat sink includes a portion over the first TIM and the second TIM. The adhesive feature is then cured.

Abstract: An interconnect fabrication method is disclosed herein that utilizes a disposable etch stop hard mask over a gate structure during source/drain contact formation and replaces the disposable etch stop hard mask with a dielectric feature (in some embodiments, dielectric layers having a lower dielectric constant than a dielectric constant of dielectric layers of the disposable etch stop hard mask) before gate contact formation. An exemplary device includes a contact etch stop layer (CESL) having a first sidewall CESL portion and a second sidewall CESL portion separated by a spacing and a dielectric feature disposed over a gate structure, where the dielectric feature and the gate structure fill the spacing between the first sidewall CESL portion and the second sidewall CESL portion. The dielectric feature includes a bulk dielectric over a dielectric liner. The dielectric liner separates the bulk dielectric from the gate structure and the CESL.

Abstract: An infrared thermopile sensor includes a silicon cover having an infrared lens, an infrared sensing chip having duo-thermopile sensing elements, and a microcontroller chip calculating a temperature of an object. The components are in a stacked 3D package to decrease the size of the infrared thermopile sensor. The infrared sensing chip and the microcontroller chip have metal layers to shield the thermal radiation. To measure object temperature accurately under acute change in environmental temperature, this disclosure uses the duo-thermopile sensing elements, that one is the active unit for measuring the object temperature and another one is the dummy unit for compensating the effect from the package structure.

Abstract: An infrared temperature sensor comprises a first communication port and a second communication port. A plurality of infrared temperature sensors can be cascaded to each other and connected to an external host controller through the second communication port. The external host controller can set up and administer the unique addresses of the plurality of the infrared temperature sensors through the second communication port, whereby to selectively perform multicasting communication or unicasting communication with the plurality of infrared temperature sensors through the first communication port. The infrared temperature sensor further comprises a second thermopile sensing element used to sense the thermal radiation of a package structure, whereby to compensate for the measurement error induced by temperature variation of the package structure. Thus, the measurement accuracy is increased.

Abstract: A method and structure for forming a via-first metal gate contact includes depositing a first dielectric layer over a substrate having a gate structure with a metal gate layer. An opening is formed within the first dielectric layer to expose a portion of the substrate, and a first metal layer is deposited within the opening. A second dielectric layer is deposited over the first dielectric layer and over the first metal layer. The first and second dielectric layers are etched to form a gate via opening. The gate via opening exposes the metal gate layer. A portion of the second dielectric layer is removed to form a contact opening that exposes the first metal layer. The gate via and contact openings merge to form a composite opening. A second metal layer is deposited within the composite opening, thus connecting the metal gate layer to the first metal layer.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a source/drain component of a transistor. A source/drain contact is disposed over the source/drain component. A source/drain via is disposed over the source/drain contact. The source/drain via contains copper. A first liner at least partially surrounds the source/drain via. A second liner at least partially surrounds the first liner. The first liner and the second liner are disposed between the source/drain contact and the source/drain via. The first liner and the second liner have different material compositions.

Abstract: An infrared temperature sensor comprises a thermopile sensor and an infrared reflector, wherein the infrared reflector reflects the infrared ray radiated by a target to a first thermopile sensing element of the thermopile sensor to sense the temperature of the target. By appropriately designing the reflecting surface of the infrared reflector, a horizontal viewing angle of a sensing range of the infrared temperature sensor can be larger, while a vertical viewing angle is smaller. The thermopile sensor further comprises a second thermopile sensing element, which can sense the thermal radiation of a package structure, whereby to compensate for the measurement error induced by the temperature variation of the package structure, which results from the variation of the environmental temperature. Thus, the measurement accuracy is increased.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure includes a fin disposed on a substrate, the fin including a channel region comprising a plurality of channels vertically stacked over one another, the channels comprising germanium distributed therein. The semiconductor structure further includes a gate stack engaging the channel region of the fin and gate spacers disposed between the gate stack and the source and drain regions of the fin, wherein each channel of the channels includes a middle section wrapped around by the gate stack and two end sections engaged by the gate spacers, wherein a concentration of germanium in the middle section of the channel is higher than a concentration of germanium in the two end sections of the channel, and wherein the middle section of the channel further includes a core portion and an outer portion surrounding the core portion with a germanium concentration profile from the core portion to the outer portion.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a gate structure disposed over a substrate, and a first dielectric layer disposed over the substrate, including and over the gate structure. A first metal feature is disposed in the first dielectric layer, including an upper portion having a first width and a lower portion having a second width that is different than the first width. A dielectric spacer is disposed along the lower portion of the first metal feature, wherein the upper portion of the first metal feature is disposed over the dielectric spacer. A second dielectric layer is disposed over the first dielectric layer, including over the first metal feature and a second metal feature extends through the second dielectric layer to physically contact with the first metal feature. A third metal feature extends through the second dielectric layer and the first dielectric layer to physically contact the gate structure.

Abstract: Semiconductor structures and methods for manufacturing the same are provided. The method for manufacturing the semiconductor structure includes forming a gate structure over a substrate and forming a mask layer covering the gate structure. The method also includes forming a source/drain structure adjacent to the gate structure over the substrate and forming a contact over the source/drain structure. The method also includes forming a dielectric layer over the contact and the mask layer and forming a first trench through the dielectric layer and the mask layer over the gate structure. The method also includes forming a first conductive structure in the first trench and removing an upper portion of the first conductive structure. The method also includes forming a second conductive structure through the dielectric layer and covering the contact and the first conductive structure.

Abstract: Semiconductor structures and methods for forming the same are provided. The semiconductor device includes a fin protruding from a substrate and an isolation structure surrounding the fin. The semiconductor device also includes a first channel layer and a second channel layer formed over the fin and at least partially overlapping the isolation structure. The semiconductor device further includes a gate structure formed in a space between the first channel layer and the second channel layer and wrapping around the first channel layer and the second channel layer.

Abstract: A device includes a first semiconductor strip protruding from a substrate, a second semiconductor strip protruding from the substrate, an isolation material surrounding the first semiconductor strip and the second semiconductor strip, a nanosheet structure over the first semiconductor strip, wherein the nanosheet structure is separated from the first semiconductor strip by a first gate structure including a gate electrode material, wherein the first gate structure partially surrounds the nanosheet structure, and a first semiconductor channel region and a semiconductor second channel region over the second semiconductor strip, wherein the first semiconductor channel region is separated from the second semiconductor channel region by a second gate structure including the gate electrode material, wherein the second gate structure extends on a top surface of the second semiconductor strip.

Abstract: A semiconductor device and a method of forming the same are provided. A semiconductor device according to the present disclosure includes a first source/drain feature, a second source/drain feature, a first semiconductor channel member and a second semiconductor channel member extending between the first and second source/drain features, and a first dielectric feature and a second dielectric feature each including a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer different from the first dielectric layer. The first and second dielectric features are sandwiched between the first and second semiconductor channel members.

Abstract: Methods for manufacturing a semiconductor structure is provided. The method for manufacturing the semiconductor structure includes forming nanowire structures over a substrate and forming a gate structure across nanowire structures. The method for manufacturing the semiconductor structure also includes forming a source/drain structure adjacent to the gate structure and forming a Si layer over the source/drain structure. The method for manufacturing the semiconductor structure also includes forming a SiGe layer over the Si layer and oxidizing the SiGe layer to form an oxide layer. The method for manufacturing the semiconductor structure also includes forming a contact through the Si layer over the source/drain structure.

Abstract: A method includes forming a first conductive feature over a semiconductor substrate, forming an ILD layer over the first conductive feature, patterning the ILD layer to form a trench, and forming a conductive layer over the patterned ILD layer to fill the trench. The method further includes polishing the conductive layer to form a via contact configured to interconnect the first conductive feature with a second conductive feature, where polishing the conductive layer exposes a top surface of the ILD layer, polishing the exposed top surface of the ILD layer, such that a top portion of the via contact protrudes from the exposed top surface of the ILD layer, and forming the second conductive feature over the via contact, such that the top portion of the via contact extends into the second conductive feature.

Abstract: A method for forming a FinFET device structure is provided. The method includes forming a gate dielectric layer over a fin structure. The method also includes forming a gate electrode layer over the gate dielectric layer. The method further includes forming a first dielectric layer formed over the gate dielectric layer. In addition, the method includes forming a first conductive layer on the gate dielectric layer. A bottom surface of the first conductive layer is in direct contact a top surface of the gate electrode layer, a sidewall of the first conductive layer is in direct contact the first dielectric layer and spaced apart from the gate dielectric layer.

Abstract: A thermal sensor package for earbuds includes two thermopile sensor elements on a single thermopile sensor chip, and the two thermopile sensor elements are separated by a block wall of a cap. One of the thermopile sensor elements senses external infrared thermal radiation through a window of the cap, and the other thermopile sensor element senses internal infrared thermal radiation from a package structure as a basis for correcting compensation. Therefore, the foregoing thermal sensor package for earbuds can quickly correct a measurement error caused by the package structure to improve the measurement accuracy. In addition, the forgoing thermal sensor package for earbuds has a simple packaging step and is easy to arrange a silicon based infrared lens to expand its application.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor fin over a substrate, an epitaxial source/drain (S/D) feature disposed over the semiconductor fin, first and second dielectric layers over the substrate, and an S/D contact disposed on the epitaxial S/D feature. The first and second dielectric layers have different material compositions. A first sidewall of the epitaxial S/D feature is facing the first dielectric layer, a second sidewall of the epitaxial S/D feature is facing the second dielectric layer, and the S/D contact partially covers a top surface of the epitaxial S/D feature and extends continuously to cover the first sidewall of the epitaxial S/D feature.

Abstract: Provided is a semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of semiconductor nanosheets, a plurality of source/drain (S/D) features and a gate stack. The semiconductor substrate includes a first fin and a second fin. The first fin has a first width less than a second width of the second fin, and a top surface of the first fin is lower than a top surface of the second fin. The plurality of semiconductor nanosheets are disposed on the first fin and the second fin. The plurality of source/drain (S/D) features are located on the first fin and the second fin and abutting the plurality of semiconductor nanosheets. The gate stack wraps each of the plurality of semiconductor nanosheets.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure and the manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. An exemplary semiconductor structure includes a first source/drain contact and a second source/drain contact spaced apart by a gate structure, an etch stop layer (ESL) over the first source/drain contact and the second source/drain contact, a conductive feature disposed in the etch stop layer and in direct contact with the first source/drain contact and the second source/drain contact, a dielectric layer over the etch stop layer, and a contact via extending through the dielectric layer and electrically connected to the conductive feature. By providing the conductive feature, a number of metal lines in an interconnect structure of the semiconductor structure may be advantageously reduced.