Abstract: One method disclosed herein includes forming a sacrificial gate structure comprised of upper and lower sacrificial gate electrodes, performing at least one etching process to define a patterned upper sacrificial gate electrode comprised of a plurality of trenches that expose a portion of a surface of the lower sacrificial gate electrode and performing another etching process through the patterned upper sacrificial gate electrode to remove the lower sacrificial gate electrode and a sacrificial gate insulation layer and thereby define a first portion of a replacement gate cavity that is at least partially positioned under the patterned upper sacrificial gate electrode.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are various methods of forming isolation structures on FinFETs and other semiconductor devices, and the resulting devices that have such isolation structures. In one example, the method includes forming a plurality of spaced-apart trenches in a semiconducting substrate, wherein the trenches define a fin for a FinFET device, forming a layer of insulating material in the trenches, wherein the layer of insulating material covers a lower portion of the fin but not an upper portion of the fin, forming a protective material on the upper portion of the fin, and performing a heating process in an oxidizing ambient to form a thermal oxide region on the covered lower portion of the fin.

Abstract: One method disclosed includes, among other things, forming a gate registration structure above an isolation region, wherein the gate registration structure comprises a plurality of layers of material, the uppermost layer of which is a polish-stop layer, forming first and second sacrificial gate structures above first and second active regions, respectively, wherein the first and second sacrificial gate structures abut and engage opposite sides of the gate registration structure, and performing at least one first chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process to remove the gate cap layer so as to thereby expose a sacrificial gate electrode in each of the first and second sacrificial gate structures, wherein the uppermost layer of the gate registration structure serves as a polish-stop layer during the at least one first CMP process.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a semiconductor structure and a method of forming a semiconductor structure. Embodiments of the semiconductor structure have a plurality of fins on a substrate. The semiconductor has, and the method achieves, a silicide layer formed on and substantially surrounding at least one epitaxial region formed on a top portion of the plurality of fins. Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and structure for forming a conformal silicide layer on the epitaxial regions that are formed on the top portion of unmerged fins of a finFET.

Abstract: A semiconductor substrate includes a bulk substrate layer that extends along a first axis to define a width and a second axis perpendicular to the first axis to define a height. A plurality of hetero semiconductor fins includes an epitaxial material formed on a first region of the bulk substrate layer. A plurality of non-hetero semiconductor fins is formed on a second region of the bulk substrate layer different from the first region. The non-hetero semiconductor fins are integrally formed from the bulk substrate layer such that the material of the non-hetero semiconductor fins is different from the epitaxial material.

Abstract: One method disclosed herein includes forming a sacrificial etch stop material in a recess above a replacement gate structure, with the sacrificial etch stop material in position, forming a self-aligned contact that is conductively coupled to the source/drain region, after forming the self-aligned contact, performing at least one process operation to expose and remove the sacrificial etch stop material in the recess so as to thereby re-expose the recess, and forming a third layer of insulating material in at least the re-exposed recess.

Abstract: One method disclosed includes, among other things, forming a gate registration structure above an isolation region, wherein the gate registration structure comprises a plurality of layers of material, the uppermost layer of which is a polish-stop layer, forming first and second sacrificial gate structures above first and second active regions, respectively, wherein the first and second sacrificial gate structures abut and engage opposite sides of the gate registration structure, and performing at least one first chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process to remove the gate cap layer so as to thereby expose a sacrificial gate electrode in each of the first and second sacrificial gate structures, wherein the uppermost layer of the gate registration structure serves as a polish-stop layer during the at least one first CMP process.

Abstract: One method disclosed includes, among other things, covering a top surface and a portion of the sidewalls of a fin with etch stop material, forming a sacrificial gate structure above and around the fin, forming a sidewall spacer adjacent the sacrificial gate structure, performing at least one process operation to remove the sacrificial gate structure and thereby define a replacement gate cavity, forming a counter-doped region in the fin below an upper surface of the fin and below the channel region of the device, wherein the counter-doped region is doped with a second type of dopant material that is of an opposite type relative to the first type of dopant material, and forming a replacement gate structure in the replacement gate cavity.

Abstract: One method disclosed includes, forming a sacrificial gate structure trench in a stack of sacrificial material layers, forming a sacrificial gate structure within the trench, performing at least one process operation to remove at least portions of the stack of sacrificial material layers and thereby expose sidewalls of the sacrificial gate structure, forming a sidewall spacer adjacent the exposed sidewalls of the sacrificial gate structure, removing the sacrificial gate structure so as to define a replacement gate cavity between the spacers, forming a replacement gate structure in the replacement gate cavity, and forming a gate cap above the replacement gate structure within the replacement gate cavity.

Abstract: One illustrative method disclosed herein includes removing the sidewall spacers and a gate cap layer so as to thereby expose an upper surface and sidewalls of a sacrificial gate structure, forming an etch stop layer above source/drain regions of a device and on the sidewalls and upper surface of the sacrificial gate structure, forming a first layer of insulating material above the etch stop layer, removing the sacrificial gate structure so as to define a replacement gate cavity that is laterally defined by portions of the etch stop layer, forming a replacement gate structure in the replacement gate cavity, and forming a second gate cap layer above the replacement gate structure.

Abstract: One method disclosed includes, among other things, covering a top surface and a portion of the sidewalls of a fin with etch stop material, forming a sacrificial gate structure above and around the fin, forming a sidewall spacer adjacent the sacrificial gate structure, performing at least one process operation to remove the sacrificial gate structure and thereby define a replacement gate cavity, forming a counter-doped region in the fin below an upper surface of the fin and below the channel region of the device, wherein the counter-doped region is doped with a second type of dopant material that is of an opposite type relative to the first type of dopant material, and forming a replacement gate structure in the replacement gate cavity.

Abstract: One method disclosed herein includes forming a sacrificial etch stop material in a recess above a replacement gate structure, with the sacrificial etch stop material in position, forming a self-aligned contact that is conductively coupled to the source/drain region, after forming the self-aligned contact, performing at least one process operation to expose and remove the sacrificial etch stop material in the recess so as to thereby re-expose the recess, and forming a third layer of insulating material in at least the re-exposed recess.

Abstract: One method disclosed herein includes forming at least one sacrificial sidewall spacer adjacent a sacrificial gate structure that is formed above a semiconducting substrate, removing at least a portion of the sacrificial gate structure to thereby define a gate cavity that is laterally defined by the sacrificial spacer, forming a replacement gate structure in the gate cavity, removing the sacrificial spacer to thereby define a spacer cavity adjacent the replacement gate structure, and forming a low-k spacer in the spacer cavity. A novel device disclosed herein includes a gate structure positioned above a semiconducting substrate, wherein the gate insulation layer has two upstanding portions that are substantially vertically oriented relative to an upper surface of the substrate. The device further includes a low-k sidewall spacer positioned adjacent each of the vertically oriented upstanding portions of the gate insulation layer.

Abstract: One method disclosed includes, among other things, covering the top surface and a portion of the sidewalls of an initial fin structure with etch stop material, forming a sacrificial gate structure around the initial fin structure, forming a sidewall spacer adjacent the sacrificial gate structure, removing the sacrificial gate structure, with the etch stop material in position, to thereby define a replacement gate cavity, performing at least one etching process through the replacement gate cavity to remove a portion of the semiconductor substrate material of the fin structure positioned under the replacement gate cavity that is not covered by the etch stop material so as to thereby define a final fin structure and a channel cavity positioned below the final fin structure and substantially filling the channel cavity with a stressed material.

Abstract: One method disclosed includes, among other things, forming an initial fin structure comprised of portions of a substrate, a first epi semiconductor material and a second epi semiconductor material, forming a layer of insulating material so as to over-fill the trenches that define the fin, recessing a layer of insulating material such that a portion, but not all, of the second epi semiconductor portion of the final fin structure is exposed, forming a gate structure around the final fin structure, further recessing the layer of insulating material such that the first epi semiconductor material is exposed, removing the first epi semiconductor material to thereby define an under-fin cavity and substantially filling the under-fin cavity with a stressed material.

Abstract: A method includes providing a gate structure having a gate, a first spacer along at least one side of the gate and an interlayer dielectric on at least one of the gate and the first spacer. The interlayer dielectric is removed to reveal the first spacer. The first spacer is removed and a second spacer is deposited on at least one side of the gate. The second spacer is formed of material having a lower dielectric constant than the first spacer.

Abstract: One example disclosed herein involves forming source/drain conductive contacts to first and second source/drain regions, the first source/drain region being positioned between a first pair of transistor devices having a first gate pitch dimension, the second source/drain region being positioned between a second pair of transistor devices having a second gate pitch dimension that is greater than the first gate pitch dimension, wherein the first and second pairs of transistor devices have a gate structure and sidewall spacers positioned adjacent the gate structure.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a CMOS integrated circuit structure and the CMOS integrated circuit structure. The method includes creating one or more n-type wells, creating one or more p-type wells, creating one or more pFET source-drains embedded in each of the one or more n-type wells, creating one or more nFET source-drains embedded in each of the one or more p-type wells, creating a pFET contact overlaying each of the one or more pFET source-drains, and creating an nFET contact overlaying each of the one or more nFET source-drains. A material of each of the one or more pFET source-drains includes silicon doped with a p-type material; a material of each of the one or more nFET source-drains includes silicon doped with an n-type material; a material of each pFET contact includes nickel silicide; and a material of each nFET contact comprises titanium silicide.

Abstract: One method disclosed herein includes forming an etch stop layer above recessed sidewall spacers and a recessed replacement gate structure and, with the etch stop layer in position, forming a self-aligned contact that is conductively coupled to the source/drain region after forming the self-aligned contact. A device disclosed herein includes an etch stop layer that is positioned above a recessed replacement gate structure and recessed sidewall spacers, wherein the etch stop layer defines an etch stop recess that contains a layer of insulating material positioned therein. The device further includes a self-aligned contact.

Abstract: One method disclosed includes, forming a sacrificial gate structure trench in a stack of sacrificial material layers, forming a sacrificial gate structure within the trench, performing at least one process operation to remove at least portions of the stack of sacrificial material layers and thereby expose sidewalls of the sacrificial gate structure, forming a sidewall spacer adjacent the exposed sidewalls of the sacrificial gate structure, removing the sacrificial gate structure so as to define a replacement gate cavity between the spacers, forming a replacement gate structure in the replacement gate cavity, and forming a gate cap above the replacement gate structure within the replacement gate cavity.