Abstract: A semiconductor process of forming metal gates with different threshold voltages includes the following steps. A substrate having a first area and a second area is provided. A dielectric layer and a first work function layer are sequentially formed on the substrate of the first area and the second area. A second work function layer is directly formed on the first work function layer of the first area. A third work function layer is directly formed on the first work function layer of the second area, where the third work function layer is different from the second work function layer. The present invention also provides a semiconductor structure formed by said semiconductor process.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention include apparatuses and methods relating to NMOS and PMOS transistor strain.

Abstract: A transistor device and a method for forming a fin-shaped field effect transistor (FinFET) device, with the channel portion of the fins on buried silicon oxide, while the source and drain portions of the fins on silicon. An example method includes receiving a wafer with a silicon layer electrically isolated from a silicon substrate by a buried oxide (BOX) layer. The BOX layer is in physical contact with the silicon layer and the silicon substrate. The method further comprises implanting a well in the silicon substrate and forming vertical sources and drains over the well between dummy gates. The vertical sources and drains extend through the BOX layer, fins, and a portion of the dummy gates.

Abstract: A chip includes a semiconductor substrate, a well region in the semiconductor substrate, and a transistor formed at a front side of the semiconductor substrate. A source/drain region of the transistor is disposed in the well region. A well pickup region is disposed in the well region, wherein the well pickup region is at a back side of the semiconductor substrate. A through-via penetrates through the semiconductor substrate, wherein the through-via electrically inter-couples the well pickup region and the source/drain region.

Abstract: A method of adjusting work-function metal thickness includes providing a semiconductor structure having a substrate, the substrate including a first array of fins formed thereon. First spacers are formed having a first spacer thickness on sidewalls of fins of the first array. The thickness of the first spacers is adjusted to provide a second spacer thickness different from the first spacer thickness. First supports are formed between and adjacent the first spacers. The first spacers are removed to form first WF metal trenches defined by the fins of the first array and the first supports. A gate is formed extending laterally across the fins of the first array. First WF metal structures are disposed within the first WF metal trenches within the gate.

Abstract: An n? drift region is disposed on the front surface of an n+ semiconductor substrate composed of a wide band gap semiconductor. A p-channel region is selectively disposed on the surface layer of the n? drift region. A high-concentration p+ base region is disposed so as to adjoin the lower portion of the p-channel region inside the n? drift region. Inside the high-concentration p+ base region, an n+ high-concentration region is selectively disposed at the n+ semiconductor substrate side. The n+ high-concentration region has a stripe-shaped planar layout extending to the direction that the high-concentration p+ base regions line up. The n+ high-concentration region adjoins a JFET region at one end portion in longitudinal direction of the stripe. Further, the n+ semiconductor substrate side of the n+ high-concentration region adjoins the part sandwiched between the high-concentration p+ base region and the n+ semiconductor substrate in the n? drift region.

Abstract: A CMOS detector with pairs of interdigitated elongated finger-like collection gates includes p+ implanted regions that create charge barrier regions that can intentionally be overcome. These regions steer charge to a desired collection gate pair for collection. The p+ implanted regions may be formed before and/or after formation of the collection gates. These regions form charge barrier regions when an associated collection gate is biased low. The barriers are overcome when an associated collection gate is high. These barrier regions steer substantially all charge to collection gates that are biased high, enhancing modulation contrast. Advantageously, the resultant structure has reduced power requirements in that inter-gate capacitance is reduced in that inter-gate spacing can be increased over prior art gate spacing and lower swing voltages may be used. Also higher modulation contrast is achieved in that the charge collection area of the low gate(s) is significantly reduced.

Abstract: A non-planar semiconductor structure containing semiconductor fins that are isolated from an underlying bulk silicon substrate by an epitaxial semiconductor stack is provided. The epitaxial semiconductor material stack that provides the isolation includes, from bottom to top, a semiconductor punch through stop containing at least one dopant of a conductivity type which differs from the conductivity type of the particular device region that the semiconductor fin is formed in, and a semiconductor diffusion barrier layer containing no n- or p-type dopant.

Abstract: A non-planar semiconductor structure containing semiconductor fins that are isolated from an underlying bulk silicon substrate by an epitaxial semiconductor stack is provided. The epitaxial semiconductor material stack that provides the isolation includes, from bottom to top, a semiconductor punch through stop containing at least one dopant of a conductivity type which differs from the conductivity type of the particular device region that the semiconductor fin is formed in, and a semiconductor diffusion barrier layer containing no n- or p-type dopant.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes an interlayer insulating film formed on a substrate, a plurality of contacts formed in the interlayer insulating film, and an impurity-doped region formed around the contacts in the interlayer insulating film and along a lengthwise direction of the contacts.

Abstract: A semiconductor device a first epitaxially grown source/drain region comprising a first material arranged on a first fin, a second epitaxially grown source/drain region comprising the first material arranged on the second fin, the second epitaxially grown source/drain region arranged above the first epitaxially grown source/drain region, a third epitaxially grown source/drain region comprising the first material arranged on a second fin, a fourth epitaxially grown source/drain region comprising a second material arranged on the second fin, the fourth epitaxially grown source/drain region arranged above the third epitaxially grown source/drain region, and a gate stack arranged over a channel region of the first fin and a channel region of the second fin.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a method for manufacturing forms a semiconductor device, such as a transistor. A dielectric stack is formed on a semiconductor substrate. The stack comprises a plurality of dielectric layers separated by one of a plurality of spacer layers. Each of the plurality of spacer layers is formed of a different material than immediately neighboring layers of the plurality of dielectric layers. A vertically-extending hole is formed through the plurality of dielectric layers and the plurality of spacer layers. The hole is filled by performing an epitaxial deposition, with the material filling the hole forming a wire. The wire is doped and three of the dielectric layers are sequentially removed and replaced with conductive material, thereby forming upper and lower contacts to the wire and a gate between the upper and lower contacts. The wire may function as a channel region for a transistor.

Abstract: An embodiment semiconductor device includes a fin extending upwards from a semiconductor substrate. The fin includes an anti-punch through (APT) layer having APT dopants and a channel region over the APT layer. The channel region is substantially free of APT dopants. The semiconductor device further includes a conductive gate stack on a sidewall and a top surface of the channel region.

Abstract: One illustrative method disclosed herein includes, among other things, forming a vertically oriented channel semiconductor structure, forming a layer of a bottom spacer material around the vertically oriented channel semiconductor structure and forming a sacrificial material layer above the layer of a bottom spacer material. In this example, the method further includes forming a sidewall spacer adjacent the vertically oriented channel semiconductor structure and above an upper surface of the sacrificial material layer, removing the sacrificial material layer so as to define a replacement gate cavity between a bottom surface of the sidewall spacer and the layer of a bottom spacer material, and forming a replacement gate structure in the replacement gate cavity.

Abstract: Forming a first sidewall spacer adjacent a vertically oriented channel semiconductor structure (“VCS structure’) and adjacent a cap layer, performing at least one planarization process so as to planarize an insulating material and expose an upper surface of the cap layer and an upper surface of the first spacer and removing a portion of the first spacer and an entirety of the cap layer so as to thereby expose an upper surface of the VCS structure and define a spacer/contact cavity above the VCS structure and the first spacer. The method also includes forming a second spacer in the spacer/contact cavity, forming a top source/drain region in the VCS structure and forming a top source/drain contact within the spacer/contact cavity that is conductively coupled to the top source/drain region, wherein the conductive contact physically contacts the second spacer in the spacer/contact cavity.

Abstract: A punch through stop layer is formed in a bulk FinFET structure using doped oxides. Dopants are driven into the substrate and base portions of the fins by annealing. The punch through stop layer includes a p-type region and an n-type region, both of which may extend substantially equal distances into the semiconductor fins.

Abstract: To measure the distance to points on an object by radiating a periodic amplitude-modulated optical signal to the object and detecting the phase difference between the radiated optical signal and a reflected optical signal from the object, a first photo-detection control signal is generated to control the radiation of the optical signal. A mask signal is generated such that the mask signal is activated at least during a shuttering duration for resetting the voltage level at a sensing node (associated with an operation of a previous frame). A second photo-detection control signal is generated based on the first photo-detection signal and the mask signal such that the second photo-detection signal is deactivated or masked at least during the shuttering duration.

Abstract: A PFET-based semiconductor gate structure providing a midgap work function for threshold voltage control between that of a NFET and a PFET is created by including an annealed layer of relatively thick TiN to dominate and shift the overall work function down from that of PFET. The structure has a PFET base covered with a high-k dielectric, a layer of annealed TiN, a layer of unannealed TiN, a thin barrier over the unannealed TiN, and n-type metal over the thin barrier.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a nitride semiconductor layer; a first silicon nitride film that is formed on the nitride semiconductor layer, has a first opening whose inner wall is a forward tapered shape; a second silicon nitride film that is formed on the first silicon nitride film, and has a second opening whose inner wall is an inverse tapered shape; and a gate electrode formed so as to cover the whole surface of the nitride semiconductor layer exposed on the inside of the first opening; wherein a side wall of the gate electrode separates from the first silicon nitride film and the second silicon nitride film via a cavity.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for maintaining stress in an integrated circuit having fin-type field-effect transistor devices includes selecting, by a processor of a computer system, a representation of an initial layout design for the integrated circuit, the layout design having design shapes including existing fin shapes; adding, by the processor of the computer system, a fin shape to one or more of the existing fin shapes to merge the one or more existing fin shapes with another existing fin shape to form an extended fin shape; adding, by the processor of the computer system, gate contacts to gates which intersect the added fin shape to generate a modified layout design; and saving the modified layout design to a memory communicatively coupled to the processor of the computer system, where device operation of the initial layout design for the integrated circuit is maintained in the modified layout design for the integrated circuit.

Abstract: A method that forms a structure implants a well implant into a substrate, patterns a mask on the substrate (to have at least one opening that exposes a channel region of the substrate) and forms a conformal dielectric layer on the mask and to line the opening. The conformal dielectric layer covers the channel region of the substrate. The method also forms a conformal gate metal layer on the conformal dielectric layer, implants a compensating implant through the conformal gate metal layer and the conformal dielectric layer into the channel region of the substrate, and forms a gate conductor on the conformal gate metal layer. Additionally, the method removes the mask to leave a gate stack on the substrate, forms sidewall spacers on the gate stack, and then forms source/drain regions in the substrate partially below the sidewall spacers.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a strain-relaxed buffer layer on the substrate, at least one well in the strain-relaxed buffer layer, a first channel layer on the strain-relaxed buffer layer, and a second channel layer on the well. A lattice constant of material constituting the first well is less than a lattice constant of the material constituting the strain-relaxed buffer layer, but a lattice constant of material constituting the second well is greater than the lattice constant of the material constituting the strain-relaxed buffer layer.

Abstract: Forming a semiconductor device is disclosed, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Forming the semiconductor device can include forming a first semiconductor layer directly on a silicon substrate. Forming the semiconductor device can include forming a second semiconductor layer directly on the first semiconductor layer and forming an insulating trench in the second semiconductor layer. Forming the semiconductor device can include removing the second portion of the second semiconductor layer, and forming a third semiconductor layer directly on the first semiconductor layer and adjacent to the insulating trench such that the first portion of second semiconductor layer is electrically insulated from the third semiconductor layer. The first semiconductor layer and the third semiconductor layer can each be a type III-V semiconductor and the second semiconductor layer can be a type IV semiconductor.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a field effect transistor device includes removing a portion of a first semiconductor layer and a first insulator layer to expose a portion of a second semiconductor layer, wherein the second semiconductor layer is disposed on a second insulator layer, the first insulator layer is disposed on the second semiconductor layer, and the first semiconductor layer is disposed on the first insulator layer, removing portions of the first semiconductor layer to form a first fin disposed on the first insulator layer and removing portions of the second semiconductor layer to form a second fin disposed on the second insulator layer, and forming a first gate stack over a portion of the first fin and forming a second gate stack over a portion of the second fin.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure is provided that includes a fin structure of, from bottom to top, a semiconductor punch through stop (PTS) doping fin portion, a dielectric material fin portion, and a topmost semiconductor fin portion that is present on a wider semiconductor fin base. A functional gate structure straddles the semiconductor fin structure. Portions of the wider semiconductor fin base that are not located directly beneath the fin structure of the present application and that are not covered by the functional gate structure can be used as an area for epitaxial growth of source/drain structures. The wide semiconductor fin base improves source/drain epitaxy for better dopant incorporation and strain enhancement.

Abstract: This invention relates to both a method and device for booting up a device and online scrubbing utilizing a system on chip appliqué sensor interface module in a Space Plug-and-Play Avionics environment that incorporates Radiation Hardened by Design components.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having arrays of metal gate transistors is fabricated by forming a number of dummy gate structures including a first gate dielectric layer and a dummy gate material layer overlying the first gate dielectric layer, depositing a tensile ILD layer between the dummy gate structures, stressing the tensile ILD layer, removing at least the dummy gate material to form a number of trenches, and depositing a metal gate material in the trenches, which have a tapered profile.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention include apparatuses and methods relating to NMOS and PMOS transistor strain.

Abstract: A method of forming a layout design for fabricating an integrated circuit (IC) is disclosed. The method includes identifying one or more areas in the layout design occupied by one or more segments of a plurality of gate structure layout patterns of the layout design; and generating a set of layout patterns overlapping the identified one or more areas. The plurality of gate structure layout patterns has a predetermined pitch smaller than a spatial resolution of a predetermined lithographic technology. A first layout pattern of the set of layout patterns has a width less than twice the predetermined pitch.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a MOSFET, including: performing ion implantation, via a shallow trench surrounding an active region in a semiconductor substrate, into a first sidewall of the active region and into a second sidewall of the active region opposite to the first sidewall to form a first heavily doped region in the first sidewall and a second heavily doped region in the second sidewall; filling the shallow trench with an insulating material, to form a shallow trench isolation; forming a gate stack and an insulating layer on the substrate, wherein the insulating layer surrounds and caps the gate stack; forming openings in the substrate using the shallow trench isolation, the first and second heavily doped regions, and the insulating layer as a hard mask; and epitaxially growing a semiconductor layer with a bottom surface and sidewalls of each of the openings as a seed layer.

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming a gate structure including a polysilicon gate and forming a capping spacer on a side surface of the gate structure to prevent parasitic epitaxial growth on the side surface of the polysilicon gate.

Abstract: A method for forming a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes providing a semiconductor substrate. The method includes forming a buffer layer over the semiconductor substrate. The buffer layer is in an amorphous state. The method includes nitriding the buffer layer into a nitride buffer layer. The method includes forming a gate dielectric layer over the nitride buffer layer. The method includes performing a thermal annealing process to convert the gate dielectric layer into a crystalline gate dielectric layer. The method includes forming a gate electrode over the crystalline gate dielectric layer.

Abstract: A method includes forming a plurality of fin elements above a substrate. A mask is formed above the substrate. The mask has an opening defined above at least one selected fin element of the plurality of fin elements. An ion species is implanted into the at least one selected fin element through the opening to increase its etch characteristics relative to the other fin elements. The at least one selected fin element is removed selectively relative to the other fin elements.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device may include: preparing a substrate formed of SiC; depositing crystalline or amorphous silicon (Si) on one surface of the substrate to form a first semiconductor layer; and performing a heat treatment under a nitrogen atmosphere to form a second semiconductor layer formed of SiCN between the substrate and the first semiconductor layer.

Abstract: Semiconductor structures and devices including strained material layers having impurity-free zones, and methods for fabricating same. Certain regions of the strained material layers are kept free of impurities that can interdiffuse from adjacent portions of the semiconductor. When impurities are present in certain regions of the strained material layers, there is degradation in device performance. By employing semiconductor structures and devices (e.g., field effect transistors or “FETs”) that have the features described, or are fabricated in accordance with the steps described, device operation is enhanced.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a semiconductor structure includes a gate structure disposed over a substrate, wherein the gate structure includes a high-k dielectric layer and a work function structure. The high-k dielectric layer includes a base portion and a side portion, the side portion is extended from an end of the base portion, the side portion is substantially orthogonal to the base portion. The work function structure includes a first metal disposed over the high-k dielectric layer and a second metal disposed over the first metal and including a bottom portion and a sidewall portion extended from an end of the bottom portion, wherein the first metal includes different materials from the second metal, and a length of an interface between the sidewall portion and the bottom portion to a length of the bottom portion within the high-k dielectric layer is in a predetermined ratio.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a substrate and a gate stack disposed on the substrate. An upper layer of the gate stack is a metal gate conductor and a lower layer of the gate stack is a gate dielectric. A gate contact is in direct contact with the metal gate conductor.

Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor structure comprising a substrate; a gate stack on the substrate; a spacer on the sidewalls of the gate stack; a source/drain junction extension formed in the substrate on both sides of the gate stack by epitaxial growth; and a source/drain region in the substrate on both sides of the source/drain junction extension. Accordingly, the present invention also provides methods for manufacturing the semiconductor structure. The present invention can provide a source/drain junction extension with a high doping concentration and a low junction depth, thereby effectively improving the performance of the semiconductor structure.

Abstract: Semiconductor devices are provided which have a tensile and/or compressive strain applied thereto and methods of manufacturing. A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes forming sidewalls and spacers adjacent to a gate stack structure, and forming a recess in the gate stack structure. The method further includes epitaxially growing a straining material on a polysilicon layer of the gate stack structure, and in the recess in the gate stack structure. The straining material is Si:C and the gate stack structure is a PFET gate stack structure. The straining material is grown above and covering a top surface of the sidewalls and the spacers.

Abstract: A semiconductor device is formed by first providing a dual gate semiconductor device structure having FET pair precursors, which includes an nFET precursor and a pFET precursor, wherein each of the nFET precursor and the pFET precursor includes a dummy gate structure. At least one protective layer is deposited across the FET pair precursors, leaving the dummy gate structures exposed. The dummy gate structure is removed from one of the nFET precursor and the pFET precursor to create therein one of an nFET gate hole and a pFET gate hole, respectively. A fill is deposited into the formed one of the nFET gate hole and the pFET gate.

Abstract: An improvement is achieved in the performance of a semiconductor device. In a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device, in an n-type semiconductor substrate, a p-type well as a p-type semiconductor region forming a part of a photodiode is formed and a gate electrode of a transfer transistor is formed. Then, after an n-type well as an n-type semiconductor region forming the other part of the photodiode is formed, a microwave is applied to the semiconductor substrate to heat the semiconductor substrate. Thereafter, a drain region of the transfer transistor is formed.

Abstract: Semiconductor structures and fabrication methods are provided which includes, for instance, providing a gate structure over a semiconductor substrate, the gate structure including multiple conformal gate layers and a gate material disposed within the multiple conformal gate layers; recessing a portion of the multiple conformal gate layers below an upper surface of the gate structure, where upper surfaces of recessed, multiple conformal gate layers are coplanar; and removing a portion of the gate material to facilitate an upper surface of a remaining portion of the gate material to be coplanar with an upper surface of the recessed, multiple conformal gate layers.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a dual work function semiconductor device is disclosed. In one aspect, the method includes providing a substrate having first and second areas for forming first and second transistor types. The method additionally includes forming a dielectric layer on the substrate, which extends to cover at least parts of the first and second areas. The method additionally includes forming a first metal layer/stack on the dielectric layer in the first area, where the first metal layer/stack comprises a first work function-shifting element. The method additionally includes forming a second metal layer/stack on the first metal layer in the first area and on the dielectric layer in the second area, where the second metal layer/stack comprises a second work function-shifting element.

Abstract: When forming field effect transistors, a common problem is the formation of a Schottky barrier at the interface between a metal thin film in the gate electrode and a semiconductor material, typically polysilicon, formed thereupon. Fully silicided gates are known in the state of the art which may overcome this problem. The claimed method proposes an improved fully silicided gate achieved by forming a gate structure including an additional metal layer between the metal gate layer and the gate semiconductor material. A silicidation process can then be optimized so as to form a lower metal silicide layer comprising the metal of the additional metal layer and an upper metal silicide layer forming an interface with the lower metal silicide layer.

Abstract: A method includes etching a dielectric layer to form an opening, with an underlying region underlying the dielectric layer exposed to the opening, and performing a bombardment to bombard a surface region of the underlying region through the opening. After the bombardment, the surface region is reacted with a process gas to form a reaction layer. An anneal is then performed to remove the reaction layer.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a non-conductive gate feature over a substrate and a spacer adjoining each sidewall of the non-conductive gate feature.

Abstract: A monolithic stacked integrated circuit (IC) is provided with a known-good-layer (KGL) test circuit and a scan segment in one of its layers. The test circuit includes a plurality of inputs, outputs, and multiplexers coupled to the scan segment and to a second layer of the IC. The test circuit further includes a plurality of control elements such that scan testing of the IC may be conducted on a layer-by-layer basis.

Abstract: A method for forming a semiconductor device includes forming a gate stack on a monocrystalline substrate. A surface of the substrate adjacent to the gate stack and below a portion of the gate stack is amorphorized. The surface is etched to selectively remove a thickness of amorphorized portions to form undercuts below the gate stack. A layer is epitaxially grown in the thickness and the undercuts to form an extension region for the semiconductor device. Devices are also provided.

Abstract: When forming semiconductor devices including transistors with different threshold voltages, the different threshold voltages of transistors of the same conductivity type are substantially defined by performing different halo implantations. As the other implantations performed typically in the same manufacturing step, such as pre-amorphization, source and drain extension implantation and extra diffusion engineering implantations, may be identical for different threshold voltages, these implantations, in addition to a common halo base implantation, may be performed for all transistors of the same conductivity type in a common implantation sequence. Higher threshold voltages of specific transistors may be subsequently achieved by an additional low-dose halo implantation while the other transistors are covered by a resist mask. Thus, the amount of atoms of the implant species in the required resist masks is reduced so that removal of the resist masks is facilitated.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a first substrate on which a first field effect transistor is provided; and a second substrate on which a second field effect transistor of a second conductive type is provided; the first and second substrates being bonded to each other at the substrate faces thereof on which the first and second field transistors are provided, respectively; the first field effect transistor and the second field effect transistor being electrically connected to each other.