A semiconductor device includes an active fin on a substrate, a gate electrode and intersecting the active fin, gate spacer layers on both side walls of the gate electrode, and a source/drain region in a recess region of the active fin at at least one side of the gate electrode. The source/drain region may include a base layer in contact with the active fin, and having an inner end and an outer end opposing each other in the first direction on an inner sidewall of the recess region. The source/drain region may include a first layer on the base layer. The first layer may include germanium (Ge) having a concentration higher than a concentration of germanium (Ge) included in the base layer. The outer end of the base layer may contact the first layer, and may have a shape convex toward outside of the gate electrode on a plane.

An N-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor includes a first gate and a first spacer structure disposed on a first sidewall of the first gate in a first direction. The first spacer structure has a first thickness in the first direction and measured from an outermost point of an outer surface of the first spacer structure to the first sidewall. A P-type metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) transistor includes a second gate and a second spacer structure disposed on a second sidewall of the second gate in the first direction and measured from an outermost point of an outer surface of the second spacer structure to the second sidewall. The second spacer structure has a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness. The NMOS transistor is a pass-gate of a static random access memory (SRAM) cell, and the PMOS transistor is a pull-up of the SRAM cell.

A method of forming an integrated circuit, including forming a n-type doped well (N-well) and a p-type doped well (P-well) disposed side by side on a semiconductor substrate, forming a first fin active region extruded from the N-well and a second fin active region extruded from the P-well, forming a first isolation feature inserted between and vertically extending through the N-well and the P-well, and forming a second isolation feature over the N-well and the P-well and laterally contacting the first and the second fin active regions.

A semiconductor device includes a buried metal line disposed in a semiconductor substrate, a first dielectric material on a first sidewall of the buried metal line and a second dielectric material on a second sidewall of the buried metal line, a first multiple fins disposed proximate the first sidewall of the buried metal line, a second multiple fins disposed proximate the second sidewall of the buried metal line, a first metal gate structure over the first multiple fins and over the buried metal line, wherein the first metal gate structure extends through the first dielectric material to contact the buried metal line, and a second metal gate structure over the second multiple fins and over the buried metal line.

A method of forming a semiconductor device includes providing a substrate including a circuit region and a well strap region, forming a mandrel extending from the circuit region to the well strap region, depositing mandrel spacers on sidewalls of the mandrel, removing the mandrel in the circuit region, while the mandrel in the well strap region remains intact, patterning the substrate with the mandrel spacers in the circuit region and the mandrel in the well strap region as an etch mask, thereby forming at least a first fin in the circuit region and a second fin in the well strap region, and epitaxially growing a first epitaxial feature over the first fin in the circuit region and a second epitaxial feature over the second fin in the well strap region. A width of the second fin is larger than a width of the first fin.

A memory device includes a first memory array, a first isolation cell abutting a first side of the first memory array, a first edge cell array abutting a second side, opposite to the first side, of the first memory array, a second memory array arranged at a first side, opposite to the first memory array, of the first isolation cell, a second edge cell array, and multiple first word lines passing through the first edge cell array, the first memory array and being terminated at the first isolation cell. A first width of the first isolation cell is different from a second width of the first edge cell array. The second memory array is sandwiched between the second edge cell array and the first isolation cell.

A method (of manufacturing a semiconductor device) includes: forming active regions including spacing apart neighboring active regions resulting in corresponding gaps; forming gate structures (overlying the active regions and the gaps) including locating intra-gap segments of the gate structures over the gaps, arranging each intra-gap segment to include two end regions separated by a central region, and at intersections between active regions and gate structures that is designated to be non-functional (flyover intersection), preventing formation of a functional connection between the two; and removing selected portions of at least some of the intra-gap segments including removing central regions of first selected intra-gap segments substantially without removing portions of corresponding end regions of the first selected intra-gap segments, and removing central regions and portions of end regions of second selected intra-gap segments for which corresponding end regions of the second intra-gap segments abut flyover intersections thereby trimming corresponding gate structures.

A connecting structure includes a substrate, a first conductive feature, a second conductive feature, a third conductive feature over the first conductive feature and a fourth conductive feature over the second conductive feature. The substrate includes a first region and a second region. The first conductive feature is disposed in the first region and has a first width. The second conductive feature is disposed in the second region and has a second width greater than the first width of the first conductive feature. The third conductive feature includes a first anchor portion surrounded by the first conductive feature. The fourth conductive feature includes a second anchor portion surrounded by the second conductive feature. A depth difference ratio between a depth of the first anchor portion and a depth of the second anchor portion is less than approximately 10%.

A method for making a semiconductor memory device comprising a plurality of memory cells for storing one or more data values, the method comprising: exposing a pattern on a wafer for creating structures for a plurality of memory cells for the semiconductor memory device, wherein the pattern is exposed by means of one or more charged particle beams; and varying an exposure dose of the one or more charged particle beams during exposure of the pattern to generate a set of one or more non-common features in one or more structures of at least one of the memory cells, so that the structures of the at least one memory cell differ from the corresponding structures of other memory cells of the semiconductor memory device.

Vertical integration schemes and circuit elements architectures for area scaling of semiconductor devices are described. In an example, an inverter structure includes a semiconductor fin separated vertically into an upper region and a lower region. A first plurality of gate structures is included for controlling the upper region of the semiconductor fin. A second plurality of gate structures is included for controlling the lower region of the semiconductor fin. The second plurality of gate structures has a conductivity type opposite the conductivity type of the first plurality of gate structures.