A semiconductor device may include a substrate including a cell region and a peripheral region, lower electrodes on the cell region of the substrate, a dielectric layer on surfaces of the lower electrodes, a silicon germanium layer on the dielectric layer, a metal plate pattern and a polishing stop layer pattern stacked on the silicon germanium layer, and upper contact plugs physically contacting an upper surface of the silicon germanium layer. The upper contact plugs may have an upper surface farther away from the substrate than an upper surface of the polishing stop layer pattern. The upper contact plugs may be spaced apart from the metal plate pattern and the polishing stop layer pattern.

Provided are a method for preparing a semiconductor structure, a semiconductor structure and a semiconductor memory. The method includes the following operations. An initial semiconductor structure is formed on a substrate. The initial semiconductor structure is etched to form an array area structure and a peripheral area structure including a peripheral area gate structure. An isolation wall surrounding the peripheral area gate structure is formed on the substrate where the peripheral area structure locates. A second dielectric layer is deposited on the peripheral area gate structure including the isolation wall and on the array area structure. The second dielectric layer, the first dielectric layer and the isolation wall are etched to form the semiconductor structure with a flat surface.

A 3D semiconductor device including: a first single crystal layer with first transistors; overlaid by a first metal layer; a second metal layer overlaying the first metal layer and being overlaid by a third metal layer; a logic gates including at least the first metal layer interconnecting the first transistors; second transistors disposed atop the third metal layer; third transistors disposed atop the second transistors; a top metal layer disposed atop the third transistors; and a memory array including word-lines, and at least four memory mini arrays, where each of the memory mini arrays includes at least four rows by four columns of memory cells, where each of the memory cells includes at least one of the second transistors or third transistors, sense amplifier circuit(s) for each of the memory mini arrays, the second metal layer provides a greater current carrying capacity than the third metal layer.

A semiconductor device includes a gate stack including a gate insulating layer and a gate electrode on the gate insulating layer. The gate insulating layer includes a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer on the first dielectric layer, and a dielectric constant of the second dielectric layer is greater than a dielectric constant of the first dielectric layer. The semiconductor device also includes a first spacer on a side surface of the gate stack, and a second spacer on the first spacer, wherein the second spacer includes a protruding portion extending from a level lower than a lower surface of the first spacer towards the first dielectric layer, and a dielectric constant of the second spacer is greater than the dielectric constant of the first dielectric layer and less than a dielectric constant of the first spacer.

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes: forming an insulating layer over a substrate including a cell region and a peripheral region; forming an opening in the insulating layer by selectively etching the insulating layer in the cell region; forming a plug conductive layer to fill the opening and cover the insulating film; etching the plug conductive layer and the insulating layer in the peripheral region by using a peri-open mask covering the cell region; trimming the peri-open mask to expose the plug conductive layer in a boundary region where the cell region and the peripheral region contact each other; etching the plug conductive layer in the boundary region by using the trimmed peri-open mask; forming a peri-gate conductive layer over the entire surface of the substrate; and etching the peri-gate conductive layer by using a cell open mask.

A semiconductor device structure includes a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) region. The SOI region includes a semiconductor substrate, a buried oxide layer disposed over the semiconductor substrate, and a silicon layer disposed over the buried oxide layer. The semiconductor device structure also includes a first shallow trench isolation (STI) structure penetrating through the silicon layer and the buried oxide layer and extending into the semiconductor substrate. The first STI structure includes a first liner contacting the semiconductor substrate and the silicon layer, a second liner covering the first liner and contacting the buried oxide layer, and a third liner covering the second liner. The first liner, the second liner and the third liner are made of different materials. The first STI structure also includes a first trench filling layer disposed over the third liner and separated from the second liner by the third liner.

A 3D semiconductor device, the device including: a first level including a plurality of first metal layers; a second level, where the second level overlays the first level, where the second level includes at least one single crystal silicon layer, where the second level includes a plurality of transistors, where each transistor of the plurality of transistors includes a single crystal channel, where the second level includes a plurality of second metal layers, where the plurality of second metal layers include interconnections between the transistors of the plurality of transistors, where the second level is overlaid by a first isolation layer; and a connective path between the plurality of transistors and the plurality of first metal layers, where the connective path includes a via disposed through at least the single crystal silicon layer, and where at least one of the plurality of transistors includes a gate all around structure.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate including a cell region, a peripheral region, and a boundary region between the cell region and the peripheral region, cell active patterns on the cell region of the substrate, peripheral active patterns on the peripheral region of the substrate, a boundary insulating pattern disposed on the boundary region of the substrate and disposed between the cell active patterns and the peripheral active patterns, and a bumper pattern disposed on the cell region of the substrate and disposed between the boundary insulating pattern and the cell active patterns. A width of the bumper pattern in a first direction parallel to a top surface of the substrate is greater than a width of each of the cell active patterns in the first direction.

Provided is a landing pad structure including a substrate, a plurality of landing pads, a guard ring, and an edge pattern. The substrate includes a cell region, a periphery region, and a guard ring region located between the cell region and the periphery region. The landing pads are arranged on the substrate in the cell region in a hexagonal close packing (HCP) configuration. The guard ring is disposed on the substrate in the guard ring region in a strip form. The edge pattern is disposed on the substrate in the cell region and close to the guard ring region. A method of manufacturing the landing pad structure is also provided.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate including a cell array region and a peripheral circuit region, capacitors on the cell array region of the substrate, peripheral transistors on the peripheral circuit region of the substrate, a first upper interlayer insulating layer on the capacitors and the peripheral transistors, a first upper contact electrically connected to at least one of the peripheral transistors, the first upper contact penetrating the first upper interlayer insulating layer, a first upper interconnection line provided on the first upper interlayer insulating layer and electrically connected to the first upper contact, a second upper interlayer insulating layer covering the first upper interconnection line, and a first blocking layer between the first upper interlayer insulating layer and the second upper interlayer insulating layer. The first blocking layer is absent between the first upper interconnection line and the first upper interlayer insulating layer.