A method of splitting off a semiconductor wafer from a semiconductor bottle includes: forming a separation region within the semiconductor boule, the separation region having at least one altered physical property which increases thermo-mechanical stress within the separation region relative to the remainder of the semiconductor boule; and applying an external force to the semiconductor boule such that at least one crack propagates along the separation region and a wafer splits from the semiconductor boule.

The present disclosure has an object of providing a silicon carbide semiconductor device with high productivity which prevents characteristic degradation occurring when a large current is applied to a body diode. A structure including a SiC substrate, a buffer layer, and a drift layer is classified into an active region through which a current flows with application of a voltage to the SiC-MOSFET, and a breakdown voltage support region around a periphery of the active region in a plan view. The active region is classified into a first active region in a center portion, and a second active region between the first active region and the breakdown voltage support region in the plan view. Lifetimes of minority carriers in the second active region and the breakdown voltage support region are shorter than that in the first active region.

A transistor includes an oxide semiconductor layer, a source electrode and a drain electrode disposed spaced apart from each other on the oxide semiconductor layer, a gate electrode spaced apart from the oxide semiconductor layer, a gate insulating layer disposed between the oxide semiconductor layer and the gate electrode, and a graphene layer disposed between the gate electrode and the gate insulating layer and doped with a metal.

A cell structure of a silicon carbide MOSFET device, comprising a drift region (3) located on a substrate layer (2), a second conducting type well region (4) and a first JFET region (51) that are located in the drift region (3), an enhancement region located within a surface of the well region (4), a gate insulating layer (8) located on a first conducting type enhancement region (6), the well region (4) and the first JFET region (51) and being in contact therewith at the same time, a gate (9) located on the gate insulating layer, source metal (10) located on the enhancement region, Schottky metal (11) located on a second conducting type enhancement region (7) and the drift region (3), a second JFET region (52) located on a surface of the drift region (3) between the Schottky metals (11), and drain metal (12).

An object is to provide a technique capable of bringing a switching time point of a gate drive condition close to an appropriate switching time point. A semiconductor switching element drive circuit includes a logic circuit that inverts a level of an output signal based on a divided voltage of an output voltage of a semiconductor switching element, and a switching circuit. The switching circuit switches a gate drive condition of the semiconductor switching element during a turn-off operation from a first gate drive condition to a second gate drive condition in which a switching speed is lower than that of the first gate drive condition based on the output signal from the logic circuit.

Methods and structures for forming strained-channel finFETs are described. Fin structures for finFETs may be formed in two epitaxial layers that are grown over a bulk substrate. A first thin epitaxial layer may be cut and used to impart strain to an adjacent channel region of the finFET via elastic relaxation. The structures exhibit a preferred design range for increasing induced strain and uniformity of the strain over the fin height.

Methods and structures for forming strained-channel finFETs are described. Fin structures for finFETs may be formed in two epitaxial layers that are grown over a bulk substrate. A first thin epitaxial layer may be cut and used to impart strain to an adjacent channel region of the finFET via elastic relaxation. The structures exhibit a preferred design range for increasing induced strain and uniformity of the strain over the fin height.

The invention relates to a deep depletion MIS transistor (100), comprising: a source region (S) and a drain region (D) made of doped semiconductor diamond of a first conductivity type; a channel region (C) made of doped semiconductor diamond of the first conductivity type, arranged between the source region and the drain region; a drift region (DR) made of doped semiconductor diamond of the first conductivity type, arranged between the channel region and the drain region; and a conductive gate (111) arranged on the channel region and separated from the channel region by a dielectric layer (113).

The present invention aims to provide a dry etching agent having less load on global environment and capable of anisotropic etching without the use of special equipment and obtaining a good processing shape and to provide a dry etching method using the dry etching agent. The dry etching agent according the present invention contains at least a hydrofluoroalkylene oxide represented by the following chemical formula: CF.sub.3—C.sub.xH.sub.yF.sub.zO (where x=2 or 3; y=1, 2, 3, 4 or 5; and z=2x−1−y) and having an oxygen-containing three-membered ring. The dry etching method according to the present invention includes selectively etching of at least one kind of silicon-based material selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon and silicon carbide with the use of a plasma gas generated by plasmatization of the dry etching agent.

Techniques are disclosed for non-planar transistors having varying channel widths (Wsi). In some instances, the resulting structure has a fin (or nanowires, nanoribbons, or nanosheets) comprising a first channel region and a second channel region, with a source or drain region between the first channel region and the second channel region. The widths of the respective channel regions are independent of each other, e.g., a first width of the first channel region is different from a second width of the second channel region. The variation in width of a given fin structure may vary in a symmetric fashion or an asymmetric fashion. In an embodiment, a spacer-based forming approach is utilized that allows for abrupt changes in width along a given fin. Sub-resolution fin dimensions are achievable as well.