In some embodiments, an integrated circuit is provided. The integrated circuit may include an inner ring-shaped isolation structure that is disposed in a semiconductor substrate. Further, the inner-ring shaped isolation structure may demarcate a device region. An inner ring-shaped well is disposed in the semiconductor substrate and surrounds the inner ring-shaped isolation structure. A plurality of dummy gates are arranged over the inner ring-shaped well. Moreover, the plurality of dummy gates are arranged within an interlayer dielectric layer.

There is provided a solid-state imaging device that includes a photoelectric conversion unit, a transfer gate, a floating diffusion unit, and a transistor. The photoelectric conversion unit produces a charge according to incident light. The transfer gate has a columnar shape having an opening that is continuous in a vertical direction, and transfers the charge from the photoelectric conversion unit. The floating diffusion unit is formed extending to a region surrounded by the opening of the transfer gate, and converts the transferred charge into a voltage signal. The transistor is electrically connected to the floating diffusion unit via a diffusion layer.

The present disclosure a method for manufacturing a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor device. The method includes steps of providing a substrate; forming a gate electrode over the substrate; forming a source region and a drain region in the substrate; depositing an isolating layer over the substrate and the gate electrode; forming a plurality of contact holes in the isolating layer to expose the gate electrode, the source region, and the drain region; forming a plurality of metal contacts in the gate electrode, the source region, and the drain region; depositing a contact liner in the contact holes; and depositing a conductive material in the contact holes, wherein the conductive material is surrounded by the contact liner.

Embodiments herein describe techniques for a semiconductor device including a memory cell vertically above a substrate. The memory cell includes a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor at a lower device portion, and a transistor at an upper device portion above the lower device portion. The MIM capacitor includes a first plate, and a second plate separated from the first plate by a capacitor dielectric layer. The first plate includes a first group of metal contacts coupled to a metal electrode vertically above the substrate. The first group of metal contacts are within one or more metal layers above the substrate in a horizontal direction in parallel to a surface of the substrate. Furthermore, the metal electrode of the first plate of the MIM capacitor is also a source electrode of the transistor. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Processing methods may be performed to form an airgap in a semiconductor structure. The methods may include forming a high-k material on a floor of a trench. The trench may be defined on a semiconductor substrate between sidewalls of a first material and a spacer material. The methods may include forming a gate structure on the high-k material. The gate structure may contact the first material along each sidewall of the trench. The methods may also include etching the first material. The etching may form an airgap adjacent the gate structure.

An integrated circuit device includes a plurality of metal gates each having a metal electrode and a high-κ dielectric and a plurality of polysilicon gates each having a polysilicon electrode and conventional (non high-κ) dielectrics. The polysilicon gates may have adaptations for operation as high voltage gates including thick dielectric layers and area greater than one μm.sup.2. Polysilicon gates with these adaptations may be operative with gate voltages of 10V or higher and may be used in embedded memory devices.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device comprises a source region and a drain region in a substrate and laterally spaced. A gate stack is over the substrate and between the source region and the drain region. The drain region includes two or more first doped regions having a first doping type in the substrate. The drain region further includes one or more second doped regions in the substrate. The first doped regions have a greater concentration of first doping type dopants than the second doped regions, and each of the second doped regions is disposed laterally between two neighboring first doped regions.

It is an object to provide a highly reliable semiconductor device including a thin film transistor with stable electric characteristics. In a semiconductor device including an inverted staggered thin film transistor whose semiconductor layer is an oxide semiconductor layer, a buffer layer is provided over the oxide semiconductor layer. The buffer layer is in contact with a channel formation region of the semiconductor layer and source and drain electrode layers. A film of the buffer layer has resistance distribution. A region provided over the channel formation region of the semiconductor layer has lower electrical conductivity than the channel formation region of the semiconductor layer, and a region in contact with the source and drain electrode layers has higher electrical conductivity than the channel formation region of the semiconductor layer.

A polysilicon-insulator-polysilicon (PIP) structure includes: a first polysilicon region formed on a substrate; a first insulation region formed outside one side of the first polysilicon region and adjoined to the first polysilicon region in a horizontal direction; and a second polysilicon region formed outside one side of the first insulation region. The first polysilicon region, the first insulation region and the second polysilicon region are adjoined in sequence in the horizontal direction. The second polysilicon region is formed outside the first insulation region by a first self-aligned process step, and the first insulation region is formed outside the first polysilicon region by a second self-aligned process step.

Methods of forming structures including a layer of metal carbon nitride (MCN) and of mitigating metal loss from and/or tuning the layer of metal carbon nitride are disclosed. Systems for forming the layers and mitigating metal loss and structures formed using the methods are also disclosed.