An integrated circuit is formed by removing a sacrificial gate dielectric layer and a sacrificial gate to form a gate cavity. A conformal dielectric first liner is formed in the gate cavity and a conformal second liner is formed on the first liner. A first etch removes the second liner from the bottom of the gate cavity, leaving material of the second liner on sidewalls of the gate cavity. A second etch removes the first liner from the bottom of the gate cavity exposed by the second liner, leaving material of the first liner on the bottom of the gate cavity under the second liner on the sidewalls of the gate cavity. A third etch removes the second liner from the gate cavity, leaving an L-shaped spacers of the first liner in the gate cavity. A permanent gate dielectric layer and replacement gate are formed in the gate cavity.

Methods of fabricating emitter regions of solar cells are described. Methods of forming layers on substrates of solar cells, and the resulting solar cells, are also described.

The present disclosure relates to semiconductor structures and, more particularly, to a self-aligned deep contact for a vertical field effect transistor (VFET) and methods of manufacture. The structure includes a plurality of fin structures, a first contact landing on a substrate material between a first set of fin structures of the plurality of fin structures, sidewalls of the first contact being in direct contact with an insulator material of the first set of the fin structures, and a second contact landing on a work function material between a second set of fin structures of the plurality of fin structures, sidewalls of the second contact being in direct contact with the insulator material of the second set of the fin structures.

The present disclosure provides a semiconductor device with an air gap for reducing parasitic capacitance between a bit line and a capacitor contact and a method for forming the semiconductor device. The method includes forming a first source/drain region and a second source/drain region in a semiconductor substrate, and forming a bit line over and electrically connected to the first source/drain region. The method also includes forming a first spacer structure on a sidewall of the bit line, and forming a capacitor contact over and electrically connected to the second source/drain region. The capacitor contact is adjacent to the first spacer structure, and the first spacer structure is etched during the forming the capacitor contact. The method further includes forming a second spacer structure over the etched first spacer structure, and performing a heat treatment process to transform a portion of the first spacer structure into an air gap after the second spacer structure is formed.

A semiconductor device at least one first transistor of a first type disposed above a substrate and comprising a channel wider in one cross-section than tall, wherein the first type is a PFET transistor or an NFET transistor; and at least one second transistor of a second type disposed above the at least one first transistor and comprising a channel taller in the one cross-section than wide, wherein the second type is a PFET transistor or an NFET transistor, and the second type is different from the first type. Methods and systems for forming the semiconductor structure.

Deposition processes are disclosed herein for depositing thin films comprising a dielectric transition metal compound phase and a conductive or semiconducting transition metal compound phase on a substrate in a reaction space. Deposition processes can include a plurality of super-cycles. Each super-cycle may include a dielectric transition metal compound sub-cycle and a reducing sub-cycle. The dielectric transition metal compound sub-cycle may include contacting the substrate with a dielectric transition metal compound. The reducing sub-cycle may include alternately and sequentially contacting the substrate with a reducing agent and a nitrogen reactant. The thin film may comprise a dielectric transition metal compound phase embedded in a conductive or semiconducting transition metal compound phase.

Deposition processes are disclosed herein for depositing thin films comprising a dielectric transition metal compound phase and a conductive or semiconducting transition metal compound phase on a substrate in a reaction space. Deposition processes can include a plurality of super-cycles. Each super-cycle may include a dielectric transition metal compound sub-cycle and a reducing sub-cycle. The dielectric transition metal compound sub-cycle may include contacting the substrate with a dielectric transition metal compound. The reducing sub-cycle may include alternately and sequentially contacting the substrate with a reducing agent and a nitrogen reactant. The thin film may comprise a dielectric transition metal compound phase embedded in a conductive or semiconducting transition metal compound phase.

The present disclosure provides one embodiment of a method of forming an integrated circuit structure. The method includes forming a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure in a semiconductor substrate of a first semiconductor material, thereby defining a plurality of fin-type active regions separated from each other by the STI structure; forming gate stacks on the fin-type active regions; forming an inter-layer dielectric (ILD) layer filling in gaps between the gate stacks; patterning the ILD layer to form a trench between adjacent two of the gate stacks; depositing a first dielectric material layer that is conformal in the trench; filling the trench with a second dielectric material layer; patterning the second dielectric material layer to form a contact opening; and filling a conductive material in the contact opening to form a contact feature.

A semiconductor structure is provided. The semiconductor structure including: a substrate, where the substrate includes a first region and a second region adjacent to the first region; a plurality of fins formed over the first region of the substrate; an isolation layer over the substrate between adjacent fins of the plurality of fins, where a top of the isolation layer is lower than a top surface of a fin of the plurality of fins, the isolation layer over the second region and the second region of the substrate together contain a power rail opening, and the substrate contains a through-hole at a bottom of the power rail opening; and a first metal layer in the power rail opening and the through-hole, where a back surface of the first metal layer is above a back surface of the substrate.

A method for forming a semiconductor structure includes providing a substrate including a first region with a first gate structure and a second region with a second gate structure. First to third dielectric layers are formed on the substrate. The third dielectric layer is patterned to form a first portion in the first region and a second portion in the second region. The second region is covered and at least a portion of the first portion is removed to form a first mask. The second dielectric layer is pattern by using the first mask and the second portion as the second mask to expose a portion of the first dielectric layer. The portion of the first dielectric layer is removed to form a first stacked spacer on the first gate structure and a second stacked spacer on the second gate structure.