A semiconductor device includes a substrate including a fin-shaped active region that protrudes from the substrate, a gate insulating film covering a top surface and both side walls of the fin-shaped active region, a gate electrode on the top surface and the both side walls of the fin-shaped active region and covering the gate insulating film, one pair of insulating spacers on both side walls of the gate electrode, one pair of source/drain region on the fin-shaped active region and located on both sides of the gate electrode, and a lower buffer layer between the fin-shaped active region the source/drain region. The source/drain regions include a compound semiconductor material including atoms from different groups. The lower buffer layer includes a compound semiconductor material that is amorphous and includes atoms from different groups.

An embodiment includes an apparatus comprising: a thin film transistor (TFT) comprising: source and drain contacts; first and second gate contacts: a semiconductor material, comprising a channel, between the first and second gate contacts; and a first dielectric layer, between the first and second gate contacts, to fix charged particles. Other embodiments are described herein.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate including a fin-shaped active region that protrudes from the substrate, a gate insulating film covering a top surface and both side walls of the fin-shaped active region, a gate electrode on the top surface and the both side walls of the fin-shaped active region and covering the gate insulating film, one pair of insulating spacers on both side walls of the gate electrode, one pair of source/drain region on the fin-shaped active region and located on both sides of the gate electrode, and a lower buffer layer between the fin-shaped active region the source/drain region. The source/drain regions include a compound semiconductor material including atoms from different groups. The lower buffer layer includes a compound semiconductor material that is amorphous and includes atoms from different groups.

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes first, second and third electrodes, first and second semiconductor layers, first and second insulating members, and a first member. The third electrode includes a first electrode portion. The first electrode portion is between the first and second electrodes. The first semiconductor layer includes first, second, third, fourth, and fifth partial regions. The fourth partial region is between the first and third partial regions. The fifth partial region is between the third and second partial regions. The first insulating member includes first and second insulating regions. The second insulating member includes first and second insulating portions. The first insulating portion is between the fourth partial region and the first insulating region. The second insulating portion is between the fifth partial region and the second insulating region. The second semiconductor layer includes first, second, and third semiconductor portions.

An embodiment includes an apparatus comprising: a thin film transistor (TFT) comprising: source and drain contacts; first and second gate contacts; a semiconductor material, comprising a channel, between the first and second gate contacts; a first dielectric layer, between the first and second gate contacts, to fix charged particles. Other embodiments are described herein.

Various embodiments of the present application are directed towards a method for forming a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate comprising a trap-rich layer with small grain sizes, as well as the resulting SOI substrate. In some embodiments, an amorphous silicon layer is deposited on a high-resistivity substrate. A rapid thermal anneal (RTA) is performed to crystallize the amorphous silicon layer into a trap-rich layer of polysilicon in which a majority of grains are equiaxed. An insulating layer is formed over the trap-rich layer. A device layer is formed over the insulating layer and comprises a semiconductor material. Equiaxed grains are smaller than other grains (e.g., columnar grains). Since a majority of grains in the trap-rich layer are equiaxed, the trap-rich layer has a high grain boundary area and a high density of carrier traps. The high density of carrier traps may, for example, reduce the effects of parasitic surface conduction (PSC).

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes first to third electrodes, first to fourth semiconductor regions, a first layer including, and a first insulating layer. The first semiconductor region includes Al.sub.x1Ga.sub.1-x1N and includes first to fifth partial regions. The third partial region includes a first element including at least one selected from the group consisting of Mg, Zn, and C. The second semiconductor region includes Al.sub.x2Ga.sub.1-x2N and includes a sixth partial region and a seventh partial region. The third semiconductor region includes Al.sub.x3Ga.sub.1-x3N and includes an eighth partial region and a ninth partial region. The fourth semiconductor region includes Al.sub.x4Ga.sub.1-x4N and includes a tenth partial region and an eleventh partial region. The first layer includes Al.sub.yGa.sub.1-yN and includes a first portion provided between the third partial region and the third electrode. The first insulating layer includes a second portion provided between the first portion and the third electrode.

Nanowire transistors including embedded dielectric spacers to separate a gate electrode from source and drain regions of the transistor. Embedded spacers are disposed within interior sidewalls of a passage through which the gate electrode wraps around a semiconductor filament. The presence of these embedded spacers may dramatically reduce fringe capacitance, particularly as the number of wires/ribbons/filaments in the transistor increases and the number of interior gate electrode passages increases. In some advantageous embodiments, embedded dielectric spacers are fabricated by encapsulating external surfaces prior to those surfaces becoming embedded within the transistor.

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes first to third electrodes, first to third nitride regions, and first and second insulating films. The first nitride region includes Al.sub.xiGa.sub.i-x1N, and includes first and second partial regions, a third partial region between the first and second partial regions, a fourth partial region between the first and third partial regions, and a fifth partial region between the third and second partial regions. The first nitride region includes first to fifth partial regions. The second nitride region includes Al.sub.x2Ga.sub.1-x2N, and sixth and seventh partial regions. At least a portion of the third electrode is between the sixth and seventh partial regions. The first insulating film includes silicon and oxygen and includes first and second insulating regions. The third nitride region includes Al.sub.x3Ga.sub.1-x3N, and first to seventh portions. The second insulating film includes silicon and oxygen and includes third to seventh insulating regions.

A semiconductor device with a high on-state current is provided. The semiconductor device includes a first insulator over a substrate, an oxide over the first insulator, a second insulator over the oxide, a conductor overlapping with the oxide with the second insulator therebetween, a third insulator in contact with a top surface of the oxide, a fourth insulator in contact with a top surface of the third insulator, a side surface of the second insulator, and a side surface of the conductor, and a fifth insulator in contact with a side surface of the fourth insulator, a side surface of the third insulator, and the top surface of the oxide. The third insulator has a lower oxygen permeability than the fourth insulator.