Embodiments disclosed herein include semiconductor devices and methods of forming such semiconductor devices. In an embodiment, a method of fabricating a semiconductor device comprises, forming a first grating of parallel first lines, forming a second grating of parallel second lines, wherein the second lines are substantially orthogonal to the first lines, and wherein the first lines and second lines define a plurality of first openings, disposing a conformal mask layer over the first lines and the second lines, wherein the conformal mask layer partially fills the first openings and defines a second opening within each of the first openings, disposing a hardmask over the conformal mask layer, wherein the hardmask fills the second openings, patterning third openings into the hardmask, wherein the third openings clear the hardmask from at least one of the second openings, and removing the mask layer proximate to cleared second openings to clear first openings.

A semiconductor device may include a plurality of first contact structures, plug-shaped second contact structures configured to be connected to a first number of the plurality of first contact structures, respectively, a slit-shaped second contact structure configured to be connected to a second number of the plurality of first contact structures, adjacent in a first direction, and a third contact structure configured to be connected to sidewalls of the plug-shaped second contact structures, adjacent in the first direction.

The present disclosure provides a semiconductor structure and a method of forming the same. A semiconductor structure according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of nanostructures disposed over a substrate, a plurality of inner spacer features interleaving the plurality of nanostructures. The plurality of nanostructures are arranged along a direction perpendicular to the substrate. The plurality of inner spacer features include a bottommost inner spacer feature and upper inner spacer features disposed above the bottommost inner spacer feature. The first height of the bottommost inner spacer feature along the direction is greater than a second height of each of the upper inner spacer features.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate, an active pattern disposed on the substrate and that extends in a first horizontal direction, a field insulating layer disposed on the substrate and that surrounds a sidewall of the active pattern, a gate electrode disposed on the field insulating layer and that extends in a second horizontal direction, a source/drain region disposed on a side of the gate electrode, a first interlayer insulating layer disposed on the field insulating layer and that surrounds a portion of a sidewall of the source/drain region, a second interlayer insulating layer disposed on the first interlayer insulating layer and that surrounds a sidewall of the gate electrode, and a source/drain contact that penetrates through the second interlayer insulating layer and is electrically connected to the source/drain region. The source/drain contact includes a skirt that protrudes from a lower sidewall toward the second interlayer insulating.

According to one embodiment, a transistor includes a gate electrode, an oxide semiconductor layer which overlaps the gate electrode and including a central portion and an end portion, and a source electrode and a drain electrode each connected to the oxide semiconductor layer, wherein an oxidation degree of the end portion is lower than an oxidation degree of the central portion, and a length of the gate electrode overlapping the central portion is greater than a length of the gate electrode overlapping the end portion.

An integrated circuit (IC) structure includes a gate structure, a source epitaxial structure, a drain epitaxial structure, a front-side interconnection structure, a backside dielectric layer, and a backside via. The source epitaxial structure and the drain epitaxial structure are respectively on opposite sides of the gate structure. The front-side interconnection structure is on a front-side of the source epitaxial structure and a front-side of the drain epitaxial structure. The backside dielectric layer is on a backside of the source epitaxial structure and a backside of the drain epitaxial structure and has an air gap therein. The backside via extends through the backside dielectric layer to a first one of the source epitaxial structure and the drain epitaxial structure.

A method for producing a 3D semiconductor device including: providing a first level, the first level including a first single crystal layer; forming first alignment marks and control circuits in and/or on the first level, where the control circuits include first single crystal transistors and at least two interconnection metal layers; forming at least one second level disposed above the control circuits; performing a first etch step into the second level; forming at least one third level disposed on top of the second level; performing additional processing steps to form first memory cells within the second level and second memory cells within the third level, where each of the first memory cells include at least one second transistor, where each of the second memory cells include at least one third transistor, performing bonding of the first level to the second level, where the bonding includes oxide to oxide bonding.

A semiconductor structure includes a substrate, a stacked structure on the substrate, an insulating layer on the stacked structure, a passivation layer on the insulating layer, and a contact structure through the passivation layer and the insulating layer and directly contacting the stacked structure. The insulating layer has an extending portion protruding from a sidewall of the passivation layer and adjacent to a surface of the stacked structure directly contacting the contact structure.

A semiconductor device structure includes nanostructures formed over a substrate. The structure also includes a gate structure formed over and around the nanostructures. The structure also includes a spacer layer formed over a sidewall of the gate structure over the nanostructures. The structure also includes a source/drain epitaxial structure formed adjacent to the spacer layer. The structure also includes a contact structure formed over the source/drain epitaxial structure with an air spacer formed between the spacer layer and the contact structure.

A semiconductor device includes an active region in a substrate, at least one nano-sheet on the substrate and spaced apart from a top surface of the active region, a gate above or below the nano-sheet, a gate insulating layer between the at least one nano-sheet and the gate, and source/drain regions on the active region at both sides of the at least one nano-sheet. The at least one nano-sheet includes a channel region; a gate disposed above or below the nano-sheet and including a single metal layer having different compositions of metal atoms of a surface and an inside thereof; a gate insulating layer between the nano-sheet and the gate; and source/drain regions disposed in the active region of both sides of the at least one nano-sheet.