A transistor comprises a substrate, a pair of spacers on the substrate, a gate dielectric layer on the substrate and between the pair of spacers, a gate electrode layer on the gate dielectric layer and between the pair of spacers, an insulating cap layer on the gate electrode layer and between the pair of spacers, and a pair of diffusion regions adjacent to the pair of spacers. The insulating cap layer forms an etch stop structure that is self aligned to the gate and prevents the contact etch from exposing the gate electrode, thereby preventing a short between the gate and contact. The insulator-cap layer enables self-aligned contacts, allowing initial patterning of wider contacts that are more robust to patterning limitations.

In an embodiment, a transistor device includes a semiconductor substrate having a main surface, a cell field including a plurality of transistor cells, and an edge termination region laterally surrounding the cell field. The cell field includes a gate trench in the main surface of the semiconductor substrate, a gate dielectric lining the gate trench, a metal gate electrode arranged in the gate trench on the gate dielectric, and an electrically insulating cap arranged on the metal gate electrode and within the gate trench.

A semiconductor structure is provided. The semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor fin. The semiconductor structure also includes a first nanowire vertically overlapping a top surface of the semiconductor fin, a second nanowire vertically overlapping the first nanowire, and a third nanowire vertically overlapping the second nanowire. The semiconductor structure further includes a gate wrapping around the first nanowire, the second nanowire, and the third nanowire. A first portion of the gate vertically sandwiched between the first nanowire and the second nanowire is greater than a second portion of the gate vertically sandwiched between the second nanowire and the third nanowire.

An IC structure comprises a substrate, a first SRAM cell, and a second SRAM cell. The first SRAM cell is formed over the substrate and comprises a first N-type transistor. The second SRAM cell is formed over the substrate and comprises a second N-type transistor. A gate structure of first N-type transistor of the first SRAM cell has a different work function metal composition than a gate structure of the second N-type transistor of the second SRAM cell.

A semiconductor device includes an active gate metal structure disposed over a substrate, the active gate metal structure having a first sidewall and a second sidewall opposite to each other. The semiconductor device includes a first source/drain region disposed adjacent the first sidewall of the active gate metal structure with a first lateral distance. The semiconductor device includes a second source/drain region disposed adjacent the second sidewall of the active gate metal structure with a second lateral distance, wherein the second lateral distance is substantially greater than the first lateral distance. The semiconductor device includes a resist protective oxide (RPO) comprising a first portion extending over a portion of a major surface of the substrate that is laterally located between the second sidewall and the second source/drain region, wherein the RPO has no portion extending over a top surface of the active gate metal structure.

A semiconductor structure is provided. The semiconductor structure includes a substrate containing a first active region in a first region of the substrate and a second active region in a second region of the substrate, a plurality of first gate structures over the first active region each including a first gate stack having a first high-k gate dielectric and a first gate electrode and first gate spacers surrounding the first gate stack, and a plurality of second gate structures over the second active region each including a second gate stack having a second high-k gate dielectric and a second gate electrode and second gate spacers surrounding the second gate stack. At least a portion of the second gate electrode comprises dopants.

A semiconductor arrangement is provided and includes a gate electrode. The gate electrode includes a first portion over a first interface between an active region and an isolation structure and a second portion over the active region. The first portion has a first material composition. The second portion has a second material composition different than the first material composition.

A gate structure includes a first gate electrode including a metal, a gate barrier pattern on the first gate electrode and including a metal nitride, and a second gate electrode on the gate barrier pattern. The gate structure is buried in an upper portion of a substrate. The gate barrier pattern has a flat upper surface and an uneven lower surface.

The present invention relates generally to semiconductors, and more particularly, to a structure and method of minimizing shorting between epitaxial regions in small pitch fin field effect transistors (FinFETs). In an embodiment, a dielectric region may be formed in a middle portion of a gate structure. The gate structure be formed using a gate replacement process, and may cover a middle portion of a first fin group, a middle portion of a second fin group and an intermediate region of the substrate between the first fin group and the second fin group. The dielectric region may be surrounded by the gate structure in the intermediate region. The gate structure and the dielectric region may physically separate epitaxial regions formed on the first fin group and the second fin group from one another.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate and an insulating film formed on the substrate, and an electrode layer comprising molybdenum, formed in contact with the insulating film. The electrode layer has a chlorine concentration gradient such that a first concentration of chlorine in a first portion of the electrode layer closer to the insulating layer is higher than a second concentration of chlorine in a second portion of the electrode layer less closer to the insulating layer.