A semiconductor substrate having a through-silicon via with an air gap interposed between the through-silicon via and the semiconductor substrate is provided. An opening is formed partially through the semiconductor substrate. The opening is first lined with a first liner and then the opening is filled with a conductive material. A backside of the semiconductor substrate is thinned to expose the first liner, which is subsequently removed and a second liner formed with a low-k or extra low-k dielectric is formed in its place.

The present disclosure involves forming a porous low-k dielectric structure. A plurality of conductive elements is formed over the substrate. The conductive elements are separated from one another by a plurality of openings. A barrier layer is formed over the conductive elements. The barrier layer is formed to cover sidewalls of the openings. A treatment process is performed to the barrier layer. The barrier layer becomes hydrophilic after the treatment process is performed. A dielectric material is formed over the barrier layer after the treatment process has been performed. The dielectric material fills the openings and contains a plurality of porogens.

An integrated circuit device includes a metal film and a complex capping layer covering a top surface of the metal film. The metal film includes a first metal, and penetrates at least a portion of an insulating film formed over a substrate. The complex capping layer includes a conductive alloy capping layer covering the top surface of the metal film, and an insulating capping layer covering a top surface of the conductive alloy capping layer and a top surface of the insulating film. The conductive alloy capping layer includes a semiconductor element and a second metal different from the first metal. The insulating capping layer includes a third metal.

Tin oxide films are used to create air gaps during semiconductor substrate processing. Tin oxide films, disposed between exposed layers of other materials, such as SiO.sub.2 and SiN can be selectively etched using a plasma formed in an Hz-containing process gas. The etching creates a recessed feature in place of the tin oxide between the surrounding materials. A third material, such as SiO.sub.2 is deposited over the resulting recessed feature without fully filling the recessed feature, forming an air gap. A method for selectively etching tin oxide in a presence of SiO.sub.2, SiC, SiN, SiOC, SiNO, SiCNO, or SiCN, includes, in some embodiments, contacting the substrate with a plasma formed in a process gas comprising at least about 50% Hz. Etching of tin oxide can be performed without using an external bias at the substrate and is preferably performed at a temperature of less than about 100° C.

In one exemplary aspect, a method for semiconductor manufacturing comprises forming first and second silicon nitride features on sidewall surfaces of a contact hole, where the contact hole is disposed in a dielectric layer and above a source/drain (S/D) feature. The method further comprises forming a contact plug in the contact hole, the contact plug being electrically coupled to the S/D feature, removing a top portion of the contact plug to create a recess in the contact hole, forming a hard mask layer in the recess, and removing the first and second silicon nitride features via selective etching to form first and second air gaps, respectively.

Semiconductor device and the manufacturing method thereof are disclosed herein. An exemplary semiconductor device comprises a fin disposed over a substrate, a gate structure disposed over a channel region of the fin, such that the gate structure traverses source/drain regions of the fin, a device-level interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer of a multi-layer interconnect structure disposed over the substrate, wherein the device-level ILD layer includes a first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer disposed over the first dielectric layer, and a third dielectric layer disposed over the second dielectric layer, wherein a material of the third dielectric layer is different than a material of the second dielectric layer and a material of the first dielectric layer. The semiconductor device further comprises a gate contact to the gate structure disposed in the device-level ILD layer and a source/drain contact to the source/drain regions disposed in the device-level ILD layer.

A semiconductor device includes a first interlayer insulating film on a substrate, a via which penetrates the first interlayer insulating film, a first etching stop film which extends along an upper surface of the first interlayer insulating film, a second interlayer insulating film on the first etching stop film, the second interlayer insulating film including a plurality of periodically arranged air gaps, a first wiring pattern in the second interlayer insulating film, the first wiring pattern penetrating the first etching stop film and is connected to the via, and a capping film which covers an upper surface of the second interlayer insulating film and an upper surface of the first wiring pattern, each of the plurality of air gaps in the second interlayer insulating film extending from the first etching stop film to the capping film.

Semiconductor devices and methods of forming the same are provided. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device according to the present disclosure includes a fin extending from a substrate, a gate structure over a channel region of the fin, a source/drain contact over a source/drain region of the fin, a gate cut feature adjacent the gate structure, a source/drain contact isolation feature adjacent the source/drain contact, a spacer extending along a sidewall of the gate cut feature and a sidewall of the gate structure, a liner extending along a sidewall of the source/drain contact isolation feature and a sidewall of the source/drain contact; and an air gap sandwiched between the spacer and the liner. The gate cut feature and the source/drain contact isolation feature are separated by the spacer, the air gap and the liner.

A field effect transistor, comprising a gate contact and gate metal forming a vertical structure, such vertical structure having sides and a top surrounded by an air gap formed between a source electrode and a drain electrode of the field effect transistor.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to forming an airgap-based vertical field effect transistor (VFET) without structural collapse. A dielectric collar anchors the structure while forming the airgaps. In a non-limiting embodiment of the invention, a vertical transistor is formed over a substrate. The vertical transistor can include a fin, a top spacer, a top source/drain (S/D) on the fin, and a contact on the top S/D. A dielectric layer is recessed below a top surface of the top spacer and a dielectric collar is formed on the recessed surface of the dielectric layer. Portions of the dielectric layer are removed to form a first cavity and a second cavity. A first airgap is formed in the first cavity and a second airgap is formed in the second cavity. The dielectric collar anchors the top S/D to the top spacer while forming the first airgap and the second airgap.