A semiconductor device includes a gate isolation structure on a shallow trench isolation (STI), a first epitaxial layer on one side of the gate isolation structure, a second epitaxial layer on another side of the gate isolation structure, first fin-shaped structures directly under the first epitaxial layer, and second fin-shaped structures directly under the second epitaxial layer, in which the STI surrounds the first fin-shaped structures and the second fin-shaped structures.

An IC structure includes a semiconductor fin, first and second gate structures, and an isolation structure. The semiconductor fin extends from a substrate. The first gate structure extends above a top surface of the semiconductor fin by a first gate height. The second gate structure is over the semiconductor fin. The isolation structure is between the first and second gate structures, and has a lower dielectric portion embedded in the semiconductor fin and an upper dielectric portion extending above the top surface of the semiconductor fin by a height that is the same as the first gate height. When viewed in a cross section taken along a longitudinal direction of the semiconductor fin, the upper dielectric portion of the isolation structure has a rectangular profile with a width greater than a bottom width of the lower dielectric portion of the isolation structure.

Embodiments of the disclosure are in the field of advanced integrated circuit structure fabrication and, in particular, 10 nanometer node and smaller integrated circuit structure fabrication and the resulting structures. In an example, an integrated circuit structure includes first and second gate dielectric layers over a fin. First and second gate electrodes are over the first and second gate dielectric layers, respectively, the first and second gate electrodes both having an insulating cap having a top surface. First dielectric spacer are adjacent the first side of the first gate electrode. A trench contact structure is over a semiconductor source or drain region adjacent first and second dielectric spacers, the trench contact structure comprising an insulating cap on a conductive structure, the insulating cap of the trench contact structure having a top surface substantially co-planar with the insulating caps of the first and second gate electrodes.

A semiconductor device structure, along with methods of forming such, are described. The semiconductor device structure includes a first source/drain epitaxial feature disposed in an NMOS region, a second source/drain epitaxial feature disposed in the NMOS region, a first dielectric feature disposed between the first source/drain epitaxial feature and the second source/drain epitaxial feature, a third source/drain epitaxial feature disposed in a PMOS region, a second dielectric feature disposed between the second source/drain epitaxial feature and the third source/drain epitaxial feature, and a conductive feature disposed over the first, second, and third source/drain epitaxial features and the first and second dielectric features.

Gate-all-around integrated circuit structures having depopulated channel structures, and methods of fabricating gate-all-around integrated circuit structures having depopulated channel structures, are described. For example, an integrated circuit structure includes a first vertical arrangement of nanowires and a second vertical arrangement of nanowires above a substrate, the first vertical arrangement of nanowires having a greater number of active nanowires than the second vertical arrangement of nanowires, and the first and second vertical arrangements of nanowires having co-planar uppermost nanowires. The integrated circuit structure also includes a first vertical arrangement of nanoribbons and a second vertical arrangement of nanoribbons above the substrate, the first vertical arrangement of nanoribbons having a greater number of active nanoribbons than the second vertical arrangement of nanoribbons, and the first and second vertical arrangements of nanoribbons having co-planar uppermost nanoribbons.

A method for smoothing a surface of a semiconductor portion is disclosed. In the method, an intentional oxide layer is formed on the surface of the semiconductor portion, a treated layer is formed in the semiconductor portion and inwardly of the intentional oxide layer, and then, the intentional oxide layer and the treated layer are removed to obtain a smoothed surface. The method may also be used for widening a recess in a manufacturing process for a semiconductor structure.

A semiconductor includes an active pattern with a lower pattern and sheet patterns spaced apart from the lower pattern in a first direction, a source/drain pattern on the lower pattern, the source/drain pattern being in contact with the sheet patterns, and gate structures on opposite sides of the source/drain pattern, the gate structures being spaced apart from each other along a second direction and including gate electrodes that surround the sheet patterns, wherein the source/drain pattern includes a first epitaxial region having at least one of antimony and bismuth, the first epitaxial region having a bottom part in contact with the lower pattern, but not with the sheet patterns, and a thickness of the bottom part increasing and decreasing away from the gate structures in the second direction, and a second epitaxial region on the first epitaxial region, the second epitaxial region including phosphorus.

A semiconductor device includes a cell region and a peripheral circuit region. The cell region includes gate electrode layers stacked on a substrate, channel structures extending in a first direction, extending through the gate electrode layers, and connected to the substrate, and bit lines extending in a second direction and connected to the channel structures above the gate electrode layers. The peripheral circuit region includes page buffers connected to the bit lines. Each page buffer includes a first and second elements adjacent to each other in the second direction and sharing a common active region between a first gate structure of the first element and a second gate structure of the second element in the second direction. Boundaries of the common active region include an oblique boundary extending in an oblique direction forming an angle between 0 and 90 degrees with the second direction.

A method includes forming a gate structure over a substrate; forming a source/drain region adjacent the gate structure; forming a first interlayer dielectric (ILD) over the source/drain region; forming a contact plug extending through the first ILD that electrically contacts the source/drain region; forming a silicide layer on the contact plug; forming a second ILD extending over the first ILD and the silicide layer; etching an opening extending through the second ILD and the silicide layer to expose the contact plug, wherein the silicide layer is used as an etch stop during the etching of the opening; and forming a conductive feature in the opening that electrically contacts the contact plug.

A method of forming a semiconductor device includes: forming a dummy gate structure over a fin structure that protrudes above a substrate, where the fin structure includes a fin and a layer stack over the fin, where the layer stack comprises alternating layers of a first semiconductor material and a second semiconductor material; forming openings in the fin structure on opposing sides of the dummy gate structure, where the openings exposes first portions of the first semiconductor material and second portions of the second semiconductor material; recessing the exposed first portions of the first semiconductor material to form sidewall recesses in the first semiconductor material; lining the sidewall recesses with a first dielectric material; depositing a second dielectric material in the sidewall recesses on the first dielectric material; after depositing the second dielectric material, annealing the second dielectric material; and after the annealing, forming source/drain regions in the openings.