Methods and associated structures of forming a microelectronic device are described. Those methods may include forming a structure comprising a first contact metal disposed on a source/drain contact of a substrate, and a second contact metal disposed on a top surface of the first contact metal, wherein the second contact metal is disposed within an ILD disposed on a top surface of a metal gate disposed on the substrate.

A transistor structure includes a source region and a drain region disposed in a substrate, extending along a first direction. A polysilicon layer is disposed over the substrate, extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the polysilicon layer includes a first edge region, a channel region and a second edge region formed as a gate region between the source region and the drain region. The polysilicon layer has at least a first opening pattern at the first edge region having a first portion overlapping the gate region; and at least a second opening pattern at the second edge region having a second portion overlapping the gate region.

A transistor device with a gate electrode in a vertical gate trench is described. The gate electrode includes a silicon gate region and a metal inlay region. The silicon gate region forms at least a section of a sidewall of the gate electrode. The metal inlay region extends up from a lower end of the gate electrode.

A semiconductor structure includes a substrate, a first word line structure, a second word line structure, a third word line structure, and a fourth word line structure. The substrate has an active region surrounded by an isolation structure. The first and second word line structures are disposed in the active region and separated from each other. The third and fourth word line structures are disposed in the isolation structure, and each of the third and the fourth word line structures includes a bottom work-function layer, a middle work-function layer on the bottom work-function layer, and a top work function layer on the work-function middle layer. The middle work-function layer has a work-function that is higher than a work-function of the top work-function layer and a work-function of the bottom work-function layer.

Reliability of a gate resistor element during high-temperature operation is enhanced. A semiconductor device includes a drift layer, a base layer, an emitter layer, a gate insulation film, a gate electrode, a gate pad electrode, a first resistance layer, and a first nitride layer. A resistor of the first resistance layer has a negative temperature coefficient. The first resistance layer is made of hydrogen-doped amorphous silicon. The first nitride layer is made of a silicon nitride layer or an aluminum nitride layer.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate having a conductive region and an insulating region; gate electrodes including sub-gate electrodes spaced apart from each other and stacked in a first direction perpendicular to an upper surface of the substrate and extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and gate connectors connecting the sub-gate electrodes disposed on the same level; channel structures penetrating through the gate electrodes and extending in the conductive region of the substrate; and a first dummy channel structure penetrating through the gate electrodes and extending in the insulating region of the substrate and disposed adjacent to at least one side of the gate connectors in a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a first polysilicon structure over the substrate, wherein the first polysilicon structure has a first grain size. The semiconductor device further includes a first barrier layer over the first polysilicon structure, wherein the first barrier layer has a non-uniform thickness. The semiconductor device further includes a second polysilicon structure over the first barrier layer, wherein the second polysilicon structure has a second grain size smaller than the first grain size.

Provided is a Plasma Induced Damage (PID) test structure and a semiconductor test structure, including: a gate structure, including a gate layer; a covering dielectric layer, located on a surface of the gate layer; a metal layer structure, located on a surface of the covering dielectric layer, the metal layer structure including at least one metal layer; and an extraction electrode, electrically connected with the gate layer via a conductive structure.

Methods and associated structures of forming a microelectronic device are described. Those methods may include forming a structure comprising a first contact metal disposed on a source/drain contact of a substrate, and a second contact metal disposed on a top surface of the first contact metal, wherein the second contact metal is disposed within an ILD disposed on a top surface of a metal gate disposed on the substrate.

A transistor structure includes a source region and a drain region disposed in a substrate, extending along a first direction. A polysilicon layer is disposed over the substrate, extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the polysilicon layer includes a first edge region, a channel region and a second edge region formed as a gate region between the source region and the drain region. The polysilicon layer has at least a first opening pattern at the first edge region having a first portion overlapping the gate region; and at least a second opening pattern at the second edge region having a second portion overlapping the gate region.