A method for fabricating a capacitor includes forming a first electrode, forming a dielectric layer stack on the first electrode, the dielectric layer stack including an initial hafnium oxide layer and a seed layer having a doping layer embedded therein, forming a thermal source layer on the dielectric layer stack to crystallize the initial hafnium oxide into tetragonal hafnium oxide, and forming a second electrode on the thermal source layer.

A ferroelectric semiconductor device and method are described herein. The method includes performing a diffusion anneal process to drive elements of a dopant film through an amorphous silicon layer and into a gate dielectric layer over a fin to form a doped gate dielectric layer with a gradient depth profile of dopant concentrations. The doped gate dielectric layer is crystallized during a post-cap anneal process to form a gradient depth profile of ferroelectric properties within the crystallized gate dielectric layer. A metal gate electrode is formed over the crystallized gate dielectric layer to obtain a ferroelectric transistor with multi-ferroelectric properties between the gate electrode and the channel. The ferroelectric transistor may be used in deep neural network (DNN) applications.

Structures and methods of forming semiconductor devices are presented in which a void-free core-shell hard mask is formed over a gate electrode. The void-free core-shell hard mask may be formed in some embodiments by forming a first liner layer over the gate electrode, forming a void-free material over the first liner layer, recessing the void-free material, and forming a second liner over the recessed void-free material.

Semiconductor device having less defects in a gate insulating film and improved reliability and methods of forming the semiconductor devices are provided. The semiconductor devices may include a gate insulating film on a substrate and a gate electrode structure on the gate insulating film. The gate electrode structure may include a lower conductive film, a silicon oxide film, and an upper conductive film sequentially stacked on the gate insulating film. The lower conductive film may include a barrier metal layer.

In a variety of processes for forming electronic devices that use spin-on dielectric materials, properties of the spin-on dielectric materials can be enhanced by curing these materials using plasma doping. For example, hardness and Young's modulus can be increased for the cured material. Other properties may be enhanced. The plasma doping to cure the spin-on dielectric materials uses a mechanism that is a combination of plasma ion implant and high energy radiation associated with the species ionized. In addition, physical properties of the spin-on dielectric materials can be modified along a length of the spin-on dielectric materials by selection of an implant energy and dopant dose for the particular dopant used, corresponding to a selection variation with respect to length.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate, first and second semiconductor strips, a dummy fin structure, first and second channel layers, a gate structure, and crystalline and amorphous hard mask layers. The first and second semiconductor strips extend upwardly from the substrate and each has a length extending along a first direction. The dummy fin structure is laterally between the first and second semiconductor strips. The first and second channel layers extend in the first direction above the first and second semiconductor strips and are arranged in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the substrate. The crystalline hard mask layer extends upwardly from the dummy fin structure and has an U-shaped cross section. The amorphous hard mask layer is in the crystalline hard mask layer. The amorphous hard mask layer has an U-shaped cross section conformal to the U-shaped cross section of the crystalline hard mask layer.

A porous thin film includes a framework that includes a plurality of pores. The pores extend from an opening located at an upper surface of the framework to a bottom surface contained in the framework. A pore-coating film is formed on sidewalls and the bottom surface of the pores.

A semiconductor device structure is provided. The semiconductor device structure includes a substrate and a fin structure over the substrate. The fin structure has a channel height. The semiconductor device structure also includes a stack of nanostructures over the substrate. The channel height is greater than a lateral distance between the fin structure and the stack of the nanostructures. The semiconductor device structure further includes a metal gate stack over the nanostructures, and the nanostructures are separated from each other by portions of the metal gate stack. In addition, the semiconductor device structure includes a dielectric layer surrounding the metal gate stack, the nanostructures, and the fin structure.

Various aspects relate to a functional layer and the formation thereof. A method for manufacturing a functional layer of an electronic device may include: forming a plurality of sublayers of the functional layer by a plurality of consecutive sublayer processes, each sublayer process of the plurality of consecutive sublayer processes comprising: forming a sublayer of the plurality of sublayers by vapor deposition, the sublayer comprising one or more materials, and, subsequently, crystallizing the one or more materials comprised in the sublayer.

Disclosed is a triple structure cell and an element including the same. The ferroelectric cell of the triple structure includes a polarizable material layer, a top dielectric layer disposed on the polarizable material layer, and a bottom dielectric layer disposed under the polarizable material layer.