A semiconductor device including stacked structures. The stacked structures include at least two chalcogenide materials or alternating dielectric materials and conductive materials. A liner including alucone is formed on sidewalls of the stacked structures. Methods of forming the semiconductor device are also disclosed.

A semiconductor device includes a fin structure protruding from a first isolation insulating layer provided over a substrate, a gate dielectric layer disposed over a channel region of the fin structure, a gate electrode layer disposed over the gate dielectric layer, a base semiconductor epitaxial layer disposed over a source/drain region of the fin structure, and a cap semiconductor epitaxial layer disposed over the base semiconductor epitaxial layer. The cap semiconductor epitaxial layer has a different lattice constant than the base semiconductor epitaxial layer, and a surface roughness of the cap semiconductor epitaxial layer along a source-to-drain direction is greater than zero and smaller than a surface roughness of the base semiconductor epitaxial layer along the source-to-drain direction.

A method of forming a pattern in a photoresist layer includes forming a photoresist layer over a substrate, and reducing moisture or oxygen absorption characteristics of the photoresist layer. The photoresist layer is selectively exposed to actinic radiation to form a latent pattern, and the latent pattern is developed by applying a developer to the selectively exposed photoresist layer to form a pattern.

Examples of the present technology include semiconductor processing methods to form diffusion barriers for germanium in a semiconductor structure. The methods may include forming a semiconductor layer stack from pairs of Si-and-SiGe layers. The Si-and-SiGe layer pairs may be formed by forming a silicon layer, and then forming the germanium barrier layer of the silicon layer. In some embodiments, the germanium-barrier layer may be less than or about 20 Å. A silicon-germanium layer may be formed on the germanium-barrier layer to complete the formation of the Si-and-SiGe layer pair. In some embodiments, the silicon layer may be an amorphous silicon layer, and the SiGe layer may be characterized by greater than or about 5 atom % germanium. Examples of the present technology also include semiconductor structures that include a silicon-germanium layer, a germanium-barrier layer, and a silicon layer.

Disclosed herein are quantum dot devices, as well as related computing devices and methods. For example, in some embodiments, a quantum dot device may include: a quantum well stack; a first gate and an adjacent second gate above the quantum well stack; and a gate wall between the first gate and the second gate, wherein the gate wall includes a spacer and a capping material, the spacer has a top and a bottom, the bottom of the spacer is between the top of the spacer and the quantum well stack, and the capping material is proximate to the top of the spacer.

A method and apparatus for material deposition onto a sample to form a protective layer composed of at least two materials that have been formulated and arranged according to the material properties of the sample.

Methods and systems for selectively depositing a p-type doped silicon germanium layer and structures and devices including a p-type doped silicon germanium layer are disclosed. An exemplary method includes providing a substrate, comprising a surface comprising a first area comprising a first material and a second area comprising a second material, within a reaction chamber; depositing a p-type doped silicon germanium layer overlying the surface, the p-type doped silicon germanium layer comprising gallium; and depositing a cap layer overlying the p-type doped silicon germanium layer. The method can further include an etch step to remove the cap layer and the p-type doped silicon germanium layer overlying the second material.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are related to methods of preventing aluminum diffusion in a metal gate stack (e.g., high-κ metal gate (HKMG) stacks and nMOS FET metal gate stacks). Some embodiments relate to a barrier layer for preventing aluminum diffusion into high-κ metal oxide layers. The barrier layer described herein is configured to reduce threshold voltage (V.sub.t) shift and reduce leakage in the metal gate stacks. Additional embodiments relate to methods of forming a metal gate stack having the barrier layer described herein. The barrier layer may include one or more of amorphous silicon (a-Si), titanium silicon nitride (TiSiN), tantalum nitride (TaN), or titanium tantalum nitride (TiTaN).

Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to capping processes and structures formed thereby. In an embodiment, a conductive feature, formed in a dielectric layer, has a metallic surface, and the dielectric layer has a dielectric surface. The dielectric surface is modified to be hydrophobic by performing a surface modification treatment. After modifying the dielectric surface, a capping layer is formed on the metallic surface by performing a selective deposition process. In another embodiment, a surface of a gate structure is exposed through a dielectric layer. A capping layer is formed on the surface of the gate structure by performing a selective deposition process.

Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to capping processes and structures formed thereby. In an embodiment, a conductive feature, formed in a dielectric layer, has a metallic surface, and the dielectric layer has a dielectric surface. The dielectric surface is modified to be hydrophobic by performing a surface modification treatment. After modifying the dielectric surface, a capping layer is formed on the metallic surface by performing a selective deposition process. In another embodiment, a surface of a gate structure is exposed through a dielectric layer. A capping layer is formed on the surface of the gate structure by performing a selective deposition process.