The present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor memory device. Because the present method includes applying a dopant-implanted layer on a semiconductor memory substrate before growing a silicon nitride layer on the substrate, the silicon nitride layer can be grown at an increased rate. The present disclosure avoids a problem encountered in the prior art wherein a seam having a greater length contacts an edge of a contact plug of a semiconductor memory device. Hence, a leakage problem at subsequent operations of semiconductor manufacture can be avoided, and the product yield can be significantly improved.

A semiconductor device includes a plurality of patterns defined between a plurality of trenches and disposed on a substrate. A leaning control layer is disposed on sidewalls and bottoms of the plurality of trenches. A gap-fill insulating layer is disposed on the leaning control layer. At least one of the plurality of trenches has a different depth from one of the plurality of trenches adjacent thereto.

A method includes forming a semiconductor layer on a semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor layer is patterned to form a semiconductive structure. Each of widths of two ends of the semiconductive structure is wider than a width of a middle of the semiconductive structure. The semiconductive structure is doped to form a doped semiconductor structure. An isolation structure is formed to surround the doped semiconductor structure. A recessing process is performed such that two trenches are formed on the doped semiconductor structure, and first, second and third portions of an active region are formed on the semiconductor substrate. A first gate structure and a second gate structure are formed in the trenches such that the first portion and the third portion are partially spaced apart by the first gate structure, and the second portion and the third portion are partially spaced apart by the second gate structure.

A semiconductor device includes: two first semiconductor regions of a first conductivity type spaced apart from each other; a second semiconductor region of a second conductivity type provided between the two first semiconductor regions; a first insulator region surrounding the two first semiconductor regions and the second semiconductor region; a third semiconductor region of the second conductivity type; a fourth semiconductor region of the second conductivity type, the fourth semiconductor region surrounding the third semiconductor region and the first insulator region and having an impurity concentration of the second conductivity type lower than an impurity concentration of the third semiconductor region; a second insulator region that surrounds the fourth semiconductor region; a conductor layer provided over the second semiconductor region; two first contact plugs; a second contact plug provided on the conductor layer; and a third contact plug provided on the third semiconductor region.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor structure includes: etching a substrate according to a hard mask to form a plurality of trenches in the substrate; performing a nitridation treatment on the trenches of the substrate; filling the trenches of the substrate with a flowable isolation material; and solidifying the flowable isolation material to form an isolation material. A semiconductor structure manufactured by the method is also provided.

An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system for illuminating an original including a periodic pattern, a projection optical system for forming an image of the original on a substrate, a controller configured to cause light from the illumination optical system to be obliquely incident on the original such that a light intensity distribution which is line-symmetric with respect to a line, passing through an origin of a pupil region of the projection optical system and orthogonal to a periodic direction of the periodic pattern, is formed in the pupil region by diffracted light beams including diffracted light of not lower than 2nd-order from the periodic pattern, and to control exposure of the substrate such that each point in a shot region of the substrate is exposed in not less than two focus states.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide an integrated circuit (IC) structure, including a semiconductor-based isolation structure on a substrate. A shallow trench isolation (STI) structure may be positioned on the semiconductor-based isolation structure. An active semiconductor region is on the substrate and adjacent each of the semiconductor-based isolation structure and the STI structure. The active semiconductor region includes a doped semiconductor material. At least one device on the active semiconductor region may be horizontally distal to the STI structure.

Provided are a semiconductor structure and a manufacturing method thereof. The manufacturing method for the semiconductor structure comprises: providing a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises active regions and isolation regions each located between the adjacent active regions, and each of the active regions comprises corner regions adjacent to the isolation regions; performing a doping process to implant doping ions into the corner regions, wherein the doping ions are configured to slow down an oxidation rate of the corner regions; and performing a removing process to remove the oxidized portion of the substrate after the doping process, wherein during the removing process, a side wall of each of the corner regions is exposed from a structure in the isolation region.

A high-voltage termination for a semiconductor device includes a substrate of a first conductivity type, an implanted device region of a second conductivity type of the semiconductor device, a shallow trench disposed in the substrate adjacent to the implanted device region, a doped extension region of the second conductivity type extending between the implanted device region and a first edge of the shallow trench adjacent to the implanted device region, a junction termination extension region of the second conductivity type formed in the shallow trench contacting the extension region and extending past a second edge of the shallow trench opposite the implanted device region, an insulating layer formed over at least a portion of the extension region and over the junction termination extension region, and a metal layer formed over the insulating layer extending into at least a portion of the shallow trench and electrically connected to the extension region.

Semiconductor structures including electrical isolation and methods of forming a semiconductor structure including electrical isolation. Shallow trench isolation regions extend from a top surface of a semiconductor substrate into the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate contains single-crystal semiconductor material, and the shallow trench isolation regions are positioned to surround an active device region of the semiconductor substrate. A polycrystalline layer is formed in the semiconductor substrate. The polycrystalline layer has a first section beneath the active device region and a second section beneath the plurality of shallow trench isolation regions. The first section of the polycrystalline layer is located at a different depth relative to the top surface of the semiconductor substrate than the second section of the polycrystalline layer.