A method for shallow trench isolation structures in a semiconductor device and a semiconductor device including the shallow trench isolation structures are disclosed. In an embodiment, the method may include forming a trench in a substrate; depositing a first dielectric liner in the trench; depositing a first shallow trench isolation (STI) material over the first dielectric liner, the first STI material being deposited as a conformal layer; etching the first STI material; depositing a second STI material over the first STI material, the second STI material being deposited as a flowable material; and planarizing the second STI material such that top surfaces of the second STI material are co-planar with top surfaces of the substrate.

A method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming a first dummy gate structure and a second dummy gate structure over a fin; forming a first dielectric layer around the first dummy gate structure and around the second dummy gate structure; removing the first dummy gate structure and the second dummy gate structure to form a first recess and a second recess in the first dielectric layer, respectively; forming a gate dielectric layer in the first recess and the second recess; forming a first work function layer over the gate dielectric layer in the first and the second recesses; removing the first work function layer from the first recess; converting a surface layer of the first work function layer in the second recess into an oxide; and forming a second work function layer in the first recess over the gate dielectric layer and in the second recess over the oxide.

Vertical integration schemes and circuit elements architectures for area scaling of semiconductor devices are described. In an example, an inverter structure includes a semiconductor fin separated vertically into an upper region and a lower region. A first plurality of gate structures is included for controlling the upper region of the semiconductor fin. A second plurality of gate structures is included for controlling the lower region of the semiconductor fin. The second plurality of gate structures has a conductivity type opposite the conductivity type of the first plurality of gate structures.

One illustrative IC product disclosed herein includes first and second final gate structures and an insulating gate separation structure positioned between the first and second final gate structures. In one embodiment, the insulating gate separation structure has a stepped bottom surface with a substantially horizontally oriented bottom central surface that is surrounded by a substantially horizontally oriented recessed surface, wherein the substantially horizontally oriented bottom central surface is positioned a first level above the substrate and the substantially horizontally oriented recessed surface is positioned at a second level above the substrate, wherein the second level is greater than the first level.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards a semiconductor device including a gate electrode over a semiconductor substrate. An epitaxial source/drain layer is disposed on the semiconductor substrate and is laterally adjacent to the gate electrode. The epitaxial source/drain layer comprises a first dopant. A diffusion barrier layer is between the epitaxial source/drain layer and the semiconductor substrate. The diffusion barrier layer comprises a barrier dopant that is different from the first dopant.

A device includes a semiconductor substrate, a first fin arranged over the semiconductor substrate, and an isolation structure. The first fin includes an upper portion, a bottom portion, and an insulator layer between the upper portion and the bottom portion. A top surface of the insulator layer is wider than a bottom surface of the upper portion of the first fin. The isolation structure surrounds the bottom portion of the first fin.

Semiconductor structures and methods are provided. A semiconductor structure according to an embodiment includes a first cell disposed over a first well doped with a first-type dopant, a second cell disposed over the first well, and a tap cell disposed over a second well doped with a second-type dopant different from the first-type dopant. The tap cell is sandwiched between the first cell and the second cell. The first cell includes a first plurality of transistors and the second cell includes a second plurality of transistors.

A semiconductor device including: a first silicon layer including a first single crystal silicon and a plurality of first transistors; a first metal layer disposed over the first silicon layer; a second metal layer disposed over the first metal layer; a third metal layer disposed over the second metal layer; a second level including a plurality of second transistors, the second level disposed over the third metal layer; a fourth metal layer disposed over the second level; a fifth metal layer disposed over the fourth metal layer, a connection path from the fifth metal layer to the second metal layer, where the connection path includes a via disposed through the second level, where the via has a diameter of less than 450 nm, where the fifth metal layer includes a global power distribution grid, and where a typical thickness of the fifth metal layer is greater than a typical thickness of the second metal layer by at least 50%.

Embodiments of the present disclosure describe techniques for revealing a backside of an integrated circuit (IC) device, and associated configurations. The IC device may include a plurality of fins formed on a semiconductor substrate (e.g., silicon substrate), and an isolation oxide may be disposed between the fins along the backside of the IC device. A portion of the semiconductor substrate may be removed to leave a remaining portion. The remaining portion may be removed by chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) using a selective slurry to reveal the backside of the IC device. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

An apparatus including a circuit structure including a device stratum; one or more electrically conductive interconnect levels on a first side of the device stratum and coupled to ones of the transistor devices; and a substrate including an electrically conductive through silicon via coupled to the one or more electrically conductive interconnect levels so that the one or more interconnect levels are between the through silicon via and the device stratum. A method including forming a plurality of transistor devices on a substrate, the plurality of transistor devices defining a device stratum; forming one or more interconnect levels on a first side of the device stratum; removing a portion of the substrate; and coupling a through silicon via to the one or more interconnect levels such that the one or more interconnect levels is disposed between the device stratum and the through silicon via.