A semiconductor device including a substrate; first and second active patterns on the substrate, extending in a first direction and spaced apart in a second direction; gate electrodes on the first and second active patterns and extending in the second direction; a first gate separation structure between the first and second active patterns, extending in the first direction, and separating the gate electrodes; and a first element separation structure between the gate electrodes, extending in the second direction, and separating the second active pattern, wherein a distance to a first side of a first portion of the first gate separation structure is smaller than a distance to the first side of a second portion of the first gate separation structure, and a distance to the second side of the first portion is smaller than a distance from the second active pattern to the second side of the second portion.

The present disclosure describes a semiconductor device with a rare earth metal oxide layer and a method for forming the same. The method includes forming fin structures on a substrate and forming superlattice structures on the fin structures, where each of the superlattice structures includes a first-type nanostructured layer and a second-type nanostructured layer. The method further includes forming an isolation layer between the superlattice structures, implanting a rare earth metal into a top portion of the isolation layer to form a rare earth metal oxide layer, and forming a polysilicon structure over the superlattice structures. The method further includes etching portions of the superlattice structures adjacent to the polysilicon structure to form a source/drain (S/D) opening and forming an S/D region in the S/D opening.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate, and a plurality of active regions disposed over the substrate. The plurality of active regions have a first total area. One or more inactive regions are also disposed over the substrate. The one or more inactive regions have a second total area. The second total area is greater than or equal to 1.5 times the first total area. The active regions may be formed in an epitaxial layer formed over the substrate. A plurality of cells of an active device may be disposed in the plurality of active regions. The inactive regions may include only structures that do not dissipate substantial power when the semiconductor device is functioning as it is designed to function.

A cross-couple contact structure is provided that is located on, and physically contacts, a topmost surface of a functional gate structure that is located laterally adjacent to a gate cut region. The cross-couple contact structure extends into the laterally adjacent gate cut region and physically contacts a sidewall of the functional gate structure, an upper portion of a first sidewall of a dielectric plug that is present in the gate cut region, and an upper surface of a dielectric liner that is located on a lower portion of the first sidewall of the dielectric plug.

A semiconductor device includes: a lower wiring including: a lower filling film, which extends in a first direction and includes a first portion having a first width in the first direction and a second portion, having a second width smaller than the first width in the first direction, on the first portion; and a lower barrier film which is disposed on a side wall and a bottom surface of the first portion, and is not disposed on a side wall of the second portion in a cross-sectional view of the first direction; and an upper wiring structure including: an upper via connected to the lower wiring; and an upper wiring extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction on the upper via, wherein the upper wiring structure further includes an upper barrier film, and an upper filling film in a trench defined by the upper barrier film, each of the upper via and the upper wiring comprises the upper barrier film and the upper filling film, and the upper via is not separated from the upper wiring by the upper barrier film, and is separated from the second portion of the lower filling film by the upper barrier film.

Non-planar semiconductor devices having doped sub-fin regions and methods of fabricating non-planar semiconductor devices having doped sub-fin regions are described. For example, a method of fabricating a semiconductor structure involves forming a plurality of semiconductor fins above a semiconductor substrate. A solid state dopant source layer is formed above the semiconductor substrate, conformal with the plurality of semiconductor fins. A dielectric layer is formed above the solid state dopant source layer. The dielectric layer and the solid state dopant source layer are recessed to approximately a same level below a top surface of the plurality of semiconductor fins, exposing protruding portions of each of the plurality of semiconductor fins above sub-fin regions of each of the plurality of semiconductor fins. The method also involves driving dopants from the solid state dopant source layer into the sub-fin regions of each of the plurality of semiconductor fins.

A method of forming a semiconductor device that includes forming a trench adjacent to a gate structure to expose a contact surface of one of a source region and a drain region. A sacrificial spacer may be formed on a sidewall of the trench and on a sidewall of the gate structure. A metal contact may then be formed in the trench to at least one of the source region and the drain region. The metal contact has a base width that is less than an upper surface width of the metal contact. The sacrificial spacer may be removed, and a substantially conformal dielectric material layer can be formed on sidewalls of the metal contact and the gate structure. Portions of the conformally dielectric material layer contact one another at a pinch off region to form an air gap between the metal contact and the gate structure.

Techniques and mechanisms to impose stress on a transistor which includes a channel region and a source or drain region each in a fin structure. In an embodiment, a gate structure of the transistor extends over the fin structure, wherein a first spacer portion is at a sidewall of the gate structure and a second spacer portion adjoins the first spacer portion. Either or both of two features are present at or under respective bottom edges of the spacer portions. One of the features includes a line of discontinuity on the fin structure. The other feature includes a concentration of a dopant in the second spacer portion being greater than a concentration of the dopant in the source or drain region. In another embodiment, the fin structure is disposed on a buffer layer, wherein stress on the channel region is imposed at least in part with the buffer layer.

A method of manufacturing a FinFET includes at last the following steps. A semiconductor substrate is patterned to form trenches in the semiconductor substrate and semiconductor fins located between two adjacent trenches of the trenches. Gate stacks is formed over portions of the semiconductor fins. Strained material portions are formed over the semiconductor fins revealed by the gate stacks. First metal contacts are formed over the gate stacks, the first metal contacts electrically connecting the strained material portions. Air gaps are formed in the FinFET at positions between two adjacent gate stacks and between two adjacent strained materials.

A semiconductor device includes an active pattern on a substrate, the active pattern extending in a first direction parallel to an upper surface of the substrate, a gate structure on the active pattern, the gate structure extending in a second direction parallel to the upper surface of the substrate and crossing the first direction, channels spaced apart from each other in a third direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the substrate, each of the channels extending through the gate structure, a source/drain layer on a portion of the active pattern adjacent the gate structure, the source/drain layer contacting the channels, and a sacrificial pattern on an upper surface of each of opposite edges of the portion of the active pattern in the second direction, the sacrificial pattern contacting a lower portion of a sidewall of the source/drain layer and including silicon-germanium.