In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to an integrated chip including a first transistor and a second transistor arranged over a substrate. The first transistor includes first and second source/drain regions over the substrate and includes a first channel structure directly between the first and second source/drain regions. A first gate electrode is arranged over the first channel structure and is between first and second air spacer structures. The second transistor includes third and fourth source/drain regions over the substrate and includes a second channel structure directly between the third and fourth source/drain regions. A second gate electrode is arranged over the second channel structure and is between third and fourth air spacer structures. The integrated chip further includes a high-k dielectric spacer structure over a low-k dielectric fin structure between the first and second channel structures to separate the first and second gate electrodes.

A semiconductor structure is provided. The semiconductor structure includes a first gate-all-around FET over a substrate, and the first gate-all-around FET includes first nanostructures and a first gate stack surrounding the first nanostructures. The semiconductor structure also includes a first FinFET adjacent to the first gate-all-around FET, and the first FinFET includes a first fin structure and a second gate stack over the first fin structure. The semiconductor structure also includes a gate-cut feature interposing the first gate stack of the first gate-all-around FET and the second gate stack of the first FinFET.

A method of making an integrated circuit includes steps of selecting a first cell and a second cell for an integrated circuit layout from a cell library in an electronic design automation (EDA) system, the first and second cells each having a cell active area, a cell gate electrode, at least one fin of a first set of fins, and a cell border region, each cell also having the active area at an exposed side, and placing the first exposed side against the second exposed side at a cell border. The method also includes operations of aligning at least one fin of the first set of fins with at least one fin of the second set of fins across a cell border.

Semiconductor devices and methods of forming the same are provided. In an embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a substrate including a core device region and an input/output (I/O) device region, a plurality of core devices in the core device region, each of the plurality of core devices including a first active region extending along a first direction, and a first plurality of input/output (I/O) transistors in the I/O device region, each of the first plurality of I/O transistors including a second active region extending along the first direction. The first active region includes a first width along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second active region includes a second width along the second direction. The second width is greater than the first width.

A semiconductor structure includes a metal gate structure (MG) formed over a substrate, a first gate spacer formed on a first sidewall of the MG, a second gate spacer formed on a second sidewall of the MG opposite to the first sidewall, where the second gate spacer is shorter than the first gate spacer, a source/drain (S/D) contact (MD) adjacent to the MG, where a sidewall of the MD is defined by the second gate spacer, and a contact feature configured to electrically connect the MG to the MD.

A gate stack can be etched to form a trench extending through the gate stack, the trench removing a portion of the gate stack to separate the gate stack into a first gate stack portion and a second gate stack portion. A dielectric material is deposited in the trench to form a dielectric region, the dielectric region having an air gap in the dielectric material. The air gap may extend upward from beneath the gate stack to an area interposed between the end of the first gate stack portion and the end of the second gate stack portion. Contacts to the first gate stack portion and contacts to the second gate stack portion may be formed which are electrically isolated from each other by the dielectric material and air gap formed therein.

Methods for performing a pre-clean process to remove an oxide in semiconductor devices and semiconductor devices formed by the same are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method includes forming a shallow trench isolation region over a semiconductor substrate; forming a gate stack over the shallow trench isolation region; etching the shallow trench isolation region adjacent the gate stack using an anisotropic etching process; and after etching the shallow trench isolation region with the anisotropic etching process, etching the shallow trench isolation region with an isotropic etching process, process gases for the isotropic etching process including hydrogen fluoride (HF) and ammonia (NH.sub.3).

A device includes a plurality of fin structures that each protrude vertically upwards out of a substrate and each extend in a first direction in a top view. A gate structure is disposed over the fin structures. The gate structure extends in a second direction in the top view. The second direction is different from the first direction. The fin structures have a fin pitch equal to a sum of: a dimension of one of the fin structures in the second direction and a distance between an adjacent pair of the fin structures in the second direction. An end segment of the gate structure extends beyond an edge of a closest one of the fin structures in the second direction. The end segment has a tapered profile in the top view or is at least 4 times as long as the fin pitch in the second direction.

A semiconductor device including source/drain contacts extending into source/drain regions, below topmost surfaces of the source/drain regions, and methods of forming the same are disclosed. In an embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate; a first channel region over the semiconductor substrate; a first gate stack over the semiconductor substrate and surrounding four sides of the first channel region; a first epitaxial source/drain region adjacent the first gate stack and the first channel region; and a first source/drain contact coupled to the first epitaxial source/drain region, a bottommost surface of the first source/drain contact extending below a topmost surface of the first channel region.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer, a gate structure, a source/drain epitaxial structure, a backside dielectric cap, and an inner spacer. The gate structure wraps around the semiconductor layer. The source/drain epitaxial structure is adjacent the gate structure and electrically connected to the semiconductor layer. The backside dielectric cap is disposed under and in direct contact with the gate structure. The inner spacer is in direct contact with the gate structure and the backside dielectric cap.