A vertical field-effect transistor device includes a substrate comprising a semiconductor material, and a set of fins formed from the semiconductor material and extending vertically with respect to the substrate. The vertical field-effect transistor device further includes gate structures disposed on the substrate and on a portion of sidewalls of the set of fins, spacers disposed on the gate structures and on a remaining portion of the sidewalls of the set of fins, source/drain regions disposed over top portions of the set of fins, and a metal liner disposed adjacent and over the source/drain regions such that a wrap-around contact is defined to cover an upper area of the source/drain regions. A portion of the source/drain regions is configured to have a lateral width less than a width between adjacent gate structures on the respective fin.

The embodiments of the disclosure provide a FinFET. The FinFET includes a substrate, a first gate stack and a second gate stack. The substrate has a first fin and a second fin. The first gate stack is across the first fin and extends along a widthwise direction of the first fin. The second gate stack is across the second fin and extends along a widthwise direction of the second fin. A bottommost surface of the first gate stack is lower than a bottommost surface of the second gate stack, and a first gate height of the first gate stack directly on the first fin is substantially equal to a second gate height of the second gate stack directly on the second fin.

FinFET devices and processes to prevent fin or gate collapse (e.g., flopover) in finFET devices are provided. The method includes forming a first set of trenches in a semiconductor material and filling the first set of trenches with insulator material. The method further includes forming a second set of trenches in the semiconductor material, alternating with the first set of trenches that are filled. The second set of trenches form semiconductor structures which have a dimension of fin structures. The method further includes filling the second set of trenches with insulator material. The method further includes recessing the insulator material within the first set of trenches and the second set of trenches to form the fin structures.

In an embodiment, a method (of manufacturing fins for a semiconductor device) includes: forming a first layer (on a semiconductor substrate) that has first spacers and etch stop layer (ESL) portions which are interspersed; forming second spacers on central regions of the first spacers and the ESL portions; removing exposed regions of the first spacers and the ESL portions and corresponding underlying portions of the semiconductor substrate; removing the second spacers resulting in corresponding first capped semiconductor fins and second capped semiconductor fins that are organized into first and second sets; each member of the first set having a first cap with a first etch sensitivity; and each member of the second set having a second cap with a different second etch sensitivity; and eliminating selected ones of the first capped semiconductor fins and selected ones of the second capped semiconductor fins.

Transistor cell architectures including both front-side and back-side structures. A transistor may include one or more semiconductor fins with a gate stack disposed along a sidewall of a channel portion of the fin. One or more source/drain regions of the fin are etched to form recesses with a depth below the channel region. The recesses may extend through the entire fin height. Source/drain semiconductor is then deposited within the recess, coupling the channel region to a deep source/drain. A back-side of the transistor is processed to reveal the deep source/drain semiconductor material. One or more back-side interconnect metallization levels may couple to the deep source/drain of the transistor.

The present disclosure provides a method of analyzing a semiconductor device. The method includes providing a first transistor, a second transistor disposed adjacent to the first transistor, and a gate electrode common to the first transistor and the second transistor; connecting a power-supply voltage (V.sub.dd) to the gate electrode to turn on the first transistor, determining a first threshold voltage (V.sub.th) based on the power-supply voltage; switching the power-supply voltage to a ground voltage (V.sub.ss); connecting the ground voltage to the gate electrode to turn on the second transistor; and determining a second threshold voltage based on the ground voltage.

A method includes providing a structure having a substrate, semiconductor fins, and an isolation structure between adjacent semiconductor fins; forming a first gate structure engaging the semiconductor fins; depositing an inter-layer dielectric layer over the semiconductor fins and the first gate structure; removing the first gate structure, resulting in a first trench; depositing a second gate structure into the first trench, wherein the second gate structure includes a dielectric layer and a conductive layer; forming one or more mask layers over the second gate structure; patterning the one or more mask layers to have an opening exposing a portion of the second gate structure between two adjacent semiconductor fins; and etching the second gate structure through the opening to produce a second trench having tapered sidewalls, wherein the second trench is wider at top than at bottom.

A semiconductor device may include a plurality of active patterns and a plurality of gate structure on a substrate, a first insulating interlayer covering the active patterns and the gate structures, a plurality of first contact plugs extending through the first insulating interlayer, a plurality of second contact plugs extending through the first insulating interlayer, and a first connecting pattern directly contacting a sidewall of at least one contact plug selected from the first and second contact plugs. Each of gate structures may include a gate insulation layer, a gate electrode and a capping pattern. Each of first contact plugs may contact the active patterns adjacent to the gate structure. Each of the second contact plugs may contact the gate electrode in the gate structures. An upper surface of the first connecting pattern may be substantially coplanar with upper surfaces of the first and second contact plugs.

A semiconductor structure and method for fabricating a semiconductor structure includes using two separate oxide layers to improve device reliability. A first oxide layer is formed adjacent a fin (e.g. a fin of a fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) device), a dummy gate is formed adjacent the first oxide layer, the dummy gate is removed, and a second oxide layer is then formed adjacent the first oxide layer. The use of the second oxide layer can improve device reliability by covering any damage that may be inflicted on the first oxide layer when the dummy gate is removed.

A stacked transistor architecture has a fin structure that includes lower and upper portions separated by an isolation region built into the fin structure. Upper and lower gate structures on respective upper and lower fin structure portions may be different from one another (e.g., with respect to work function metal and/or gate dielectric thickness). One example methodology includes depositing lower gate structure materials on the lower and upper channel regions, recessing those materials to re-expose the upper channel region, and then re-depositing upper gate structure materials on the upper channel region. Another example methodology includes depositing a sacrificial protective layer on the upper channel region. The lower gate structure materials are then deposited on both the exposed lower channel region and sacrificial protective layer. The lower gate structure materials and sacrificial protective layer are then recessed to re-expose upper channel region so that upper gate structure materials can be deposited.