A FinFET structure with a gate structure having two notch features therein and a method of forming the same is disclosed. The FinFET notch features ensure that sufficient spacing is provided between the gate structure and source/drain regions of the FinFET to avoid inadvertent shorting of the gate structure to the source/drain regions. Gate structures of different sizes (e.g., different gate widths) and of different pattern densities can be provided on a same substrate and avoid inadvertent of shorting the gate to the source/drain regions through application of the notched features.

In a self-aligned fin cut process for fabricating integrated circuits, a sacrificial gate or an epitaxially-formed source/drain region is used as an etch mask in conjunction with a fin cut etch step to remove unwanted portions of the fins. The process eliminates use of a lithographically-defined etch mask to cut the fins, which enables precise and accurate alignment of the fin cut.

A fin field effect transistor (FinFET) includes a fin extending from a substrate, where the fin includes a lower region, a mid region, and an upper region, the upper region having sidewalls that extend laterally beyond sidewalls of the mid region. The FinFET also includes a gate stack disposed over a channel region of the fin, the gate stack including a gate dielectric, a gate electrode, and a gate spacer on either side of the gate stack. A dielectric material is included that surrounds the lower region and the first interface. A fin spacer is included which is disposed on the sidewalls of the mid region, the fin spacer tapering from a top surface of the dielectric material to the second interface, where the fin spacer is a distinct layer from the gate spacers. The upper region may include epitaxial source/drain material.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a source/drain region, a source/drain contact, a conductive via and a first polymer layer. The source/drain region is in the semiconductor substrate. The source/drain contact is over the source/drain region. The source/drain via is over the source/drain contact. The first polymer layer extends along a first sidewall of the conductive via and is separated from a second sidewall of the conductive via substantially perpendicular to the first sidewall of the conductive via.

In an embodiment, an integrated circuit includes transistors in different active regions, electrically isolated using single diffusion break isolation. The single diffusion break isolation includes a first dummy transistor that has a different threshold voltage than the transistors in either active region for which the single diffusion break is creating isolation. The first dummy transistor may have lower leakage current than transistors in either active region, creating effective isolation between the active regions and consuming relatively small amounts of power due to the lower leakage currents.

Provided in a semiconductor device including a substrate, an active region upwardly protruding from the substrate, a plurality of active fins upwardly protruding from the active region and extending in a first direction parallel to an upper surface of the substrate, the plurality of active fins being provided in a second direction that is parallel to the upper surface of the substrate and intersects with the first direction, and an isolation structure provided on the substrate, the isolation structure covering a sidewall of the active region and a lower portion of a sidewall of each of the plurality of active fins, wherein a first sidewall of the active region adjacent to a first active fin among the plurality of active fins has a staircase shape, the first active fin being provided on a first edge of the active region in the second direction.

Provided is an integrated circuit (IC) device including a logic cell having an area defined by a cell boundary. The logic cell includes a first device region, a device isolation region, and a second device region. The first device region and the second device region are arranged apart from each other in a first direction that is perpendicular to a second direction. The device isolation region is between the first device region and the second device region. A first maximum length of the first device region in the second direction is less than a width of the cell boundary in the second direction, and a second maximum length of the second device region is substantially equal to the width of the cell boundary in the second direction.

A semiconductor device structure is provided. The semiconductor device structure includes a semiconductor fin over a substrate and multiple semiconductor nanostructures suspended over the semiconductor fin. The semiconductor device structure also includes a gate stack extending across the semiconductor fin, and the gate stack wraps around each of the semiconductor nanostructures. The semiconductor device structure further includes a first epitaxial structure and a second epitaxial structure sandwiching the semiconductor nanostructures. In addition, the semiconductor device structure includes an isolation structure between the semiconductor fin and the gate stack. The isolation structure extends exceeding opposite sidewalls of the first epitaxial structure.

A semiconductor structure and a method for forming the same are provided. In one form, a forming method includes: providing a base, a gate structure, a source-drain doping region, and an interlayer dielectric layer; removing the gate structure located in an isolation region to form an isolation opening and expose the top and side walls of a fin located in the isolation region; performing first ion-doping on the fin under the isolation opening to form an isolation doped region, a doping type of the isolation doped region being different from a doping type of the source-drain doping region; and filling the isolation opening with an isolation structure after the doping, the isolation structure straddling the fin of the isolation region. In embodiments and implementations of the present disclosure, the isolation doped region is formed, a doping concentration of inversion ions in the fin of the isolation region can thus be increased, and a barrier of a P-N junction formed by the source-drain doping region and the fin of the isolation region can be increased accordingly, to prevent the device from generating a conduction current in the fin of the isolation region during operation, thereby implementing isolation between the fin of the isolation region and the fin of other regions. Moreover, there is no need to perform a fin cut process. Hence the fin is made into a continuous structure, which helps prevent stress relief in the fin.

A semiconductor device includes a stack of semiconductor layers vertically arranged above a semiconductor base structure, a gate dielectric layer having portions each surrounding one of the semiconductor layers, and a gate electrode surrounding the gate dielectric layer. Each portion of the gate dielectric layer has a top section above the respective semiconductor layer and a bottom section below the semiconductor layer. The top section has a top thickness along a vertical direction perpendicular to a top surface of the semiconductor base structure; and the bottom section has a bottom thickness along the vertical direction. The top thickness is greater than the bottom thickness.