There is provided a semiconductor device capable of improving the performance and reliability of a device. The semiconductor device includes comprising a gate structure including a gate electrode and a gate capping pattern on an upper surface of the gate electrode; a source/drain pattern on at least one side of the gate structure; and a source/drain contact on and connected with an upper surface of the source/drain pattern, the source/drain contact extending along a sidewall of the gate electrode, wherein an upper surface of the source/drain contact includes a convex curved surface.

A device structure is disclosed. The device structure includes a channel region having a first surface facing an underlying substrate and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The device structure includes a gate at least partially surrounding the channel region. The gate includes a gate dielectric and a gate conductor, in which the gate dielectric separates the gate conductor from the channel region. The device structure includes self-aligned source and drain regions (S/D regions) contacting the first and second surfaces, respectively.

There is provided a method for fabricating a device. On a top surface of a substrate, a first layer of a first deposition material is formed. The first layer of the first deposition material is patterned to create a seed pattern of remaining first deposition material. Homoepitaxy is used to grow a second layer of the first deposition material on the seed pattern.

A method includes receiving a semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate has a top surface and includes a semiconductor element. Moreover, the semiconductor substrate has a fin structure formed thereon. The method also includes recessing the fin structure to form source/drain trenches, forming a first dielectric layer over the recessed fin structure in the source/drain trenches, implanting a dopant element into a portion of the fin structure beneath a bottom surface of the source/drain trenches to form an amorphous semiconductor layer, forming a second dielectric layer over the recessed fin structure in the source/drain trenches, annealing the semiconductor substrate, and removing the first and second dielectric layers. After the annealing and the removing steps, the method further includes further recessing the recessed fin structure to provide a top surface. Additionally, the method includes forming an epitaxial layer from and on the top surface.

An integrated circuit structure includes: a semiconductor nanowire extending in a length direction and including a body portion; a gate dielectric surrounding the body portion; a gate electrode insulated from the body portion by the gate dielectric; a semiconductor source portion adjacent to a first side of the body portion; and a semiconductor drain portion adjacent to a second side of the body portion opposite the first side, the narrowest dimension of the second side of the body portion being smaller than the narrowest dimension of the first side. In an embodiment, the nanowire has a conical tapering. In an embodiment, the gate electrode extends along the body portion in the length direction to the source portion, but not to the drain portion. In an embodiment, the drain portion at the second side of the body portion has a lower dopant concentration than the source portion at the first side.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a source layer on a semiconductor substrate, forming a channel layer on the source layer, and forming a drain layer on the channel layer. The source, channel and drain layers are patterned into at least one fin, and a cap layer is formed on a lower portion of the at least one fin. The lower portion of the at least one fin includes the source layer and part of the channel layer. The method further includes forming a gate structure comprising a gate dielectric layer and a gate conductor on the at least one fin and on the cap layer. The cap layer is positioned between the lower portion of the at least one fin and the gate dielectric layer.

An integrated circuit (IC) structure with a nanowire power switch device and a method of forming the IC structure are disclosed. The IC structure includes a front end of line (FEOL) device layer having a plurality of active devices, a first back end of line (BEOL) interconnect structure on the (FEOL) device layer, and a nanowire switch on the first BEOL interconnect structure. A first end of the nanowire switch is connected to an active device of the plurality of active devices through the first BEOL interconnect structure. The IC structure further includes a second BEOL interconnect structure on the nanowire switch. A second end of the nanowire switch is connected to a power source through the second BEOL interconnect structure and the second end is opposite to the first end.

A semiconductor device including a barrier layer surrounding a work function metal layer 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 second channel region over the first channel region; gate dielectric layers surrounding the first channel region and the second channel region; work function metal layers surrounding the gate dielectric layers; and barrier layers surrounding the work function metal layers, a first barrier layer surrounding the first channel region being merged with a second barrier layer surrounding the second channel region.

InGaN offers a route to high efficiency overall water splitting under one-step photo-excitation. Further, the chemical stability of metal-nitrides supports their use as an alternative photocatalyst. However, the efficiency of overall water splitting using InGaN and other visible light responsive photocatalysts has remained extremely low despite prior art work addressing optical absorption through band gap engineering. Within this prior art the detrimental effects of unbalanced charge carrier extraction/collection on the efficiency of the four electron-hole water splitting reaction have remained largely unaddressed. To address this growth processes are presented that allow for controlled adjustment and establishment of the appropriate Fermi level and/or band bending in order to allow the photochemical water splitting to proceed at high rate and high efficiency. Beneficially, establishing such material surface charge properties also reduces photo-corrosion and instability under harsh photocatalysis conditions.

Provided herein are tapered nanowires that comprise germanium and gallium, as well as methods of forming the same. The described nanowires may also include one or more sections of a second semiconductor material. Methods of the disclosure may include vapor-liquid-solid epitaxy with a gallium catalyst. The described methods may also include depositing a gallium seed on a surface of a substrate by charging an area of the substrate using an electron beam, and directing a gallium ion beam across the surface of the substrate.