A process for etching a substrate comprising polycrystalline silicon to form silicon nanostructures includes depositing metal on top of the substrate and contacting the metallized substrate with an etchant aqueous solution comprising about 2 to about 49 weight percent HF and an oxidizing agent.

A semiconductor device having a gate structure and a method of forming same are provided. The semiconductor device includes a substrate and a gate structure over the substrate. The substrate has a first region and a second region. The gate structure extends across an interface between the first region and the second region. The gate structure includes a first gate dielectric layer over the first region, a second gate dielectric layer over the second region, a first work function layer over the first gate dielectric layer, a barrier layer along a sidewall of the first work function layer and above the interface between the first region and the second region, and a second work function layer over the first work function layer, the barrier layer and the second gate dielectric layer. The second work function layer is in physical contact with a top surface of the first work function layer.

A silicon carbide device includes a silicon carbide substrate having a body region and a source region of a transistor cell. Further, the silicon carbide device includes a titanium carbide gate electrode of the transistor cell.

A semiconductor structure includes a substrate, a conductive feature over the substrate, a dielectric layer over the conductive feature and the substrate, and a structure disposed over and electrically connected to the conductive feature. The structure is partially surrounded by the dielectric layer and includes a first metal-containing layer and a second metal-contain layer surrounded by the first metal-containing layer. The first and the second metal-containing layers include different materials. A lower portion of the first metal-containing layer includes a transition metal or a transition metal nitride and an upper portion of the first metal-containing layer includes a transition metal fluoride or a transition metal chloride.

A porous region structure and a method of fabrication thereof are disclosed. The porous region structure is characterized by having a hard mask interface region with non-uniform pores sealed and thereby excluded functionally from the structure. The sealing of the hard mask interface region is done using a hard mask deposited on top of an anodization hard mask used to define the porous region of the structure. By excluding the hard mask interface region, the porosity ratio and the equivalent specific surface of the porous region structure can be controlled or quantified with higher accuracy. Corrosion due to exposure of an underlying metal layer of the structure is also significantly reduced by sealing the hard mask interface region.

A method includes providing a dielectric layer; forming a metal line in the dielectric layer; forming an etch stop layer on the metal line, wherein the etch stop layer includes a metal atom bonded with a hydroxyl group; performing a treatment process to the etch stop layer to displace hydrogen in the hydroxyl group with an element other than hydrogen; partially etching the etch stop layer to expose the metal line; and forming a conductive feature above the etch stop layer and in physical contact with the metal line.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, includes; preparing an insulated circuit substrate including a circuit layer having a main surface and a side surface inclined to a normal direction of the main surface; irradiating the side surface of the circuit layer with a laser beam so as to roughen at least a part of the side surface of the circuit layer and provide an oxide film on the roughened side surface of the circuit layer; and bonding a semiconductor chip to the main surface of the circuit layer via a solder layer.

The invention relates to a method for making an individualization zone of a microchip comprising a first (10A) and a second (20A) level of electrical tracks (10, 20), and a level of interconnections (30A) comprising vias (30), the method comprising the following steps: providing the first level (10A) and a dielectric layer (200, 201, 202), making a hard metal mask (300) on the dielectric layer (200, 201, 202), etching the dielectric layer (200, 201, 202) through the mask openings (301) by etching based on fluorinated chemistry, preferably oxidizing the hard metal mask (300) by hydrolysis so as to form randomly distributed residues (31) at certain openings (320.sub.R), filling the openings (320, 320R) so as to form at least the vias (30) of the level of interconnections (30A), said vias (30) comprising functional vias (30.sub.OK) at the openings without residues (320) and inactive vias (30.sub.KO) at the openings with residues (320.sub.R).

Low capacitance and high reliability interconnect structures and methods of manufacture are disclosed. The method includes forming a copper based interconnect structure in an opening of a dielectric material. The method further includes forming a capping layer on the copper based interconnect structure. The method further includes oxidizing the capping layer and any residual material formed on a surface of the dielectric material. The method further includes forming a barrier layer on the capping layer by outdiffusing a material from the copper based interconnect structure to a surface of the capping layer. The method further includes removing the residual material, while the barrier layer on the surface of the capping layer protects the capping layer.

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, which includes a separation step and has a high yield, is provided. A metal layer is formed over a substrate, fluorine is supplied to the metal layer, and the metal layer is then oxidized, whereby a metal compound layer is formed. A functional layer is formed over the metal compound layer, heat treatment is performed on the metal compound layer, and the functional layer is separated from the substrate with use of the metal compound layer. By performing first plasma treatment using a gas containing fluorine, fluorine can be supplied to the metal layer. By performing second plasma treatment using a gas containing oxygen, the metal layer supplied with fluorine can be oxidized.