A method for smoothing a surface of a semiconductor portion is disclosed. In the method, an intentional oxide layer is formed on the surface of the semiconductor portion, a treated layer is formed in the semiconductor portion and inwardly of the intentional oxide layer, and then, the intentional oxide layer and the treated layer are removed to obtain a smoothed surface. The method may also be used for widening a recess in a manufacturing process for a semiconductor structure.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure is provided, wherein the method includes the following operations. A substrate having a transistor is received, wherein the transistor includes a channel region and a gate on a first side of the channel region. A second side of the channel region of the transistor is exposed, wherein the second side is opposite to the first side. A metal oxide is formed on the second side of the channel region of the transistor, wherein the metal oxide contacts the channel region and is exposed to the environment. A semiconductor structure and an operation of a semiconductor structure thereof are also provided.

A vertical-structure field-effect transistor comprises: a gate electrode, which is formed on a substrate and has a horizontal plane extending in the planar direction and a vertical plane extending in the height direction; a gate insulating layer for covering the gate electrode; a vertical channel which is formed on the gate insulating layer and has a channel formed in the height direction; a source electrode formed to make contact with one end of the vertical channel; and a drain electrode formed to make contact with the other end of the vertical channel and formed at a height level different from that of the source electrode, wherein channel on/off of the vertical channel is controlled by means of an electric field formed from the vertical plane of the gate electrode to the vertical channel, and the source electrode and/or the drain electrode can be non-overlapping on the gate electrode in the height direction of the gate electrode.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate; and a cell region having opposite first and second sides, the cell region including active regions formed in the substrate; relative to an imaginary first reference line, a first majority of the active regions having first ends which align with the first reference line, the first side being parallel and proximal to the first reference line; relative to an imaginary second reference line in the second direction, a second majority of the active regions having second ends which align with the second reference line, the second side being parallel and proximal to the second reference line; and gate structures correspondingly on first and second ones of the active regions; and relative to the second direction, a first end of a selected one of the gate structures abuts an intervening region between the first and second active regions.

The present disclosure relates to an integrated chip including a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a first source/drain structure, a second source/drain structure, a stack of channel structures, and a gate structure. The stack of channel structures and the gate structure are between the first and second source/drain structures. The gate structure surrounds the stack of channel structures. A first conductive wire overlies and is spaced from the semiconductor device. The first conductive wire includes a first stack of conductive layers. A first conductive contact extends through a dielectric layer from the first conductive wire to the first source/drain structure. The first conductive contact is on a back-side of the first source/drain structure.

A semiconductor device includes an active area extending in a first direction over a substrate, the active area including at least one conductive path extending from a source region, through a channel region, to a drain region; and a gate dielectric on a surface of the at least one conductive path in the channel region. The semiconductor device also includes an isolating fin at a first side of the active area, the isolating fin having a first fin region having a first fin width adjacent to the source region, a second fin region having a second fin width adjacent to the channel region, and a third fin region having the first fin width adjacent to the drain region; and a gate electrode against the gate dielectric in the channel region.

A semiconductor device with different configurations of contact structures and a method of fabricating the same are disclosed. The method includes forming first and second fin structures on a substrate, forming n- and p-type source/drain (S/D) regions on the first and second fin structures, respectively, forming first and second oxidation stop layers on the n- and p-type S/D regions, respectively, epitaxially growing first and second semiconductor layers on the first and second oxidation stop layers, respectively, converting the first and second semiconductor layers into first and second semiconductor oxide layers, respectively, forming a first silicide-germanide layer on the p-type S/D region, and forming a second silicide-germanide layer on the first silicide-germanide layer and on the n-type S/D region.

A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit device including a self-aligned air spacer including the operations of forming a dummy gate, forming a sidewall on the dummy gate, forming a dummy layer on the sidewall, constructing a gate structure within an opening defined by the sidewall, removing at least a portion of the first dummy layer to form a first recess between the sidewall layer and the dummy gate, and capping the first recess to form a first air spacer.

A method includes depositing a multi-layer stack over a semiconductor substrate, the multi-layer stack including a plurality of sacrificial layers that alternate with a plurality of channel layers; forming a first recess in the multi-layer stack; forming first spacers on sidewalls of the sacrificial layers in the first recess; depositing a first semiconductor material in the first recess, where the first semiconductor material is undoped, where the first semiconductor material is in physical contact with a sidewall and a bottom surface of at least one of the first spacers; implanting dopants in the first semiconductor material, where after implanting dopants the first semiconductor material has a gradient-doped profile; and forming an epitaxial source/drain region in the first recess over the first semiconductor material, where a material of the epitaxial source/drain region is different from the first semiconductor material.

A device includes a substrate including an active region, a gate stack over the active region, and a hard mask over the gate stack. The hard mask includes a capping layer, a buttress layer extending along sidewalls and a bottom of the capping layer, and a liner layer extending along sidewalls and a bottom of the buttress layer. The buttress layer includes a metal oxide material or a metal nitride material.