The disclosed technology is related to a method that includes the formation of contact vias for contacting gate electrodes and source (S) or drain (D) electrodes of nano-sized semiconductor transistors formed on a semiconductor wafer. The electrodes are mutually parallel and provided with dielectric gate and S/D plugs on top of the electrodes, and the mutually parallel electrode/plug assemblies are separated by dielectric spacers. The formation of the vias takes place by two separate self-aligned etch processes, the Vint-A etch for forming one or more vias towards one or more S/D electrodes and the Vint-G etch for forming one or more vias towards one or more gate electrodes. According to the disclosed technology, a conformal layer is deposited on the wafer after the first self-aligned etch process, wherein the conformal layer is resistant to the second self-aligned etch process. The conformal layer thereby protects the first contact via during the second self-aligned etch.

A semiconductor device includes an isolation feature in a substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a first source/drain feature in the substrate, wherein a first side of the first source/drain feature contacts the isolation feature, and the first source/drain feature exposes a portion of the isolation feature below a top surface of the substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a silicide layer over the first source/drain feature. The semiconductor device further includes a dielectric layer along the exposed portion of the isolation feature below the top surface of the substrate, wherein the dielectric layer contacts the silicide layer. The semiconductor device further includes a second source/drain feature in the substrate on an opposite side of a gate stack from the first source/drain feature, wherein the second source/drain feature has a substantially uniform thickness.

A method of fabricating a device includes forming a dummy gate over a plurality of fins. Thereafter, a first portion of the dummy gate is removed to form a first trench that exposes a first hybrid fin and a first part of a second hybrid fin. The method further includes filling the first trench with a dielectric material disposed over the first hybrid fin and over the first part of the second hybrid fin. Thereafter, a second portion of the dummy gate is removed to form a second trench and the second trench is filled with a metal layer. The method further includes etching-back the metal layer, where a first plane defined by a first top surface of the metal layer is disposed beneath a second plane defined by a second top surface of a second part of the second hybrid fin after the etching-back the metal layer.

A method includes forming a gate spacer along sidewalls of a gate structure, forming a source region and a drain region on opposite sides of the gate structure, wherein a sidewall of the source region is vertically aligned with a first sidewall of the gate spacer, depositing a dielectric layer over the substrate, depositing a conductive layer over the dielectric layer, patterning the dielectric layer and the conductive layer to form a field plate, wherein the dielectric layer comprises a horizontal portion extending from the second drain/source region to a second sidewall of the gate spacer and a vertical portion formed along the second sidewall of the gate spacer, forming a plurality of metal silicide layers by applying a salicide process to the conductive layer, the gate structure, the first drain/source region and the second drain/source region and forming contact plugs over the plurality of metal silicide layers.

A fin field effect transistor device structure includes a fin structure formed over a substrate. The structure also includes a gate structure formed across the fin structure. The structure also includes a cap layer formed over the gate structure. The structure also includes a contact structure formed over the gate structure penetrating through the cap layer. The structure also includes an isolation film formed over sidewalls of the contact structure. The isolation film is separated from the gate structure, and a bottom surface of the isolation film is below a top surface of the cap layer.

A method is provided for fabricating a flash memory structure. The method includes providing a substrate; and forming a gate structure and a hard mask layer. The method also includes forming a sidewall structure on side walls of the gate structure and the hard mask layer; and forming an etching barrier layer covering the sidewall structure. In addition, the method includes forming a first dielectric layer; and removing the sidewall structure and the etching barrier layer higher than the first dielectric layer. Moreover, the method includes forming a sacrificial sidewall layer on the side wall of the hard mask layer and above the sidewall structure and the etching barrier layer; and forming a second dielectric layer on the first dielectric layer. Further, the method includes forming a contact hole penetrating through the second dielectric layer and the first dielectric layer; and forming a contact-hole plug in the contact hole.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a plurality of gate structures on a semiconductor fin, and forming a plurality of source/drain regions adjacent the plurality of gate structures. In the method, a germanium oxide layer is formed on the plurality of gate structures and on the plurality of source/drain regions, and portions of the germanium oxide layer on the plurality of source/drain regions are converted into a plurality of dielectric layers. The method also includes removing unconverted portions of the germanium oxide layer from the plurality of gate structures, and depositing a plurality of cap layers in place of the removed unconverted portions of the germanium oxide layer. The plurality of dielectric layers are removed, and a plurality of source/drain contacts are formed on the plurality of source/drain regions. The plurality of source/drain contacts are adjacent the plurality of cap layers.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards an integrated chip including a gate dielectric structure over a substrate. A metal layer overlies the gate dielectric structure. A conductive layer overlies the metal layer. A polysilicon layer contacts opposing sides of the conductive layer. A bottom surface of the polysilicon layer is aligned with a bottom surface of the conductive layer. A dielectric layer overlies the polysilicon layer. The dielectric layer continuously extends from sidewalls of the polysilicon layer to an upper surface of the conductive layer.

An integrated circuit device includes a fin-type active region protruding from a top surface of a substrate and extending in a first direction parallel to the top surface of the substrate, a gate structure intersecting with the fin-type active region and extending on the substrate in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a source/drain region on a first side of the gate structure, a first contact structure on the source/drain region, and a contact capping layer on the first contact structure. A top surface of the first contact structure has a first width in the first direction, a bottom surface of the contact capping layer has a second width greater than the first width stated above in the first direction, and the contact capping layer includes a protruding portion extending outward from a sidewall of the first contact structure.

The present disclosure describes a method for forming a hard mask on a transistor's gate structure that minimizes gate spacer loss and gate height loss during the formation of self-aligned contact openings. The method includes forming spacers on sidewalls of spaced apart gate structures and disposing a dielectric layer between the gate structures. The method also includes etching top surfaces of the gate structures and top surfaces of the spacers with respect to a top surface of the dielectric layer. Additionally, the method includes depositing a hard mask layer having a metal containing dielectric layer over the etched top surfaces of the gate structures and the spacers and etching the dielectric layer with an etching chemistry to form contact openings between the spacers, where the hard mask layer has a lower etch rate than the spacers when exposed to the etching chemistry.