Multi-gate devices and methods for fabricating such are disclosed herein. An exemplary method includes forming a diffusion blocking layer on a semiconductor substrate; forming channel material layers over the diffusion blocking layer; patterning the semiconductor substrate, the channel material layers, and the diffusion blocking layer to form a trench in the semiconductor substrate, thereby defining an active region being adjacent the trench; filling the trench with a dielectric material layer and a solid doping source material layer containing a dopant; and driving the dopant from the solid doping source material layer to the active region, thereby forming an anti-punch-through (APT) feature in the active region.

Various articles and devices can be manufactured to take advantage of a what is believed to be a novel thermodynamic cycle in which spontaneity is due to an intrinsic entropy equilibration. The novel thermodynamic cycle exploits the quantum phase transition between quantum thermalization and quantum localization. Preferred devices include a phonovoltaic cell, a rectifier and a conductor for use in an integrated circuit.

Semiconductor device including first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type at a surface of the first semiconductor layer, third semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type selectively provided at a surface of the second layer, and gate electrode embedded in a trench via a gate insulating film. The trench penetrates the second and third layers, and reaches the first layer. A thermal oxide film on the third layer has a thickness less than that of the gate insulating film. Also are an interlayer insulating film on the thermal oxide film, barrier metal on an inner surface of a contact hole selectively opened in the thermal oxide film and the interlayer insulating film, metal plug embedded in the contact hole on the barrier metal, and electrode electrically connected to the second and third layers via the barrier metal and the metal plug.

A method for forming a semiconductor structure is provided, which comprises the following steps. A gate is formed by a method comprising the following steps. A gate dielectric layer is formed on a substrate. A gate electrode is formed on the gate dielectric layer. A nitride spacer is formed on a sidewall of the gate electrode. A phosphorus containing dielectric layer is formed on the gate. The phosphorus containing dielectric layer has a varied phosphorus dopant density distribution profile. The phosphorus containing dielectric layer comprises a phosphorus dopant density region on an upper surface of the gate and having a triangle-like shape.

A semiconductor device includes etch stop films formed on the first gate electrode, the first source region, the first drain region, and the shallow trench isolation regions, respectively. First interlayer insulating films are formed on the etch stop film, respectively. Deep trenches are formed in the substrate between adjacent ones of the first interlayer insulating films to overlap the shallow trench isolation regions. Sidewall insulating films are formed in the deep trenches, respectively. A gap-fill insulating film is formed on the sidewall insulating film. A second interlayer insulating film is formed on the gap-fill insulating film. A top surface of the second interlayer insulating film is substantially planar and a bottom surface of the second interlayer insulating film is undulating.

A method of forming a vertical fin field effect transistor with a self-aligned gate structure, comprising forming a plurality of vertical fins on a substrate, forming gate dielectric layers on opposite sidewalls of each vertical fin, forming a gate fill layer between the vertical fins, forming a fin-cut mask layer on the gate fill layer, forming one or more fin-cut mask trench(es) in the fin-cut mask layer, and removing portions of the gate fill layer and vertical fins not covered by the fin-cut mask layer to form one or more fin trench(es), and two or more vertical fin segments from each of the plurality of vertical fins, having a separation distance, D.sub.1, between two vertical fin segments.

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, including the steps of: providing a substrate having an etch stop layer formed thereon; forming a preliminary stacked structure on the etch stop layer, the preliminary stacked structure including a lower sacrifice layer contacting the etch stop layer, a support layer, and an upper sacrifice layer; forming a hole penetrating the preliminary stacked structure and the etch stop layer; forming a conductive pattern in the hole; removing the upper sacrifice layer and a portion of the support layer; removing the lower sacrifice layer; forming a first conductive layer covering the conductive pattern; and forming a dielectric layer covering the first conductive layer, a remaining portion of the support layer, and the etch stop layer.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having a first region and a second region, a plurality of first semiconductor fins in the first region, a plurality of second semiconductor fins in the second region, a first solid-state dopant source layer within the first region on the semiconductor substrate, a first insulating buffer layer on the first solid-state dopant source layer, a second solid-state dopant source layer within the second region on the semiconductor substrate, a second insulating buffer layer on the second solid-state dopant source layer and on the first insulating buffer layer, a first fin bump in the first region, and a second fin bump in the second region. The first fin bump includes a first sidewall spacer and the second fin bump comprises a second sidewall spacer. The first sidewall spacer has a structure that is different from that of the second sidewall spacer.

A semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of memory cell transistors arranged along a common semiconductor layer. Each of the plurality of memory cell transistors comprises a first source/drain region and a second source/drain region formed in the common semiconductor layer; a gate stack formed on a portion of the common semiconductor layer between the first source/drain region and the second source/drain region; and an electrical floating portion in the portion of the common semiconductor layer, a charge state of the electrical floating portion being adapted to adjust a threshold voltage and a channel conductance of the memory cell transistor. The plurality of memory cell transistors connected in series with each other along the common semiconductor layer provide a memory string.

Films that can be useful in large area gap fill applications, such as in the formation of advanced 3D NAND devices, involve processing a semiconductor substrate by depositing on a patterned semiconductor substrate a doped silicon oxide film a doped silicon oxide film configured to expand upon annealing at a temperature above the films glass transition temperature, and annealing the doped silicon oxide film to a temperature above the film glass transition temperature. In some embodiments, reflow of the film may occur. The composition and processing conditions of the doped silicon oxide film may be tailored so that the film exhibits substantially zero as-deposited stress and substantially zero stress shift post-anneal.