A semiconductor structure and a method of forming the same are provided. In an embodiment, an exemplary semiconductor method includes forming a fin-shaped structure extending from a substrate, the fin-shaped structure includes a number of channel layers interleaved by a number of sacrificial layers, recessing a source/drain region to form a source/drain opening, performing a PAI process to amorphize a portion of the substrate exposed by the source/drain opening, forming a tensile stress film over the substrate, performing an annealing process to recrystallize the portion of the substrate, the recrystallized portion of the substrate includes dislocations, forming an epitaxial source/drain feature over the source/drain opening, and forming a gate structure wrapping around each of the plurality of channel layers. By performing the above operations, dislocations are controllably and intentionally formed and carrier mobility in the number of channel layers may be advantageously enhanced, leading to improved device performance.

A semiconductor device comprising a semiconductor substrate is provided, wherein the semiconductor substrate has a hydrogen containing region that contains hydrogen, the hydrogen containing region contains helium in at least some region, a hydrogen chemical concentration distribution of the hydrogen containing region in a depth direction has one or more hydrogen concentration trough portions, and in each of the hydrogen concentration trough portions the hydrogen chemical concentration is equal to or higher than 1/10 of an oxygen chemical concentration. In at least one of the hydrogen concentration trough portions, the hydrogen chemical concentration may be equal to or higher than a helium chemical concentration.

A semiconductor device wherein a hydrogen concentration distribution has a first hydrogen concentration peak and a second hydrogen concentration peak and a donor concentration distribution has a first donor concentration peak and a second donor concentration peak in a depth direction, wherein the first hydrogen concentration peak and the first donor concentration peak are placed at a first depth and the second hydrogen concentration peak and the second donor concentration peak are placed at a second depth deeper than the first depth relative to the lower surface is provided.

A fabrication method for a semiconductor device includes measuring a thickness of a semiconductor substrate in which a bulk donor of a first conductivity type is entirely distributed, adjusting an implantation condition in accordance with the thickness of the semiconductor substrate and implanting hydrogen ions from a lower surface of the semiconductor substrate to an upper surface side of the semiconductor substrate, and annealing the semiconductor substrate and forming, in a passage region through which the hydrogen ions have passed, a first high concentration region of the first conductivity type in which a donor concentration is higher than a doping concentration of the bulk donor.

A semiconductor device comprising a semiconductor substrate including an upper surface and a lower surface wherein a donor concentration of a drift region is higher than a base doping concentration of the semiconductor substrate, entirely over the drift region in a depth direction connecting the upper surface and the lower surface is provided.

Structures with altered crystallinity beneath semiconductor devices and methods associated with forming such structures. Trench isolation regions surround an active device region composed of a single-crystal semiconductor material. A first non-single-crystal layer is arranged beneath the trench isolation regions and the active device region. A second non-single-crystal layer is arranged beneath the trench isolation regions and the active device region. The first non-single-crystal layer is arranged between the second non-single-crystal layer and the active device region.

A semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface is provided. In a depth direction connecting the upper and lower surfaces of the semiconductor substrate, a donor concentration distribution includes a first donor concentration peak at a first depth, a second donor concentration peak at a second depth between the first donor concentration peak and the upper surface, a flat region between the first donor concentration peak and the second donor concentration peak, and a plurality of donor concentration peaks between the first donor concentration peak and the lower surface. The second donor concentration peak has a lower concentration than the first donor concentration peak. The donor concentration distribution in the flat region is substantially flat. The thickness of the flat region in the depth direction is 10% or more of the thickness of the semiconductor substrate.

A semiconductor device includes trench portions arrayed in a first direction on an upper surface side of a semiconductor substrate, a first conductivity type lower surface region provided in a part of a lower surface of the semiconductor substrate, a second conductivity type base region provided on the upper surface side, a first conductivity type first region disposed between the base region and the lower surface region, a first conductivity type upper surface region provided on an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a second conductivity type bottom region disposed continuously in the first direction to be in contact with bottom portions of the trench portions. In a cross section along the first direction and perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces and passing through the lower surface region, one end portion of the bottom region in the first direction locates directly above the lower surface region.

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.

A semiconductor device comprising a semiconductor substrate having upper and lower surfaces and a hydrogen containing region containing hydrogen and helium is provided. The carrier concentration distribution of the hydrogen containing region has: a first local maximum point; a second local maximum point closest to the first local maximum point among local maximum points positioned between the first local maximum point and the upper surface; a first intermediate point of the local minimum between the first and second local maximum points; and a second intermediate point closest to the second local maximum point among local minimum points or flat points where the carrier concentration remains constant positioned between the second local maximum point and the upper surface. A highest point of a helium concentration peak is positioned between the first and second local maximum points. The carrier concentration is lower at the first intermediate point than the second intermediate point.