In a gate last metal gate process for forming a transistor, a dielectric layer is formed over an intermediate transistor structure, the intermediate structure including a dummy gate electrode, typically formed of polysilicon. Various processes, such as patterning the polysilicon, planarizing top layers of the structure, and the like can remove top portions of the dielectric layer, which can result in decreased control of gate height when a metal gate is formed in place of the dummy gate electrode, decreased control of fin height for finFETs, and the like. Increasing the resistance of the dielectric layer to attack from these processes, such as by implanting silicon or the like into the dielectric layer before such other processes are performed, results in less removal of the top surface, and hence improved control of the resulting structure dimensions and performance.

A semiconductor device with a high on-state current is provided. The semiconductor device includes a first oxide, a second oxide over the first oxide, a third oxide over the second oxide, a first insulator over the third oxide, a conductor over the first insulator, a second insulator in contact with the second oxide and the third oxide, and a third insulator over the second insulator; the second oxide includes first region to fifth regions; the resistance of the first region and the resistance of the second region are lower than the resistance of the third region; the resistance of the fourth region and the resistance of the fifth region are lower than the resistance of the third region and higher than the resistance of the first region and the resistance of the second region; and the conductor is provided over the third region, the fourth region, and the fifth region to overlap with the third region, the fourth region, and the fifth region.

A method for manufacturing an electronic device includes locally implanting ionic species into a first region of a silicon nitride layer and into a first region of an electrically insulating layer located under the first region of the silicon nitride layer. A second region of the silicon nitride layer and a region of the electrically insulating layer located under the second region of the silicon nitride layer are protected from the implantation. The electrically insulating layer is disposed between a semi-conducting substrate and the silicon nitride layer. At least one trench is formed extending into the semi-conducting substrate through the silicon nitride layer and the electrically insulating layer. The trench separates the first region from the second region of the electrically insulating layer. The electrically insulating layer is selectively etched, and the etch rate of the electrically insulating layer in the first region is greater than the etch rate in the second region.

A semiconductor structure and a method for forming the semiconductor structure are provided. The method includes: providing a substrate; forming a dummy gate structure including a dummy gate dielectric layer, an initial dummy gate electrode layer, and a first sidewall spacer; forming an isolation layer having a surface lower than or coplanar with the dummy gate structure; forming a dummy gate electrode layer having a surface lower than the isolation layer, and forming a first opening to expose a portion of the first sidewall spacer; forming a modified sidewall spacer from the exposed first sidewall spacer; forming a second opening by removing the dummy gate electrode layer; forming a third opening by removing the dummy gate dielectric layer and the modified sidewall spacer, where top of the third opening has a size larger than bottom of the third opening; and forming a gate structure in the third opening.

The present disclosure provides a semiconductor device and a fabrication method thereof. The semiconductor device includes a first nitride semiconductor layer, a second nitride semiconductor layer, a gate structure, a first spacer and a second spacer. The second nitride semiconductor layer is formed on the first nitride semiconductor layer and having a greater bandgap than that of the first nitride semiconductor layer. The gate structure is disposed on the second nitride semiconductor layer. The first spacer is disposed on the second nitride semiconductor layer. The in second spacer is disposed on the second nitride semiconductor layer and spaced apart from the first spacer by the gate structure. The bottom of the first spacer has a first width, the bottom of the second spacer has a second width, and the first width is different from the second width.

An integrated circuit device includes: a substrate including active regions; a device isolation film defining the active regions; a word line arranged over the active regions and the device isolation film and extending in a first horizontal direction; and a gate dielectric film arranged between the substrate and the word line and between the device isolation film and the word line, in which, in a second horizontal direction orthogonal to the first horizontal direction, a width of a second portion of the word line over the device isolation film is greater than a width of a first portion of the word line over the active regions. To manufacture the integrated circuit device, an impurity region is formed in the substrate and the device isolation film by implanting dopant ions into the substrate and the device isolation film, and a thickness of a portion of the impurity region is reduced.

In a variety of processes for forming electronic devices that use spin-on dielectric materials, properties of the spin-on dielectric materials can be enhanced by curing these materials using plasma doping. For example, hardness and Young's modulus can be increased for the cured material. Other properties may be enhanced. The plasma doping to cure the spin-on dielectric materials uses a mechanism that is a combination of plasma ion implant and high energy radiation associated with the species ionized. In addition, physical properties of the spin-on dielectric materials can be modified along a length of the spin-on dielectric materials by selection of an implant energy and dopant dose for the particular dopant used, corresponding to a selection variation with respect to length.

A semiconductor device includes a buried metal line disposed in a semiconductor substrate, a first dielectric material on a first sidewall of the buried metal line and a second dielectric material on a second sidewall of the buried metal line, a first multiple fins disposed proximate the first sidewall of the buried metal line, a second multiple fins disposed proximate the second sidewall of the buried metal line, a first metal gate structure over the first multiple fins and over the buried metal line, wherein the first metal gate structure extends through the first dielectric material to contact the buried metal line, and a second metal gate structure over the second multiple fins and over the buried metal line.

A method includes forming a silicon liner over a semiconductor device, which includes a dummy gate structure disposed over a substrate and S/D features disposed adjacent to the dummy gate structure, where the dummy gate structure traverses a channel region between the S/D features. The method further includes forming an ILD layer over the silicon liner, which includes elemental silicon, introducing a dopant species to the ILD layer, and subsequently removing the dummy gate structure to form a gate trench. Thereafter, the method proceeds to performing a thermal treatment to the doped ILD layer, thereby oxidizing the silicon liner, and forming a metal gate stack in the gate trench and over the oxidized silicon liner.

The present disclosure describes a method for forming a nitrogen-rich protective layer within a low-k layer of a metallization layer to prevent damage to the low-k layer from subsequent processing operations. The method includes forming, on a substrate, a metallization layer having conductive structures in a low-k dielectric. The method further includes forming a capping layer on the conductive structures, where forming the capping layer includes exposing the metallization layer to a first plasma process to form a nitrogen-rich protective layer below a top surface of the low-k dielectric, releasing a precursor on the metallization layer to cover top surfaces of the conductive structures with precursor molecules, and treating the precursor molecules with a second plasma process to dissociate the precursor molecules and form the capping layer. Additionally, the method includes forming an etch stop layer to cover the capping layer and top surfaces of the low-k dielectric.