A method includes forming a fin protruding from a substrate, forming a first dielectric feature adjacent to the fin over the substrate, forming a cladding layer over the fin and the first dielectric feature, and removing a portion of the cladding layer to form an opening. The opening exposes the first dielectric feature. The method further includes forming a second dielectric feature adjacent to the cladding layer, the second dielectric feature filling the opening, forming a dummy gate stack over the fin and the second dielectric feature, forming source/drain (S/D) features in the fin adjacent to the dummy gate stack, and replacing the dummy gate stack and the cladding layer with a metal gate stack. The second dielectric feature divides the metal gate stack.

A semiconductor device including a substrate; first and second active patterns on the substrate, extending in a first direction and spaced apart in a second direction; gate electrodes on the first and second active patterns and extending in the second direction; a first gate separation structure between the first and second active patterns, extending in the first direction, and separating the gate electrodes; and a first element separation structure between the gate electrodes, extending in the second direction, and separating the second active pattern, wherein a distance to a first side of a first portion of the first gate separation structure is smaller than a distance to the first side of a second portion of the first gate separation structure, and a distance to the second side of the first portion is smaller than a distance from the second active pattern to the second side of the second portion.

A mask layer is formed over a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes: a gate structure, a first layer disposed over the gate structure, and an interlayer dielectric (ILD) disposed on sidewalls of the first layer. The mask layer includes an opening that exposes a portion of the first layer and a portion of the ILD. A first etching process is performed to etch the opening partially into the first layer and partially into the ILD. A liner layer is formed in the opening after the first etching process has been performed. A second etching process is performed after the liner layer has been formed. The second etching process extends the opening downwardly through the first layer and through the gate structure. The opening is filled with a second layer after the second etching process has been performed.

A method includes forming a first gate stack over a first semiconductor region, depositing a spacer layer on the first gate stack, and depositing a dummy spacer layer on the spacer layer. The dummy spacer layer includes a metal-containing material. An anisotropic etching process is performed on the dummy spacer layer and the spacer layer to form a gate spacer and a dummy sidewall spacer, respectively. The first semiconductor region is etched to form a recess extending into the first semiconductor region. The first semiconductor region is etched using the first gate stack, the gate spacer, and the dummy sidewall spacer as an etching mask. The method further includes epitaxially growing a source/drain region in the recess, and removing the dummy sidewall spacer after the source/drain region is grown.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure includes: providing a substrate, at least a gate structure, a first dielectric layer covering a surface of the substrate and the gate structure being formed on the substrate, and a first dielectric layer on a side surface of the gate structure serving as a first sidewall; forming a sacrificial sidewall on a side surface of the first sidewall; removing the sacrificial sidewall after a first doped region and a second doped region are respectively formed in the substrate on both sides of the sacrificial sidewall; forming a second sidewall on a side surface of the first sidewall.

A semiconductor device includes first transistor having a first gate stack and first source/drain regions on opposing sides of the first gate stack; a second transistor having a second gate stack and second source/drain regions on opposing sides of the second gate stack; and a gate isolation structure separating the first gate stack from the second gate stack. The gate isolation structure includes a dielectric liner having a varied thickness along sidewalls of the first gate stack and the second gate stack and a dielectric fill material over the dielectric liner, wherein the dielectric fill material comprises a seam.

A method for processing an integrated circuit includes forming I/O gate all around transistors and core gate all around transistors. The method performs a regrowth process on an interfacial gate dielectric layer of the I/O gate all around transistors by diffusing metal atoms into the interfacial dielectric layer I/O gate all around transistor. The regrowth process does not diffuse metal atoms into the interfacial gate dielectric layer of the gate all around core transistor.

A method for forming a gate all around transistor includes forming a plurality of semiconductor nanosheets. The method includes forming a cladding inner spacer between a source region of the transistor and a gate region of the transistor. The method includes forming sheet inner spacers between the semiconductor nanosheets in a separate deposition process from the cladding inner spacer.

A method includes depositing a silicon layer, which includes first portions over a plurality of strips, and second portions filled into trenches between the plurality of strips. The plurality of strips protrudes higher than a base structure. The method further includes performing an anneal to allow parts of the first portions of the silicon layer to migrate toward lower parts of the plurality of trenches, and performing an etching on the silicon layer to remove some portions of the silicon layer.

A semiconductor memory includes a memory cell region that includes multiple memory cells stacked above a semiconductor substrate, first and second dummy regions on opposite sides of the memory cell region, each dummy region including multiple dummy cells stacked above the semiconductor substrate, and a wiring that electrically connects dummy cells of the first and second dummy regions that are at a same level above the semiconductor substrate.