A low resistance middle-of-line interconnect structure is formed without liner layers. A contact metal layer is deposited on source/drain regions of field-effect transistors and directly on the surfaces of trenches within a dielectric layer using plasma enhancement. Contact metal fill is subsequently provided by thermal chemical vapor deposition. The use of low-resistivity metal contact materials such as ruthenium is facilitated by the process. The process further facilitates the formation of metal silicide regions on the source/drain regions.

A method of fabricating air gaps in advanced semiconductor devices for low capacitance interconnects. The method includes exposing a substrate to a gas pulse sequence to deposit a material that forms an air gap between raised features.

An electrode is included in a base substrate. A trench is produced in the base substrate. The trench is filled with an annealed amorphous material to form the electrode. The electrode is made of a crystallized material which includes particles that are implanted into a portion of the electrode that is located adjacent the front-face side of the base substrate.

A method for forming a semiconductor device structure is provided. The method includes forming a first conductive feature over a semiconductor substrate. The method includes forming an oxygen-absorbing layer on a surface of the first conductive feature. The oxygen-absorbing layer absorbs oxygen from the first conductive feature and becomes an oxygen-containing layer. The method includes removing the oxygen-containing layer to expose the surface originally covered by the oxygen-containing layer. The method includes forming a metal-containing layer on the surface. The method includes forming a second conductive feature on the metal-containing layer.

A method for forming a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes providing a semiconductor substrate with an insulating layer formed thereon. The method includes forming a gate dielectric layer in the first opening and the second opening. The method includes forming a film over the gate dielectric layer. The method includes forming a first work function metal layer in the first opening. The method includes depositing a second work function metal layer in the first opening and the second opening and in direct contact with the first work function metal layer in the first opening and the film in the second opening. A first deposition rate of the second work function metal layer over the first work function metal layer is greater than a second deposition rate of the second work function metal layer over the film.

The present disclosure provides a silicon film forming method for forming a silicon film on a workpiece having a processed surface, including: forming a seed layer by supplying a high-order aminosilane-based gas containing two or more silicon atoms in a molecular formula onto the processed surface and by having silicon adsorbed onto the processed surface; and forming a silicon film by supplying a silane-based gas not containing an amino group onto the seed layer and by depositing silicon onto the seed layer, wherein, when forming a seed layer, a process temperature is set within a range of 350 degrees C. or lower and a room temperature or higher.

In a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to one embodiment, a first gas containing a first metal element is introduced into a chamber having a substrate housed therein. Next, the first gas is discharged from the chamber using a purge gas. Subsequently, a second gas reducing the first gas is introduced into the chamber. Next, the second gas is discharged from the chamber using the purge gas. Further, a third gas different from the first gas, the second gas, and the purge gas is introduced into the chamber at least either at a time of discharging the first gas or at a time of discharging the second gas.

Methods of doping semiconductor substrates using deposition of a rare earth metal-containing film such as an yttrium-containing film, and annealing techniques are provided herein. Rare earth metal-containing films are deposited using gas, liquid, or solid precursors without a bias and may be deposited conformally. Some embodiments may involve deposition using a plasma. Substrates may be annealed at temperatures less than about 500° C.

A plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method includes loading a wafer having a magnetic layer thereon into a processing chamber equipped with a radio frequency (RF) system, introducing an aromatic hydrocarbon precursor into the processing chamber, and turning on an RF source of the RF system to decompose the aromatic hydrocarbon precursor into active radicals at a frequency greater than about 1000 Hz to form a graphene layer over the magnetic layer.

A semiconductor device a method of forming the same are provided. The semiconductor device includes a gate stack over an active region of a substrate. The gate stack includes a gate dielectric layer and a first work function layer over the gate dielectric layer. The first work function layer includes a plurality of first layers and a plurality of second layers arranged in an alternating manner over the gate dielectric layer. The plurality of first layers include a first material. The plurality of second layers include a second material different from the first material.