The present disclosure describes a semiconductor structure and a method for forming the same. The semiconductor structure can include a substrate, a first vertical structure and a second vertical structure formed over the substrate, and a conductive rail structure between the first and second vertical structures. A top surface of the conductive rail structure can be substantially coplanar with top surfaces of the first and the second vertical structures.

A method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming a dummy gate structure across a fin protruding from a substrate, forming gate spacers on opposite sidewalls of the dummy gate structure, forming source/drain epitaxial structures on opposite sides of the dummy gate structure, forming a first interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer on the source/drain epitaxial structures and outer sidewalls of the gate spacers, replacing the dummy gate structure with a replacement gate structure, etching back the replacement gate structure to form a recess between the gate spacers, performing a first non-conformal deposition process to fill the recess with a first gate cap material, and planarizing the first gate cap material to remove a portion of the first gate cap material outside the recess.

A semiconductor device includes a single diffusion break (SDB) structure dividing a fin-shaped structure into a first portion and a second portion, an isolation structure on the SDB structure, a first spacer adjacent to the isolation structure, a metal gate adjacent to the isolation structure, a shallow trench isolation (STI around the fin-shaped structure, and a second isolation structure on the STI. Preferably, a top surface of the first spacer is lower than a top surface of the isolation structure and a bottom surface of the first spacer is lower than a bottom surface of the metal gate.

A fin-type field effect transistor comprising a substrate, at least one gate stack and epitaxy material portions is described. The substrate has fins and insulators located between the fins, and the fins include channel portions and flank portions beside the channel portions. The at least one gate stack is disposed over the insulators and over the channel portions of the fins. The epitaxy material portions are disposed over the flank portions of the fins and at two opposite sides of the at least one gate stack. The epitaxy material portions disposed on the flank portions of the fins are separate from one another.

Embodiments of mechanisms for forming a semiconductor device are provided. The semiconductor device includes a substrate. The semiconductor device also includes a first fin and a second fin over the substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a first gate electrode and a second gate electrode traversing over the first fin and the second fin, respectively. In addition, the semiconductor device includes a gate dielectric layer between the first fin and the first gate electrode and between the second fin and the second gate electrode. Further, the semiconductor device includes a dummy gate electrode over the substrate, and the dummy gate electrode is between the first gate electrode and the second gate electrode. An upper portion of the dummy gate electrode is wider than a lower portion of the dummy gate electrode.

A semiconductor structure is provided. The semiconductor structure includes a first gate-all-around FET over a substrate, and the first gate-all-around FET includes first nanostructures and a first gate stack surrounding the first nanostructures. The semiconductor structure also includes a first FinFET adjacent to the first gate-all-around FET, and the first FinFET includes a first fin structure and a second gate stack over the first fin structure. The semiconductor structure also includes a gate-cut feature interposing the first gate stack of the first gate-all-around FET and the second gate stack of the first FinFET.

A device includes a substrate, an isolation structure over the substrate, and two fins extending from the substrate and above the isolation structure. Two source/drain structures are over the two fins respectively and being side by side along a first direction generally perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the two fins from a top view. Each of the two source/drain structures has a near-vertical side, the two near-vertical sides facing each other along the first direction. A contact etch stop layer (CESL) is disposed on at least a lower portion of the near-vertical side of each of the two source/drain structures. And two contacts are disposed over the two source/drain structures, respectively, and over the CESL.

In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, first and second gate structures are formed. The first (second) gate structure includes a first (second) gate electrode layer and first (second) sidewall spacers disposed on both side faces of the first (second) gate electrode layer. The first and second gate electrode layers are recessed and the first and second sidewall spacers are recessed, thereby forming a first space and a second space over the recessed first and second gate electrode layers and first and second sidewall spacers, respectively. First and second protective layers are formed in the first and second spaces, respectively. First and second etch-stop layers are formed on the first and second protective layers, respectively. A first depth of the first space above the first sidewall spacers is different from a second depth of the first space above the first gate electrode layer.

A semiconductor device and method of manufacture are provided which help to support contacts while material is removed to form air gaps. In embodiments a contact is formed with an enlarged base to help support overlying portions of the contact. In other embodiments a scaffold material may also be placed prior to the formation of the air gaps in order to provide additional support.

An integrated circuit includes a fin having a height and a width under a gate of a selected fin-type field effect transistor (FinFET) that is less than the height and width along a remainder of the fin including under gates and for source/drain regions of other FinFETs. The IC includes a first FinFET having a first gate over a fin having a first height and a first width under the first gate, and a second FinFET in the fin adjacent to the first FinFET. The second FinFET has a second gate over the fin, and the fin has, under the second gate only, a second height less than the first height and a second width less than the first width. The resulting reduced channel height and width for the second FinFET increases gate control and reduces gate leakage, which is beneficial for ultra-low current leakage (ULL) devices.