The present disclosure provides one embodiment of a method making semiconductor structure. The method includes forming a composite stress layer on a semiconductor substrate, wherein the forming of the composite stress layer includes forming a first stress layer of a dielectric material with a first compressive stress and forming a second stress layer of the dielectric material with a second compressive stress on the first stress layer, the second compressive stress being greater than the first compressive stress; and patterning the semiconductor substrate to form fin active regions using the composite stress layer as an etch mask.

Methods and devices that provide for a fin structure and a dielectric fin structure. A gate structure is formed over the fin structure and the hybrid fin structure. A plurality of dielectric layers is adjacent the gate structure and over the hybrid fin structure between the gate structure and a contact element over the dielectric fin structure. The plurality of dielectric layers includes an air gap, formed by removal of a dummy spacer layer.

A method includes fabricating a semiconductor device, wherein the method includes depositing a coating layer on a first region and a second region under a loading condition such that a height of the coating layer in the first region is greater than a height of the coating layer in the second region. The method also includes applying processing gas to the coating layer to remove an upper portion of the coating layer such that a height of the coating layer in the first region is a same as a height of the coating layer in the second region.

A semiconductor structure includes a stack of semiconductor layers disposed over a substrate, a metal gate stack having a top portion disposed over the stack of semiconductor layers and a bottom portion interleaved with the stack of semiconductor layers, an inner spacer disposed on sidewalls of the bottom portion of the metal gate stack, an air gap extending in the inner spacer, and an epitaxial source/drain (S/D) feature disposed over the inner spacer and adjacent to the metal gate stack.

A memory device includes a stack structure over a substrate, a channel structure extending in the stack structure, and a dielectric layer over the channel structure. The dielectric layer includes a first material. The memory device may also include a drain-select gate (DSG) cut structure extending through the dielectric layer. The DSG cut structure includes a second material different from the first material.

Apparatus and circuits with dual threshold voltage transistors and methods of fabricating the same are disclosed. In one example, a semiconductor structure is disclosed. The semiconductor structure includes: a substrate; a first layer comprising a first III-V semiconductor material formed over the substrate; a first transistor formed over the first layer, and a second transistor formed over the first layer. The first transistor comprises a first gate structure comprising a first material, a first source region and a first drain region. The second transistor comprises a second gate structure comprising a second material, a second source region and a second drain region. The first material is different from the second material.

A method for fabricating semiconductor device includes the steps of first providing a substrate having a first region and a second region, forming a first bottom barrier metal (BBM) layer on the first region and the second region, forming a first work function metal (WFM) layer on the first BBM layer on the first region and the second region, and then forming a diffusion barrier layer on the first WFM layer.

A semiconductor device having a large on-state current and high reliability is provided. The semiconductor device includes a first insulator, a first oxide over the first insulator, a second oxide over the first oxide, a third oxide and a fourth oxide over the second oxide, a first conductor over the third oxide, a second conductor over the fourth oxide, a fifth oxide over the second oxide, a second insulator over the fifth oxide, and a third conductor over the second insulator. The fifth oxide is in contact with a top surface of the second oxide, a side surface of the first conductor, a side surface of the second conductor, a side surface of the third oxide, and a side surface of the fourth oxide. The second oxide contains In, an element M, and Zn. The first oxide and the fifth oxide each contain at least one of constituent elements included in the second oxide. The third oxide and the fourth oxide each contain the element M. The third oxide and the fourth oxide include a region where the concentration of the element M is higher than that in the second oxide.

In a semiconductor device, a first active area, a second active area, and a third active area are formed on a substrate. A first gate electrode is formed on the first active area, a second gate electrode is formed on the second active area, and a third gate electrode is formed on the third active area. The first gate electrode has a first P-work-function metal layer, a first capping layer, a first N-work-function metal layer, a first barrier metal layer, and a first conductive layer. The second gate electrode has a second capping layer, a second N-work-function metal layer, a second barrier metal layer, and a second conductive layer. The third gate electrode has a second P-work-function metal layer, a third capping layer, a third N-work-function metal layer, and a third barrier metal layer. The third gate electrode does not have the first and second conductive layers.

A method includes forming an opening in a dielectric to reveal a protruding semiconductor fin, forming a gate dielectric on sidewalls and a top surface of the protruding semiconductor fin, and forming a conductive diffusion barrier layer over the gate dielectric. The conductive diffusion barrier layer extends into the opening. The method further includes forming a silicon layer over the conductive diffusion barrier layer and extending into the opening, and performing a dry etch on the silicon layer to remove horizontal portions and vertical portions of the silicon layer. After the dry etch, a conductive layer is formed over the conductive diffusion barrier layer and extending into the opening.