A semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate including a first doped region and a second doped region and a gate stack on the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor device also includes a main spacer layer on a sidewall of the gate stack and a protection layer between the main spacer layer and the semiconductor substrate. The protection layer is doped with a quadrivalent element. The semiconductor device further includes an insulating layer formed over the semiconductor substrate and the gate stack and a contact formed in the insulating layer. The contact includes a first portion contacting the first doped region, and the contact includes a second portion contacting the second doped region. The first portion extends deeper into the semiconductor substrate than the second portion.

The present disclosure relates to a structure and method for embedding a non-volatile memory (NVM) in a HKMG (high- metal gate) integrated circuit which includes a high-voltage (HV) HKMG transistor. NVM devices (e.g., flash memory) are operated at high voltages for its read and write operations and hence a HV device is necessary for integrated circuits involving non-volatile embedded memory and HKMG logic circuits. Forming a HV HKMG circuit along with the HKMG periphery circuit reduces the need for additional boundaries between the HV transistor and rest of the periphery circuit. This method further helps reduce divot issue and reduce cell size.

A semiconductor device is provided that includes a gate structure on a channel region of a substrate. A source region and a drain region are present on opposing sides of the channel region. A first metal semiconductor alloy is present on an upper surface of at least one of the source and drain regions. The first metal semiconductor alloy extends to a sidewall of the gate structure. A dielectric layer is present over the gate structure and the first metal semiconductor alloy. An opening is present through the dielectric layer to a portion of the first metal semiconductor alloy that is separated from the gate structure. A second metal semiconductor alloy is present in the opening, is in direct contact with the first metal semiconductor alloy, and has an upper surface that is vertically offset and is located above the upper surface of the first metal semiconductor alloy.

A method for forming a gate tie-down includes opening up a cap layer and recessing gate spacers on a gate structure to expose a gate conductor; forming inner spacers on the gate spacers; etching contact openings adjacent to sides of the gate structure down to a substrate below the gate structures; and forming trench contacts on sides of the gate structure. An interlevel dielectric (ILD) is deposited on the gate conductor and the trench contacts and over the gate structure. The ILD is opened up to expose the trench contact on one side of the gate structure and the gate conductor. A second conductive material provides a self-aligned contact down to the trench contact on the one side and to form a gate contact down to the gate conductor and a horizontal connection within the ILD over an active area between the gate conductor and the self-aligned contact.

A semiconductor device includes a gate disposed over a substrate; a source region and a drain region on opposing sides of the gate; and a pair of trench contacts over and abutting an interfacial layer portion of at least one of the source region and the drain region; wherein the interfacial layer includes boron in an amount in a range from about 510.sup.21 to about 510.sup.22 atoms/cm.sup.2.

A device includes a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type, and a deep well region in the semiconductor substrate, wherein the deep well region is of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type. The device further includes a well region of the first conductivity type over the deep well region. The semiconductor substrate has a top portion overlying the well region, and a bottom portion underlying the deep well region, wherein the top portion and the bottom portion are of the first conductivity type, and have a high resistivity. A gate dielectric is over the semiconductor substrate. A gate electrode is over the gate dielectric. A source region and a drain region extend into the top portion of the semiconductor substrate. The source region, the drain region, the gate dielectric, and the gate electrode form a Radio Frequency (RF) switch.

Using an STI insulating film in a high breakdown voltage MOSFET leads to deterioration in reliability due to impact ionization near the bottom corner of a drain isolation insulating film.

The invention provides a method of manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device including forming a hard mask film, an opening therein, and a sidewall insulating film on the side surface thereof; forming a shallow trench in the opening with the hard mask film as a mask and oxidizing at least an exposed portion; filling the trench with an insulating film and then removing it so as to leave it outside the trench in the opening and thereby forming a drain offset STI insulating film inside and outside the trench; and forming a gate electrode extending from the upper portion of a gate insulating film in an active region contiguous thereto to the upper portion of the drain offset insulating film.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate having first and second regions. The first region includes an insulator and the second region includes source, drain, and channel regions of a transistor. The semiconductor device further includes first and second gate stacks over the insulator; a third gate stack over the channel region; a first dielectric layer over the first, second, and third gate stacks; a second dielectric layer over the first dielectric layer; and a metal layer over the first and second gate stacks. The metal layer is in electrical communication with the second gate stack and is isolated from the first gate stack by at least the first and second dielectric layers.

A semiconductor device and a method for fabricating the same are disclosed. The semiconductor device comprises: a semiconductor substrate with an active area defined by a plurality of isolation features; a gate stack extending across the active area onto portions of the isolation features, wherein the gate stack comprising a gate dielectric layer on the active area and the portions of the isolation features, and a gate electrode on the gate dielectric layer; and a protective seal comprising a vertical portion lining sidewalls of the gate stack and a horizontal portion extending onto a top surface of the isolation features, wherein the horizontal portion surrounding portions of the gate stack outside the active area in a top view.

A FinFET device and a method of forming the same are disclosed. In accordance with some embodiments, a FinFET device includes a substrate having at least one fin, a gate stack across the at least one fin, a strained layer aside the gate stack and a silicide layer over the strained layer. The strained layer has a boron surface concentration greater than about 2E20 atom/cm.sup.3 within a depth range of about 0-5 nm from a surface of the strained layer.