A semiconductor structure includes an isolation structure, a source/drain region over the isolation structure, a gate structure over the isolation structure and adjacent to the source/drain region, an interconnect layer over the source/drain region and the gate structure, an isolating layer below the gate structure, and a contact structure under the source/drain region. The contact structure has a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is below the second portion. The second portion extends through the isolating layer and protrudes above the isolating layer. A portion of the isolating layer is vertically between the gate structure and the first portion of the contact structure.

Semiconductor device and the manufacturing method thereof are disclosed herein. An exemplary semiconductor device comprises a semiconductor fin disposed over a substrate; a metal gate structure disposed over a channel region of the semiconductor fin; a first interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer disposed over a source/drain (S/D) region next to the channel region of the semiconductor fin; and a first conductive feature including a first conductive portion disposed on the metal gate structure and a second conductive portion disposed on the first ILD layer, wherein a top surface of the first conductive portion is below a top surface of the second conductive portion, a first sidewall of the first conductive portion connects a lower portion of a first sidewall of the second conductive portion.

A semiconductor device includes a first fin and a second fin in a first direction and aligned in the first direction over a substrate, an isolation insulating layer disposed around lower portions of the first and second fins, a first gate electrode extending in a second direction crossing the first direction and a spacer dummy gate layer, and a source/drain epitaxial layer in a source/drain space in the first fin. The source/drain epitaxial layer is adjacent to the first gate electrode and the spacer dummy gate layer with gate sidewall spacers disposed therebetween, and the spacer dummy gate layer includes one selected from the group consisting of silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbon nitride, and silicon carbon oxynitride.

The present disclosure provides source/drain epitaxial structures and source/drain contacts wrapped with graphene layers in fin structures of field effect transistors, and fabricating methods thereof. In some embodiments, a disclosed semiconductor device includes a fin structure on a substrate. The fin structure includes an epitaxial region. The semiconductor device further includes a metal contact above the epitaxial region, and a graphene film covering a top surface and sidewalls of the epitaxial region and covering a bottom surface and sidewalls of the metal contact.

Disclosed embodiments herein relate to an integrated circuit including power switches with active regions connected to form a contiguous region. In one aspect, the integrated circuit includes a first layer including a first metal rail extending in a first direction. In one aspect, the integrated circuit includes a second layer above the first layer along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second layer may include active regions for power switches. In one aspect, the active regions of the power switches are connected to form a contiguous region extending in the first direction. The first metal rail may be electrically coupled to the active regions through via contacts. In one aspect, the integrated circuit includes a third layer above the second layer along the second direction. The third layer may include a second metal rail electrically coupled to some of the power switches through additional via contacts.

A semiconductor device including a substrate, a first source/drain layer, a channel layer and a second source/drain layer stacked on the substrate in sequence, and a gate stack surrounding a periphery of the channel layer. The channel layer includes a semiconductor material causing an increased ON current and/or a reduced OFF current as compared to Si.

Horizontal gate-all-around devices and methods of manufacturing the same are described. The hGAA devices comprise an oxidize layer on a semiconductor material between source regions and drain regions of the device. The method includes radical plasma oxidation (RPO) of semiconductor material layers between source regions and drain regions of an electronic device.

A method for forming source/drain regions in a semiconductor device and a semiconductor device including source/drain regions formed by the method are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method includes etching a semiconductor fin to form a first recess, the semiconductor fin defining sidewalls and a bottom surface of the first recess, the semiconductor fin extending in a first direction; forming a source/drain region in the first recess, the source/drain region including a single continuous material extending from a bottom surface of the first recess to above a top surface of the semiconductor fin, a precursor gas for forming the source/drain region including phosphine (PH.sub.3) and at least one of arsine (AsH.sub.3) or monomethylsilane (CH.sub.6Si); and forming a gate over the semiconductor fin adjacent the source/drain region, the gate extending in a second direction perpendicular the first direction.

A semiconductor structure includes a first transistor adjacent a second transistor. The first transistor includes a first gate metal layer over a gate dielectric layer, and the second transistor includes a second gate metal layer over the gate dielectric layer. The first and the second gate metal layers include different materials. The semiconductor structure further includes a first barrier disposed horizontally between the first gate metal layer and the second gate metal layer. One of the first and the second gate metal layers includes aluminum, and the first barrier has low permeability for aluminum. A bottom surface of the first gate metal layer is directly on a top surface of the first barrier.

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.