The present disclosure provides a method of making an integrated circuit. The method includes forming a gate stack on a semiconductor substrate; forming a stressed contact etch stop layer (CESL) on the gate stack and on the semiconductor substrate; forming a first dielectric material layer on the stressed CESL using a high aspect ratio process (HARP) at a deposition temperature greater than about 440 C to drive out hydroxide (OH) group; forming a second dielectric material layer on the first dielectric material layer; etching to form contact holes in the first and second dielectric material layers; filling the contact holes with a conductive material; and performing a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process.

A semiconductor device includes plurality of fin structures extending in first direction on semiconductor substrate. Fin structure's lower portion is embedded in first insulating layer. First gate electrode and second gate electrode structures extend in second direction substantially perpendicular to first direction over of fin structures and first insulating layer. The first and second gate electrode structures are spaced apart and extend along line in same direction. First and second insulating sidewall spacers are arranged on opposing sides of first and second gate electrode structures. Each of first and second insulating sidewall spacers contiguously extend along second direction. A second insulating layer is in region between first and second gate electrode structures. The second insulating layer separates first and second gate electrode structures. A third insulating layer is in region between first and second gate electrode structures. The third insulating layer is formed of different material than second insulating layer.

A sidewall protection layer is formed on sidewall spacers of a dummy gate structure of a semiconductor device prior to etching an underlying fin structure to form a source/drain recess. The sidewall protection layer enables the profile of the source/drain recess to be precisely controlled so that etching into residual dummy gate material near the source/drain recess is minimized or prevented. The sidewall protection layer may be removed or retained in the semiconductor device after formation of the source/drain recess. The sidewall protection layer reduces the likelihood of the source/drain regions of the semiconductor device contacting the metal gate structures of the semiconductor device after the dummy gate structures are replaced with the metal gate structures. Thus, the sidewall protection layer reduces the likelihood of electrical shorting between the source/drain regions and the metal gate structures.

A semiconductor device includes a first transistor having a first gate, a first source and a first drain, a second transistor having a second gate, a second source and a second drain, an isolation region separating the first transistor from the second transistor, and a local interconnect connecting at least one of the first source and the first drain to at least the second source and the second drain. The local interconnect is in contact with a surface of the at least one of the first source and the first drain, a surface of the at least the second source and the second drain and a surface of a part of the isolation region.

A semiconductor device includes a gate structure disposed over a substrate, and sidewall spacers disposed on both side walls of the gate structure. The sidewall spacers includes at least four spacer layers including first to fourth spacer layers stacked in this order from the gate structure.

A method for forming a semiconductor device includes blocking a first region of a wafer and forming a plurality of fins in a second region of the wafer. A protective conformal mask layer is deposited over the plurality of fins in the second region, the second region is blocked, and a plurality of fins are formed in the first region of the wafer using a variety of wet and/or dry etching procedures. The protective conformal mask layer protects the plurality of fins in the second region from the variety of wet and/or dry etching procedures that are used to form the plurality of fins in the first region.

A semiconductor device may include the following elements: a fin member including a first doped portion, a second doped portion, and a semiconductor portion positioned between the first doped portion and the second doped portion; a composite structure including a conductor and an insulator positioned between the conductor and the semiconductor portion in a first direction; a first spacer having a first dielectric constant and positioned close to the second doped portion; a second spacer having a second dielectric constant and positioned close to the first doped portion; and a third spacer having a third dielectric constant. The second spacer is positioned between the third spacer and the fin member in the first direction. The composite structure is positioned between the first spacer and the second spacer. The first dielectric constant is less than at least one of the second dielectric constant and the third dielectric constant.

A semiconductor device includes: a substrate; a gate structure on the substrate; and an epitaxial layer in the substrate adjacent to the gate structure, in which the epitaxial layer includes a planar surface and protrusions adjacent to two sides of the planar surface. Preferably, a contact plug is embedded in part of the epitaxial layer, and a silicide is disposed under the contact plug, in which a bottom surface of the silicide includes an arc.

A semiconductor device includes an active fin on a substrate, a gate structure on the active fin, a gate spacer structure on a sidewall of the gate structure, and a source/drain layer on at least a portion of the active fin adjacent the gate spacer structure. The gate spacer structure includes a wet etch stop pattern, an oxygen-containing silicon pattern, and an outgassing prevention pattern sequentially stacked.

An integrated circuit may be formed by forming a sacrificial silicon nitride feature. At least a portion of the sacrificial silicon nitride feature may be removed by placing the integrated circuit in a two-step oxidized layer etch tool and removing a surface layer of oxidized silicon from the sacrificial silicon nitride feature using a two-step etch process. The two-step etch process exposes the integrated circuits to reactants from a plasma source at a temperature less than 40 C. and subsequently heating the integrated circuit to 80 C. to 120 C. while in the two-step oxidized layer etch tool. While the integrated circuit is in the two-step oxidized layer etch tool, without exposing the integrated circuit to an ambient containing more than 1 torr of oxygen, at least a portion of the sacrificial silicon nitride feature is removed using fluorine-containing etch reagents, substantially free of ammonia.