Operations in fabricating a Fin FET include providing a substrate having a fin structure, where an upper portion of the fin structure has a first fin surface profile. An isolation region is formed on the substrate and in contact with the fin structure. A portion of the isolation region is recessed by an etch process to form a recessed portion and to expose the upper portion of the fin structure, where the recessed portion has a first isolation surface profile. A thermal hydrogen treatment is applied to the fin structure and the recessed portion. A gate dielectric layer is formed with a substantially uniform thickness over the fin structure, where the recessed portion is adjusted from the first isolation surface profile to a second isolation surface profile and the fin structure is adjusted from the first fin surface profile to a second fin surface profile by the thermal hydrogen treatment.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a preliminary fin-type active pattern extending in a first direction, forming a device isolation pattern covering a lower portion of the preliminary fin-type active pattern, forming a gate structure extending in a second direction and crossing over the preliminary fin-type active pattern, forming a fin-type active pattern having a first region and a second region, forming a preliminary impurity-doped pattern on the second region by using a selective epitaxial-growth process, and forming an impurity-doped pattern by injecting impurities using a plasma doping process, wherein the upper surface of the first region is at a first level and the upper surface of the second region is at a second level lower than the first level.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate including a plurality of transistor devices formed thereon, at least an epitaxial structure formed in between the transistor devices, and a tri-layered structure formed on the epitaxial structure. The epitaxial structure includes a first semiconductor material and a second semiconductor material, and a lattice constant of the second semiconductor material is larger than a lattice constant of the first semiconductor material. The tri-layered structure includes an undoped epitaxial layer, a metal-semiconductor compound layer, and a doped epitaxial layer sandwiched in between the undoped epitaxial layer and the metal-semiconductor compound layer. The undoped epitaxial layer and the doped epitaxial layer include at least the second semiconductor material.

A method includes providing a semiconductor structure including a substrate, a gate structure over the substrate and a sidewall spacer adjacent the gate structure. The substrate includes a first semiconductor material. A substantially isotropic first etch process removing the first semiconductor material is performed. The first etch process forms an undercut below the sidewall spacer. An anisotropic second etch process removing the first semiconductor material is performed, wherein an etch rate in a thickness direction of the substrate is greater than an etch rate in a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the thickness direction. A crystallographic third etch process removing the first semiconductor material is performed, wherein an etch rate in a first crystal direction is greater than an etch rate in a second crystal direction. The first, second and third etch processes form a source-side recess and a drain-side recess adjacent the gate structure.

A method of semiconductor device fabrication is described that includes forming a fin extending from a substrate and having a source/drain region and a channel region. The fin includes a first epitaxial layer having a first composition and a second epitaxial layer on the first epitaxial layer, the second epitaxial layer having a second composition. The second epitaxial layer is removed from the source/drain region of the fin to form a gap. The gap is filled with a dielectric material. Another epitaxial material is formed on at least two surfaces of the first epitaxial layer to form a source/drain feature.

Various embodiments include methods and integrated circuit structures. In some cases, a method of forming an integrated circuit structure can include: forming a doped silicon layer over a substrate; forming a plurality of fin structures from the doped silicon layer; forming a plurality of gate structures over the plurality of fin structures, each of the plurality of gate structures separated from a neighboring gate structure by a first pitch; forming a mask over the plurality of gate structures, exposing at least one of the plurality of gate structures; removing the at least one of the plurality of gate structures, wherein two of the remaining gate structures after the removing are separated by a second pitch larger than the first pitch; and forming an epitaxial region over the substrate between the two of the remaining gate structures.

A method of fabricating a fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) device is provided. The method includes forming a carbon-based layer on a plurality of gate structures formed on a semiconductor substrate. Each gate structure overlies at least one fin formed on the semiconductor substrate. The carbon-based layer covers sidewalls of the gate structures. A metal silicide layer overlies the carbon-based layer. The metal silicide layer and carbon-based layer are removed, and a metal layer is formed between adjacent gate structures.

Advanced lithography techniques including sub-10 nm pitch patterning and structures resulting therefrom are described. Self-assembled devices and their methods of fabrication are described.

A semiconductor structure includes an isolation feature formed in the semiconductor substrate and a first fin-type active region. The first fin-type active region extends in a first direction. A dummy gate stack is disposed on an end region of the first fin-type active region. The dummy, gate stack may overlie an isolation structure. In an embodiment, any recess such as formed for a source/drain region in the first fin-type active region will be displaced from the isolation region by the distance the dummy gate stack overlaps the first fin-type active region.

A semiconductor device structure is provided. The semiconductor device structure includes a substrate and a gate structure over the substrate. The semiconductor device structure also includes a spacer element covering a first sidewall of the gate structure. The semiconductor device structure further includes a source/drain portion in the substrate, and the spacer element is between the source/drain portion and the gate structure. In addition, the semiconductor device structure includes an etch stop layer covering the source/drain portion. The etch stop layer includes a first nitride layer covering the source/drain portion and having a second sidewall, and the second sidewall is in direct contact with the spacer element. The etch stop layer also includes a first silicon layer covering the first nitride layer and having a third sidewall, and the third sidewall is in direct contact with the spacer element.