Recesses may be formed in portions of an ILD layer of a semiconductor device in a highly uniform manner. Uniformity in depths of the recesses may be increased by configuring flows of gases in an etch tool to promote uniformity of etch rates (and thus, etch depth) across the semiconductor device, from semiconductor device to semiconductor device, and/or from wafer to wafer. In particular, the flow rates of gases at various inlets of the etch tool may be optimized to provide recess depth tuning, which increases the process window for forming the recesses in the portions of the ILD layer. In this way, the increased uniformity of the recesses in the portions of the ILD layer enables highly uniform capping layers to be formed in the recesses.

An integrated circuit structure includes a semiconductor substrate, a first source/drain feature, a second source/drain feature, a gate dielectric layer, a gate electrode, a field plate electrode, and a dielectric layer. The semiconductor substrate has a well region and a drift region therein. The first source/drain feature is in the well region. The second source/drain feature is in the semiconductor substrate. The drift region is between the well region and the second source/drain feature. The gate dielectric layer is over the well region and the drift region. The gate electrode is over the gate dielectric layer and vertically overlapping the well region. The field plate electrode is over the gate dielectric layer and vertically overlapping the drift region. The dielectric layer is between the gate electrode and the field plate electrode. A top surface of the gate electrode is free of the dielectric layer.

A method includes providing a substrate, an isolation structure, and a fin extending from the substrate and through the isolation structure. The fin includes a stack of layers having first and second layers that are alternately stacked and have first and second semiconductor materials respectively. A topmost layer of the stack is one of the second layers. The structure further has a sacrificial gate stack engaging a channel region of the fin. The method further includes forming gate spacers and forming sidewall spacers on sidewalls of the fin in a source/drain region of the fin, wherein the sidewall spacers extend above a bottom surface of a topmost one of the first layers. The method further includes etching the fin in the source/drain region, resulting in a source/drain trench; partially recessing the second layers exposed in the source/drain trench, resulting in gaps; and forming dielectric inner spacers inside the gaps.

Confined epitaxial regions for semiconductor devices and methods of fabricating semiconductor devices having confined epitaxial regions are described. For example, a semiconductor structure includes a plurality of parallel semiconductor fins disposed above and continuous with a semiconductor substrate. An isolation structure is disposed above the semiconductor substrate and adjacent to lower portions of each of the plurality of parallel semiconductor fins. An upper portion of each of the plurality of parallel semiconductor fins protrudes above an uppermost surface of the isolation structure. Epitaxial source and drain regions are disposed in each of the plurality of parallel semiconductor fins adjacent to a channel region in the upper portion of the semiconductor fin. The epitaxial source and drain regions do not extend laterally over the isolation structure. The semiconductor structure also includes one or more gate electrodes, each gate electrode disposed over the channel region of one or more of the plurality of parallel semiconductor fins.

A method includes forming a semiconductor fin, forming a gate stack on the semiconductor fin, and a gate spacer on a sidewall of the gate stack. The method further includes recessing the semiconductor fin to form a recess, performing a first epitaxy process to grow a first epitaxy semiconductor layer in the recess, wherein the first epitaxy semiconductor layer, and performing a second epitaxy process to grow an embedded stressor extending into the recess. The embedded stressor has a top portion higher than a top surface of the semiconductor fin, with the top portion having a first sidewall contacting a second sidewall of the gate spacer, and with the sidewall having a bottom end level with the top surface of the semiconductor fin. The embedded spacer has a bottom portion lower than the top surface of the semiconductor fin.

In an embodiment, a device includes: a first nanostructure; a source/drain region adjoining a first channel region of the first nanostructure, the source/drain region including: a main layer; and a first liner layer between the main layer and the first nanostructure, a carbon concentration of the first liner layer being greater than a carbon concentration of the main layer; an inter-layer dielectric on the source/drain region; and a contact extending through the inter-layer dielectric, the contact connected to the main layer, the contact spaced apart from the first liner layer.

A method includes: forming a first channel structure through a first gate structure; forming a first source/drain structure coupled to the first channel structure at a first surface of the first gate structure; before the first source/drain structure is formed, forming a first isolation layer at a second surface of the first gate structure to isolate the first channel structure; and after the first source/drain structure is formed, forming a first insulation structure at a position of the first isolation layer. The first surface and the second surface are opposite to each other, and a size of the first insulation structure is equal to or larger than a size of the first source/drain structure.

A method includes forming first nanostructures over a first region of a substrate; forming second nanostructures over a second region of the substrate; forming a first gate structure around the first nanostructures; replacing the second nanostructures with isolation regions; and forming a through via extending through isolation regions and into the substrate.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate having a fin element extending therefrom. In some embodiments, a gate structure is formed over the fin element, where the gate structure includes a dielectric layer on the fin element, a metal capping layer disposed over the dielectric layer, and a metal electrode formed over the metal capping layer. In some cases, first sidewall spacers are formed on opposing sidewalls of the metal capping layer and the metal electrode. In various embodiments, the dielectric layer extends laterally underneath the first sidewall spacers to form a dielectric footing region.

A disclosed structure includes a semiconductor fin on a substrate and an isolation region on the substrate laterally surrounding a lower portion of the fin. A fin-type field effect transistor (FINFET) includes an upper portion of the fin and an isolation structure, and a gate structure are on the isolation region and positioned laterally adjacent to the upper portion of the fin. The gate structure also extends over the top of the fin and abuts the isolation structure. The FINFET also includes an independently biasable supplementary gate structure integrated into the isolation structure. Specifically, an opening extends into the isolation structure adjacent to, but separated from, the fin. The supplementary gate structure includes a conductor layer within the opening and that portion of the isolation structure between the conductor layer and the semiconductor fin. Also disclosed are associated methods.