Methods and structures for forming devices, such as transistors, are discussed. A method embodiment includes forming a gate spacer along a sidewall of a gate stack on a substrate; passivating at least a portion of an exterior surface of the gate spacer; and epitaxially growing a material in the substrate proximate the gate spacer while the at least the portion of the exterior surface of the gate spacer remains passivated. The passivating can include using at least one of a thermal treatment, a plasma treatment, or a thermal treatment.

A semiconductor integrated circuit layout structure includes a first active region, a second active region isolating from the first active region, a gate structure straddling the first active region and the second active region, and a plurality of conductive structures. The first active region at two opposite sides of the gate structure respectively forms a first source region and a first drain region. The second active region at two opposite sides of the gate structure respectively forms a second source region and a second drain region. The conductive structures include a plurality of slot-type conductive structures and one island-type conductive structure. The slot-type conductive structures are respectively formed on the first source region, the first drain region, the second source region and the second drain region. The island-type conductive structure is formed on the gate structure.

A transistor suited for use as an RF switch includes a semiconductor layer and a stack of a gate insulator layer and a conductive gate layer. A length of the conductive gate layer is smaller on the side of a lower surface, located in the vicinity of the gate insulator layer, and is greater on the side of an upper surface, opposite to the lower surface. Lateral sides of the conductive gate layer are covered, on a lower portion, with a first material and, on an upper portion, with a second material. The first material has a Young's modulus greater than a Young's modulus of the second material.

Self-aligned gate endcap (SAGE) architectures with vertical sidewalls, and methods of fabricating self-aligned gate endcap (SAGE) architectures with vertical sidewalls, are described. In an example, an integrated circuit structure includes a semiconductor fin having sidewalls along a length of the semiconductor fin, each sidewall tapering outwardly from a top of the semiconductor fin toward a bottom of the semiconductor fin. A gate endcap isolation structure is spaced apart from the semiconductor fin and has a length parallel with the length of the semiconductor fin. The gate endcap isolation structure has a substantially vertical sidewall laterally facing one of the outwardly tapering sidewalls of the semiconductor fin.

Disclosed herein are lateral gate material arrangements for quantum dot devices, as well as related computing devices and methods. For example, in some embodiments, a quantum dot device may include: a quantum well stack; and a gate above the quantum well stack, wherein the gate includes a gate electrode, the gate electrode includes a first material proximate to side faces of the gate and a second material proximate to a center of the gate, and the first material has a different material composition than the second material.

Self-aligned gate endcap (SAGE) architectures with vertical sidewalls, and methods of fabricating self-aligned gate endcap (SAGE) architectures with vertical sidewalls, are described. In an example, an integrated circuit structure includes a semiconductor fin having sidewalls along a length of the semiconductor fin, each sidewall tapering outwardly from a top of the semiconductor fin toward a bottom of the semiconductor fin. A gate endcap isolation structure is spaced apart from the semiconductor fin and has a length parallel with the length of the semiconductor fin. The gate endcap isolation structure has a substantially vertical sidewall laterally facing one of the outwardly tapering sidewalls of the semiconductor fin.

A semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device are provided. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate and a word line structure. The semiconductor substrate has an active region. The word line structure is disposed in the active region of the semiconductor substrate. The word line structure includes a first work function layer, a second work function layer, and a buffer structure. The second work function layer is on the first work function layer. The buffer structure is between the first work function layer and the second work function layer.

A transistor is formed by defining a gate stack on top of a semiconductor layer. The gate stack includes a gate dielectric and a gate electrode. A layer of a first dielectric material, having a first dielectric constant, is deposited on side walls of the gate stack to form sacrificial sidewall spacers. Raised source-drain regions are then epitaxially grown on each side of the gate stack adjacent the sacrificial sidewall spacers. The sacrificial sidewall spacers are then removed to produce openings between each raised source-drain region and the gate stack. A layer of a second dielectric material, having a second dielectric constant less than the first dielectric constant, is then deposited in the openings and on side walls of the gate stack to form low-k sidewall spacers.

A method of filling trenches between gates includes forming a first and a second dummy gate over a substrate, the first and second dummy gates including a sacrificial gate material and a hard mask layer; forming a first gate spacer along a sidewall of the first dummy gate and a second gate spacer along a sidewall of the second dummy gate; performing an epitaxial growth process to form a source/drain on the substrate between the first and second dummy gates; disposing a conformal liner over the first and second dummy gates and the source/drain; disposing an oxide on the conformal liner between the first and second dummy gates; recessing the oxide to a level below the hard mask layers of the first and second dummy gates to form a recessed oxide; and depositing a spacer material over the recessed oxide between the first dummy gate and the second dummy gate.

A power field effect transistor, a power field effect transistor device and a method of manufacturing a power field effect transistor are provided. During the manufacturing of the power field effect transistor, a body drive stage to manufacture the body region of the power field effect transistor is shortened to obtain a relatively low on resistance for the power field effect transistor. Before the implanting stage of the dopants of the body region, a pre body drive stage is introduced. During the pre body drive stage and the body drive stage sidewalls of a polysilicon layer of the power field effect transistor are oxidized to obtain a power field effect transistor which has at the sidewalls an oxidized polysilicon layer that is thick enough to prevent a premature current injection from the gate to the source regions of the power field effect transistor.