A method for fabricating an electronic device that includes a metal-insulator-semiconductor (M-I-S) structure includes: providing a semiconductor layer; forming a primary insulation layer of a first thickness over the semiconductor layer; forming a reactive metal layer of a second thickness over the primary insulation layer, where the second thickness is greater than the first thickness; forming a primary capping layer of a third thickness over the reactive metal layer, where the third thickness is greater than the second thickness; and performing a thermal treatment.

A vertical fin field-effect-transistor and a method for fabricating the same. The vertical fin field-effect-transistor includes a substrate, a first source/drain layer including a plurality of pillar structures, and a plurality of fins disposed on and in contact with the plurality of pillar structures. A doped layer epitaxially grown from the first source/drain layer is in contact with the plurality of fins and the plurality of pillar structures. A gate structure is disposed in contact with two or more fins in the plurality of fins. The gate structure includes a dielectric layer and a gate layer. A second source/drain layer is disposed on the gate structure. The method includes epitaxially growing a doped layer in contact with a plurality of fins and a plurality of pillar structures. A gate structure is formed in contact with two or more fins. A second source/drain layer is formed on the gate structure.

A semiconductor apparatus includes: a gate electrode in a trench and facing a p type base region with a gate insulating film interposed therebetween on a portion of a side wall; a shield electrode in the trench and between the gate electrode and a bottom of the trench; an electric insulating region in the trench, the electric insulating region extending between the gate electrode and the shield electrode, and further extending along the side wall and the bottom of the trench to separate the shield electrode from the side wall and the bottom; a source electrode electrically connected to an n.sup.+ type source region and the shield electrode. The shield electrode has high resistance regions at positions where the high resistance regions face the side walls of the trench, and a low resistance region at a position where the low resistance region is sandwiched between the high resistance regions.

According to one embodiment, the semiconductor body of the first portion includes a first semiconductor part and a second semiconductor part. The first semiconductor part extends in the stacking direction. The second semiconductor part is provided between the first semiconductor part and the first electrode layer, and has an end located closer to the first electrode layer side than the first semiconductor part. The first insulating film of the second portion includes a first insulating part and a second insulating part. The first insulating part extends in the stacking direction. The second insulating part is provided between the first insulating part and the second electrode layer, and has an end located closer to the second electrode layer side than the first insulating part.

Semiconductor devices includes a thin epitaxial layer (nanotube) formed on sidewalls of mesas formed in a semiconductor layer. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor layer, a second semiconductor layer formed thereon and of the opposite conductivity type, and a first epitaxial layer formed on mesas of the second semiconductor layer. An electric field along a length of the first epitaxial layer is uniformly distributed.

A semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor substrate; a main electrode; a peripheral electrode; an insulating protective film; a surface metallic layer; and a solder layer, wherein the semiconductor substrate includes: a first region of a first conductive-type in contact with the main electrode on a main contact surface; a second region of a first conductive-type in contact with the peripheral electrode on a peripheral contact surface; and a third region of a second conductive-type provided under the first region, under the second region, and circumferentially outward of the second region, and a circumferentially-outward end of the metallic layer and a circumferentially-outward end of the solder layer are located more circumferentially inward than the circumferentially-outward end of the peripheral electrode.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate comprising a main surface and a gate electrode in a trench between neighboring semiconductor mesas, The gate electrode is electrically insulated from the neighboring semiconductor mesas by a dielectric layer. The semiconductor device further includes a conductor arranged, at least partially, between neighboring dielectric contact spacers. The conductor has a conductivity greater than a conductivity of the gate electrode, An interface between the conductor and the gate electrode extends along the gate electrode.

Three-dimensional (3D) semiconductor memory devices are provided. A 3D semiconductor memory device includes an electrode structure on a substrate. The electrode structure includes gate electrodes stacked on the substrate. The gate electrodes include electrode pad regions. The 3D semiconductor memory device includes a dummy vertical structure penetrating one of the electrode pad regions. The dummy vertical structure includes a dummy vertical semiconductor pattern and a contact pattern extending from a portion of the dummy vertical semiconductor pattern toward the substrate.

A method of forming a substrate contact in a vertical transistor device includes patterning a sacrificial layer to form an opening in the sacrificial layer, the sacrificial layer disposed on hardmask arranged on a substrate, and the substrate including a bulk semiconductor layer, a buried oxide layer arranged on the bulk semiconductor layer, and a semiconductor layer arranged on the buried oxide layer; forming oxide spacers on sidewalls of the opening in the sacrificial layer; using the oxide spacers as a pattern to etch a trench through the substrate, the trench stopping at a region within the bulk semiconductor layer; and depositing a conductive material in the trench to form the substrate contact.

Vertical sense devices in vertical trench MOSFET. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device includes a main vertical trench metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (main-MOSFET). The main-MOSFET includes a plurality of parallel main trenches, wherein the main trenches comprise a first electrode coupled to a gate of the main-MOSFET, and a plurality of main mesas between the main trenches, wherein the main mesas comprise a main source and a main body of the main-MOSFET. The semiconductor device also includes a sense-diode. The sense-diode includes a plurality of sense-diode trenches, wherein each of the sense-diode trenches comprises a portion of one of the main trenches, and a plurality of sense-diode mesas between the source-FET trenches, wherein the sense-diode mesas comprise a sense-diode anode that is electrically isolated from the main source of the main-MOSFET.