A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes the steps of: forming a gate structure on a substrate; forming a source/drain region adjacent to the gate structure; performing a first cleaning process; performing a first rapid thermal anneal (RTA) process to remove oxygen cluster in the substrate; forming a metal layer on the source/drain region; and performing a second RTA process to transform the metal layer into a silicide layer.

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device is provided. Recesses are formed in a substrate. A first gate dielectric material is formed on the substrate and filled in the recesses. The first gate dielectric material on the substrate between the recesses is at least partially removed to form a trench. A second gate dielectric material is formed in the trench. A gate conductive layer is formed on the second gate dielectric material. Spacers are formed on sidewalls of the gate conductive layer. A portion of the first gate dielectric material is removed. The remaining first gate dielectric material and the second gate dielectric layer form a gate dielectric layer. The gate dielectric layer includes a body part and a first hump part at a first edge of the body part. The first hump part is thicker than the body part. Doped regions are formed in the substrate beside the spacers.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate of first conductivity type; a first heavily doped region and a second heavily doped region of second conductivity type spaced apart from the first heavily doped region, located in the substrate; a channel region in the substrate and between the first heavily doped region and the second heavily doped region; a gate disposed on the channel region; a hard mask layer covering a top surface and a sidewall of the gate; and a spacer disposed on a sidewall of the hard mask layer.

Semiconductor devices and methods for forming a semiconductor device are disclosed. The method includes forming a storage unit of a magnetic memory cell. A bottom electrode and a fixed layer are formed. The fixed layer includes a composite spacer layer disposed on the bottom electrode. The composite spacer layer includes a base layer and an amorphous buffer layer disposed over the base layer. A reference layer is disposed on the composite spacer layer. The amorphous buffer layer serves as a template for the reference layer to have a desired crystalline structure in a desired orientation. At least one tunneling barrier layer is formed over the fixed layer. A storage layer is formed over the tunneling barrier layer and a top electrode is formed over the storage layer.

Semiconductor devices and methods for manufacturing the same are provided. An example method may include: forming a sacrificial gate stack on a substrate; forming a gate spacer on sidewalls of the sacrificial gate stack; forming an interlayer dielectric layer on the substrate and planarizing it to expose the sacrificial gate stack; partially etching back the sacrificial gate stack to form an opening; expanding the resultant opening so that the opening is in a shape whose size gradually increases from a side adjacent to the substrate towards an opposite side away from the substrate; and removing a remaining portion of the sacrificial gate stack and forming a gate stack in a space defined by the gate spacer.

To improve performance of a semiconductor device. Over a semiconductor substrate, a gate electrode is formed via a first insulating film for a gate insulating film, and a second insulating film extends from over a side wall of the gate electrode to over the semiconductor substrate. Over the semiconductor substrate in a part exposed from the second insulating film, a semiconductor layer, which is an epitaxial layer for source/drain, is formed. The second insulating film has a part extending over the side wall of the gate electrode and a part extending over the semiconductor substrate, and a part of the semiconductor layer lies over the second insulating film in the part extending over the semiconductor substrate.

There is provided a field-effect transistor including: a gate electrode; a semiconductor layer having a source region and a drain region with the gate electrode in between; contact plugs provided on the source region and the drain region; first metals stacked on the contact plugs; and a low-dielectric constant region provided in a region between the first metals along an in-plane direction of the semiconductor layer and provided at least in a first region below bottom surfaces of the first metals along a stacking direction.

A highly tensile dielectric layer is generated on a heat sensitive substrate while not exceeding thermal budget constraints. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is used to produce highly tensile films to be used, for example, in strained NMOS transistor architectures. UV curing of as-deposited PECVD silicon nitride films, for example, has been shown to produce films with stresses of at least 1.65 E10 dynes/cm.sup.2. Other dielectric capping layer film materials show similar results. In transistor implementations, the stress from a source/drain region capping layer composed of such a film is uniaxially transferred to the NMOS channel through the source-drain regions to create tensile strain in the NMOS channel.

A semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof are provided in the present invention. A second opening is formed corresponding to a gate structure after a step of forming a first opening corresponding to an epitaxial layer. After the step of forming the second opening, a pre-amorphization implantation process is performed to form an amorphous region in the epitaxial layer, and the influence of the process of forming the second opening on the amorphous region may be avoided. The semiconductor device formed by the manufacturing method of the present invention includes a contact structure and an alloy layer. The contact structure is disposed in the second opening for being electrically connected to a metal gate. The alloy layer is disposed on the metal gate and disposed between the metal gate and the contact structure. The alloy layer includes an alloy of the material of the metal gate.

A semiconductor device includes a transistor disposed on a substrate, a first insulation layer, a second insulation layer, an epitaxy and a conductive material. The first insulation layer is disposed on the substrate and protruding over the transistor. The first insulation layer has a recess to expose a top portion of the transistor. The second insulation layer is disposed on the first insulation layer and conforms to the recess and exposes the top portion of the transistor. The epitaxy is disposed in the recess of the first insulation layer and overlaps the top portion of the transistor. The epitaxy conforms to sidewalls of the recess of the first insulation layer. The conductive material is disposed in the recess of the first insulation layer. The conductive material is electrically connected to the top portion of the transistor through the epitaxy,