First and second transistors with different electrical characteristics are supported by a substrate having a first-type dopant. The first transistor includes a well region within the substrate having the first-type dopant, a first body region within the well region having a second-type dopant and a first source region within the first body region and laterally offset from the well region by a first channel. The second transistor includes a second body region within the semiconductor substrate layer having the second-type dopant and a second source region within the second body region and laterally offset from material of the substrate by a second channel having a length greater than the length of the first channel. A gate region extends over portions of the first and second body regions for the first and second channels, respectively.

A method of gate cutting for a device with multiple vertical transistors is provided. The method includes memorizing an initial structure of the device to identify a location for a gate strap to connect a portion of the multiple vertical transistors, building a bilayer hard mask over the device with a photoresist (PR) opening at the location, removing successive layers of the bilayer hard mask to identify first and second sections of the device based on a position of the PR opening and removing remaining layers of the bilayer hard mask and the first section of the device while preserving the second section of the device to form the gate strap.

A method comprises depositing a sacrificial layer on a first dielectric layer over a substrate, applying a first patterning process, a second patterning process, a third patterning process and a fourth patterning process to the sacrificial layer to form a first group of openings, a second group of openings, a third group of openings and a fourth group of openings, respectively, in the sacrificial layer, wherein openings from different patterning processes are arranged in an alternating manner and four openings of the opening from the different patterning processes form a diamond shape and forming nanowires based on the first group of openings, the second group of openings, the third group of openings and the fourth group of openings.

Semiconductor devices, and in particular protection structures for semiconductor devices that include sensor arrangements are disclosed. A semiconductor device may include a sensor region, for example a current sensor region that occupies a portion of an overall active area of the device. The current sensor region may be configured to provide monitoring of device load currents during operation. Semiconductor devices according to the present disclosure include one or more protection structures that are configured to allow the semiconductor devices to withstand transient voltage events without device failure. A protection structure may include an insulating layer that is provided in a transition region between a device region and the sensor region of the semiconductor device. In the example of an insulated gate semiconductor device, the insulating layer of the protection structure may include a material with a greater breakdown voltage than a breakdown voltage of a gate insulating layer.

A method of forming stacked vertical field effect devices is provided. The method includes forming a layer stack on a substrate, wherein the layer stack includes a first spacer layer on the substrate, a first protective liner on the first spacer layer, a first gap layer on the first protective liner, a second protective liner on the first gap layer, a second spacer layer on the second protective liner, a sacrificial layer on the second spacer layer, a third spacer layer on the sacrificial layer, a third protective liner on the third spacer layer, a second gap layer on the third protective liner, a fourth protective liner on the second gap layer, and a fourth spacer layer on the fourth protective liner. The method further includes forming channels through the layer stack, a liner layer on the sidewalls of the channels, and a vertical pillar in the channels.

A semiconductor device includes substrate, a first gate structure, a second gate structure, and an epitaxy layer. The first gate structure and the second gate structure are over the substrate, in which the first gate structure and the second gate structure each comprises a shielding electrode, a gate electrode over the shielding electrode, and a first gate dielectric layer vertically separating the shielding electrode from the gate electrode. The epitaxy layer is over the substrate and cups an underside of the first gate structure and the second gate structure, in which the epitaxy layer comprises a doped region laterally between the first gate dielectric layer of the first gate structure and the first gate dielectric layer of the second gate structure, a dopant concentration of the doped region being non-uniform along a lateral direction.

A semiconductor device including a first line configured to receive a power supply voltage, a second line configured to be coupled to a load of the semiconductor device, first and second metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistors coupled in series between the first line and the second line, each of the first and second MOS transistors having a drain electrode and a gate electrode, the drain electrode of the first MOS transistor being coupled to the drain electrode of the second MOS transistor, a third line coupled to the gate electrode of the first MOS transistor, and a fourth line coupled to the gate electrode of the second MOS transistor, the third and fourth lines being electrically separated from each other.

A method for producing a semiconductor device includes forming a first fin-shaped silicon layer and a second fin-shaped silicon layer on a substrate using a sidewall formed around a dummy pattern on the substrate. A first insulating film is formed around the first fin-shaped silicon layer and the second fin-shaped silicon layer. A first pillar-shaped silicon layer is formed in an upper portion of the first fin-shaped silicon layer, and a second pillar-shaped silicon layer is formed in an upper portion of the second fin-shaped silicon layer.

A semiconductor device is disclosed. The device includes an epitaxial layer on a substrate, wherein the epitaxial layer includes first trenches and second trenches alternately arranged along a first direction. The epitaxial layer between the adjacent first and second trenches includes a first doping region and a second doping region, and the first doping region and the second doping region have different conductivity types. An interface is between the first doping region and the second doping region to form a super-junction structure. A gate structure is on the epitaxial layer. The epitaxial layer under the gate structure includes a channel extending along a second direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

A semiconductor device production method includes a first step of forming a planar silicon layer on a silicon substrate and forming first and second pillar-shaped silicon layers on the planar silicon layer; a second step of forming a gate insulating film around the first and second pillar-shaped silicon layers, forming a metal film and a polysilicon film around the gate insulating film, controlling a thickness of the polysilicon film to be smaller than a half of a distance between the first and second pillar-shaped silicon layers, depositing a resist, exposing the polysilicon film on side walls of upper portions of the first and second pillar-shaped semiconductor layers, etching-away the exposed polysilicon film, stripping the third resist, and etching-away the metal film; and a third step of forming a resist for forming a gate line and performing anisotropic etching to form a gate line and first and second gate electrodes.