Solid-state imaging devices and electronic devices with reduced noise are disclosed. In one example, a solid-state imaging device includes a first substrate including a photodiode and a transfer transistor, and a second substrate including an active load circuit and a differential pair circuit for a comparator, in which the active load circuit includes a first transistor, the differential pair circuit includes a second transistor, and transconductance of the first transistor is smaller than transconductance of the second transistor.

Complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor nanowire structures are described. For example, a semiconductor structure includes a first semiconductor device. The first semiconductor device includes a first nanowire disposed above a substrate. The first nanowire has a mid-point a first distance above the substrate and includes a discrete channel region and source and drain regions on either side of the discrete channel region. A first gate electrode stack completely surrounds the discrete channel region of the first nanowire. The semiconductor structure also includes a second semiconductor device. The second semiconductor device includes a second nanowire disposed above the substrate. The second nanowire has a mid-point a second distance above the substrate and includes a discrete channel region and source and drain regions on either side of the discrete channel region. The first distance is different from the second distance. A second gate electrode stack completely surrounds the discrete channel region of the second nanowire.

A semiconductor device having metal gate includes a first metal gate structure and a second metal gate structure disposed in a first device region and in a second device region on a substrate respectively. The first metal gate structure includes a gate insulating layer, a first bottom barrier layer, a top barrier layer, and a metal layer disposed on the substrate in order, wherein the top barrier layer is directly in contact with the first bottom barrier layer. The second metal gate structure includes the gate insulating layer, a second bottom barrier layer, the top barrier layer, and the metal layer on the substrate in order, wherein the top barrier layer is directly in contact with the second bottom barrier layer. The first bottom barrier layer and the second bottom barrier layer have different impurity compositions.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, an insulating layer on a top surface of the substrate, and a first semiconductor transistor on the insulating layer, the transistor including an active region with a source region, a drain region, a channel region between the source and drain regions and a gate structure over the channel region, the gate structure extending beyond the transistor to an adjacent area. An outer well is included in the substrate, an inner well of an opposite type as the outer well situated within the outer well and under the active region and adjacent area, and a contact for the inner well in the adjacent area, the contact surrounding the gate structure. Operating the device includes applying a variable voltage at the contact for the inner well, a threshold voltage for the first transistor being altered by the variable voltage. The inner well and gate may be exposed and contacts created therefor together.

A method of forming an integrated photonic semiconductor structure having a photodetector and a CMOS device may include forming the CMOS device on a first silicon-on-insulator region, forming a silicon optical waveguide on a second silicon-on-insulator region, and forming a shallow trench isolation (STI) region surrounding the silicon optical waveguide such that the shallow trench isolation electrically isolating the first and second silicon-on-insulator region. Within a first region of the STI region, a first germanium material is deposited adjacent a first side wall of the semiconductor optical waveguide. Within a second region of the STI region, a second germanium material is deposited adjacent a second side wall of the semiconductor optical waveguide, whereby the second side wall opposes the first side wall. The first and second germanium material form an active region that evanescently receives propagating optical signals from the first and second side wall of the semiconductor optical waveguide.

In a method of forming a semiconductor structure, different sections of a dielectric layer are etched at different stages during processing to form a first gate sidewall spacer for a first FET (e.g., a NFET) and a second gate sidewall spacer for a second FET (e.g., a PFET) such that the first and second gate sidewall spacers are symmetric. Raised source/drain regions for the first FET are formed immediately following first gate sidewall spacer formation and raised source/drain regions for the second FET are formed immediately following second gate sidewall spacer formation. Since the gate sidewall spacers of the two FETs are symmetric, the source/drain junctions of the two FETs will also be symmetric. Additionally, due to an etch stop layer formed on the raised source/drain regions of the first FET, but not the second FET, different metal silicides on the raised source/drain regions of the different FETs.

The present disclosure relates to semiconductor structures and, more particularly, to cell layouts in semiconductor structures and methods of manufacture. A structure includes: a plurality of abutting cells each of which include transistors with gate structures having diffusion regions; a contact spanning across abutting cells of the plurality of abutting cells and contacting to the diffusion regions of separate cells of the abutting cells; and a continuous active region spanning across the plurality of abutting cells, wherein the continuous active region includes a drain-source abutment with L-shape construct, a source-source abutment with U-shape construct, and a drain-drain abutment with a filler cell located between a drain-drain abutment.

A substrate contact land for a first MOS transistor is produced in and on an active zone of a substrate of silicon on insulator type using a second MOS transistor without any PN junction that is also provided in the active zone. A contact land on at least one of a source or drain region of the second MOS transistor forms the substrate contact land.

A method for adding a low TCR resistor to a baseline CMOS manufacturing flow. A method of forming a low TCR resistor in a CMOS manufacturing flow. A method of forming an n-type and a p-type transistor with a low TCR resistor in a CMOS manufacturing flow.

A silicon germanium on insulator (SGOI) wafer having nFET and pFET regions is accessed, the SGOI wafer having a silicon germanium (SiGe) layer having a first germanium (Ge) concentration, and a first oxide layer over nFET and pFET and removing the first oxide layer over the pFET. Then, increasing the first Ge concentration in the SiGe layer in the pFET to a second Ge concentration and removing the first oxide layer over the nFET. Then, recessing the SiGe layer of the first Ge concentration in the nFET so that the SiGe layer is in plane with the SiGe layer in the pFET of the second Ge concentration. Then, growing a silicon (Si) layer over the SGOI in the nFET and a SiGe layer of a third concentration in the pFET, where the SiGe layer of a third concentration is in plane with the grown nFET Si layer.