A device structure with multiple layers of low temperature epitaxy is disclosed that eliminates source and drain and extension implants, providing a planar interface with abrupt junctions between epitaxial extensions and substrate, mitigating electrostatic coupling between transistor drain and transistor channel and reducing short channel effects. The reduction of channel doping results in improved device performance from reduced impurity scattering and reduction of random dopant induced threshold voltage variations (sigma-Vt). Avoiding implants further reduces device sigma-Vt due to random dopants' diffusion from source and drain extensions, which creates device channel length variations during thermal activation anneal of implanted dopants. The defined transistor structure employs at least two levels of low-temperature epitaxy, and creates a planar interface with various types of transistor substrates resulting in performance improvement. Mixed epitaxial layer growth materials inducing tensile or compressive gate stresses can be advantageously used with the invention to further improve device characteristics.

A semiconductor structure including a semiconductor substrate is provided. The semiconductor substrate includes a surface. A gate structure is provided on the surface. An interface lower than the surface is provided. An epitaxial regrowth region adjacent the gate structure is disposed on the interface. In addition, the epitaxial regrowth region extends over the surface and includes a bottom layer and a cap layer. The activation of the cap layer is lower than that of the bottom layer. Moreover, the bottom layer is lower than the surface and the gate structure. Furthermore, the bottom layer includes a first downwardly-curved edge and a second downwardly-curved edge over the first one. The first downwardly-curved edge is connected with the second downwardly-curved edge at two endpoints. The two endpoints are in contact with the surface of the semiconductor substrate.

In a semiconductor device, a first active region has a first -shape, and the second active region has a second -shape. When a line that is perpendicular to the substrate and passes a side surface of a first gate electrode in the first region is defined as a first vertical line, when a line that is perpendicular to the substrate and passes a side surface of a second gate electrode in the second region is defined as a second vertical line, when a shortest distance between the first vertical line and the first trench is defined as a first horizontal distance, and when a shortest distance between the second vertical line and the second trench is defined as a second horizontal distance, a difference between the first horizontal distance and the second horizontal distance is equal to or less than 1 nm.

In a method for forming a semiconductor device, a gate electrode is formed over a semiconductor body (e.g., bulk silicon substrate or SOI layer). The gate electrode is electrically insulated from the semiconductor body. A first sidewall spacer is formed along a sidewall of the gate electrode. A sacrificial sidewall spacer is formed adjacent the first sidewall spacer. The sacrificial sidewall spacer and the first sidewall spacer overlying the semiconductor body. A planarization layer is formed over the semiconductor body such that a portion of the planarization layer is adjacent the sacrificial sidewall spacer. The sacrificial sidewall spacer can then be removed and a recess etched in the semiconductor body. The recess is substantially aligned between the first sidewall spacer and the portion of the planarization layer. A semiconductor material (e.g., SiGe or SiC) can then be formed in the recess.

The parasitic capacitance formed by a gate electrode, a contact, and a side wall is reduced. The gate electrode and the side wall are covered by an insulating layer. The contact passes through the insulating layer and is connected to a diffusion layer. Then, an air gap is located between the side wall and the contact. The air gap faces the contact at the side face on the contact side via the insulating layer.

A manufacturing method of a high-voltage metal-oxide-semiconductor (HV MOS) transistor device is provided. The manufacturing method includes the following steps. A semiconductor substrate is provided. A patterned conductive structure is formed on the semiconductor substrate. The patterned conductive structure includes a gate structure and a first sub-gate structure. The semiconductor substrate has a first region and a second region respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the gate structure. The first sub-gate structure is disposed on the first region of the semiconductor substrate. The first sub-gate structure is separated from the gate structure. A drain region is formed in the first region of the semiconductor substrate. A first contact structure is formed on the drain region and the first sub-gate structure. The drain region is electrically connected to the first sub-gate structure via the first contact structure.

High voltage transistors spanning multiple non-planar semiconductor bodies, such as fins or nanowires, are monolithically integrated with non-planar transistors utilizing an individual non-planar semiconductor body. The non-planar FETs may be utilized for low voltage CMOS logic circuitry within an IC, while high voltage transistors may be utilized for high voltage circuitry within the IC. A gate stack may be disposed over a high voltage channel region separating a pair of fins with each of the fins serving as part of a source/drain for the high voltage device. The high voltage channel region may be a planar length of substrate recessed relative to the fins. A high voltage gate stack may use an isolation dielectric that surrounds the fins as a thick gate dielectric. A high voltage transistor may include a pair of doped wells formed into the substrate that are separated by the high voltage gate stack with one or more fin encompassed within each well.

The present invention provides an image pickup device that recognizes the object that the user is attempting to capture as the subject, tracks the movement of that subject, and can continue tracking the movement of the subject even when the subject leaves the capturing area so that the subject can always be reliably brought into focus. The image pickup device includes a main camera that captures the subject; an EVF that displays the captured image captured by the main camera, a sub-camera that captures the subject using a wider capturing region than the main camera, and a processing unit that extracts the subject from the captured images captured by the main camera and the sub-camera, tracks the extracted subject, and brings the subject into focus when an image of the subject is actually captured. When the subject moves outside of a capturing region of the main camera, the processing unit tracks the subject extracted from the captured image captured by the sub-camera.

A semiconductor component includes: a semiconductor substrate; and a semiconductor device provided thereon, the device being a field-effect transistor that includes: a gate insulating film provided on the substrate; a gate electrode provided via the film; and a pair of source-drain regions provided to sandwich the electrode, the substrate including a patterned surface in a portion where the electrode is provided, the patterned surface of the substrate including a raised portion where the film is formed to cover a surface that lies on the same plane as a surface of the pair of source-drain regions, and the electrode is formed on a top surface of the film, and the patterned surface of the substrate including a recessed portion where the film is formed to cover surfaces of a groove formed toward the interior than the surface of the pair of source-drain regions, and the electrode is formed so as to fill the groove provided with the film.

A semiconductor device having tipless epitaxial source/drain regions and a method for its formation are described. In an embodiment, the semiconductor device comprises a gate stack on a substrate. The gate stack is comprised of a gate electrode above a gate dielectric layer and is above a channel region in the substrate. The semiconductor device also comprises a pair of source/drain regions in the substrate on either side of the channel region. The pair of source/drain regions is in direct contact with the gate dielectric layer and the lattice constant of the pair of source/drain regions is different than the lattice constant of the channel region. In one embodiment, the semiconductor device is formed by using a dielectric gate stack placeholder.