A transistor includes a trench formed in a semiconductor substrate. A conductive spacer is formed in the trench and offset from a first sidewall of the trench. A dielectric material is formed in the trench and surrounds the conductive spacer. A drift region is formed in the semiconductor substrate adjacent to the first sidewall and a first portion of a second sidewall of the trench. A drain region is formed in the drift region adjacent to a second portion of the second sidewall. A first gate region overlaps a portion of the drift region and is formed separate from the conductive spacer.

A method for producing hybrid substrates which can be incorporated into a semiconductor production line involves: forming an ion-injection region (3) by injecting ions from the surface of a silicon substrate (1); adhering the ion-injection surface of the silicon substrate and the surface of a sapphire substrate (4) to one another directly or with an insulating film (2) interposed therebetween; and then obtaining a hybrid substrate (8) having a silicon thin-film (semiconductor layer; 6) on the sapphire substrate (4), by detaching the silicon substrate (1) in the ion-injection region (3). This method is characterized in that the adhering to the silicon substrate (1) occurs after the sapphire substrate (4) is heat-treated in advance in a reducing atmosphere.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor body and a device cell in the semiconductor body. The device cell includes: drift, source, body and diode regions; a pn junction between the diode and drift regions; a trench with first and second opposing sidewalls and a bottom, the body region adjoining the first sidewall, the diode region adjoining the second sidewall, and the pn junction adjoining the trench bottom; a gate electrode in the trench and dielectrically insulated from the source, body, diode and drift regions by a gate dielectric; a further trench extending from a first surface of the semiconductor body into the semiconductor body; a source electrode arranged in the further trench adjoining the source and diode regions. The diode region includes a lower diode region arranged below the trench bottom. The lower diode region has a maximum of a doping concentration distant to the trench bottom.

A method of forming a FinFET with a rounded source/drain profile comprises forming a fin in a substrate, etching a source/drain recess in the fin, forming a plurality of source/drain layers in the source/drain recess; and etching at least one of the plurality of source/drain layers. The source/drain layers may be a silicon germanium compound. Etching at the source/drain layers may comprises partially etching each of the plurality of source/drain layers prior to forming subsequent layers of the plurality of source/drain layers. The source/drain layers may be formed with a thickness at a top corner of about 15 nm, and the source/drain layers may each be etched back by about 3 nm prior to forming subsequent layers of the plurality of source/drain layers. Forming the plurality of source/drain layers optionally comprises forming at least five source/drain layers.

Split-gate flash memory and forming method thereof are provided. The method includes: forming a first dielectric layer on a semiconductor substrate; forming a floating gate layer on the first dielectric layer; forming a mask layer on the floating gate layer; etching the mask layer until first groove exposing the floating gate layer is formed; forming a protective sidewall on sidewall of the first groove; forming a gate dielectric layer on bottom and the sidewall of the first groove; forming two control gates on the gate dielectric layer, the remained first groove serving as second groove; etching the gate dielectric layer and the floating gate layer at bottom of the second groove until third groove exposing the first dielectric layer is formed; forming a source in the semiconductor substrate under the third groove; and forming a second dielectric layer in the third groove. Reliability and durability of the memory are improved.

Provided are methods for fabricating transistors using a gate last approach. These methods involve etching of titanium nitride and titanium carbide structures while preserving high k-dielectric structures. The titanium carbide structures may also include aluminum. Etching may be performed in one or more etching solutions, each including hydrogen peroxide. Titanium nitride and titanium carbide structures can be etched simultaneously (non-selectively) in the same etching solution that also includes hydrochloric acid, in addition to hydrogen peroxide, and maintained at about 25° C. and 85° C. In some embodiments, titanium nitride structures and titanium carbide structures may be etched separately (selectively) in different operations and using different etching solutions. The titanium nitride structures may be etched in a diluted hydrogen peroxide solution maintained at about 25° C. and 85° C. The titanium carbide structures may be etched in a solution that also includes ammonium hydroxide, in addition to hydrogen peroxide, and maintained at about 25° C.

A 3D semiconductor device including: a first single crystal layer including a plurality of first transistors and a first metal layer, where a second metal layer is disposed atop the first metal layer; a plurality of logic gates including the first metal layer and first transistors; a plurality of second transistors disposed atop the second metal layer; a plurality of third transistors disposed atop the second transistors; a top metal layer disposed atop the third transistors; and a memory array including word-lines, where the memory array includes at least four memory mini arrays, where each of the mini arrays includes at least two rows by two columns of memory cells, where each memory cell includes one of the second transistors or one of the third transistors, and where one of the second transistors is self-aligned to one of the third transistors, being processed following a same lithography step.

A front-end method of fabricating nickel plated caps over copper bond pads used in a memory device. The method provides protection of the bond pads from an oxidizing atmosphere without exposing sensitive structures in the memory device to the copper during fabrication.

A device includes a semiconductor region, an interfacial layer over the semiconductor region, the interfacial layer including a semiconductor oxide, a high-k dielectric layer over the interfacial layer, and an intermixing layer over the high-k dielectric layer. The intermixing layer includes oxygen, a metal in the high-k dielectric layer, and an additional metal. A work-function layer is over the intermixing layer. A filling-metal region is over the work-function layer.

One aspect of the disclosure relates to an integrated circuit structure. The integrated circuit structure may include: a contact line being disposed within a dielectric layer and providing electrical connection to source/drain epitaxial regions surrounding a set of fins, the contact line including: a first portion of the contact line electrically isolated from a second portion of the contact line by a contact line spacer, wherein the first portion and the second portion each include a liner layer and a metal, the liner layer separating the metal from the dielectric layer and the source/drain epitaxial regions, and wherein the metal is directly in contact with the contact line spacer.