According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a nonvolatile semiconductor memory element including: a semiconductor substrate including: a source region; a drain region; and a channel region; a lower insulating film that is formed on the channel region; a charge storage film that is formed on the lower insulating film and that stores data; an upper insulating film that is formed on the charge storage film; and a control gate that is formed on the upper insulating film, wherein the upper insulating film includes: a first insulting film; and a second insulating film that is laminated with the first insulating film, and wherein the first insulating film is formed to have a trap level density larger than that of the second insulating film.

The present invention provides an array substrate and a manufacturing method thereof and a liquid crystal display panel using the array substrate. The array substrate includes: a first substrate (32), a gate line formed on the first substrate (32), a data line (34) formed on the first substrate (32), a thin-film transistor array formed on the first substrate (32), a pixel electrode (36) formed on the thin-film transistor array, a first passivation layer (38) formed on the pixel electrode (36), the data line (34), and the thin-film transistor array, a black matrix (42) formed on the first passivation layer (38), and a common electrode (44) formed on the black matrix (42) and the first passivation layer (38). The present invention arranges the black matrix formed on the array substrate to reduce the parasitic capacitance between the common electrode and the gate line and the data line so as to help enhance uniformity of voltage on the common electrode.

A method of manufacturing a nanowire device is disclosed. The method includes providing a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a pair of support pads, a recess disposed between the support pads, a second insulating layer disposed on the support pads, a third insulating layer disposed on a bottom of the recess, and at least one nanowire suspended between the support pads at a top portion of the recess; forming a first insulating layer on the nanowire; depositing a dummy gate material over the substrate on the first insulating layer, and patterning the dummy gate material to form a dummy gate structure surrounding a channel region; forming a first oxide layer on laterally opposite sidewalls of the dummy gate; and extending the nanowire on laterally opposite ends of the channel region to the respective support pads, so as to form a source region and a drain region.

A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes forming a gate structure having a first conductive material above a semiconductor substrate, gate spacers on opposing sides of the first conductive material, and a first interlevel dielectric (ILD) layer surrounding the gate spacers and the first conductive material. An upper portion of the first conductive material is recessed. The gate spacers are recessed until a height of the gate spacers is less than a height of the gate structure. An isolation liner is deposited above the gate spacers and the first conductive material. A portion of the isolation liner is removed so that a top surface of the first conductive material is exposed. A second conductive material is deposited in a contact hole created above the first conductive material and the gate spacers to form a gate contact.

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes providing a substrate; and forming at least one dummy gate structure on the substrate. The method also includes forming doping regions in the substrate at both sides of the dummy gate structure; forming an interlayer dielectric layer on the d the dummy gate structure; performing a first step thermal annealing process to increase a density of the interlayer dielectric layer; and activating doping ions for a first time without an excess diffusion of the doping ions in the doping region; and removing the dummy gate structure to expose the surface of the substrate to form a trench in the annealed interlayer dielectric layer. Further, the method also includes forming a gate dielectric layer on the surface of the substrate on bottom of the trench; and performing a second step thermal annealing process to activate the doping ions for a second time.

A device includes a conductive layer including a bottom portion, and a sidewall portion over the bottom portion, wherein the sidewall portion is connected to an end of the bottom portion. An aluminum-containing layer overlaps the bottom portion of the conductive layer, wherein a top surface of the aluminum-containing layer is substantially level with a top edge of the sidewall portion of the conductive layer. An aluminum oxide layer is overlying the aluminum-containing layer. A copper-containing region is over the aluminum oxide layer, and is spaced apart from the aluminum-containing layer by the aluminum oxide layer. The copper-containing region is electrically coupled to the aluminum-containing layer through the top edge of the sidewall portion of the conductive layer.

A MOS pass transistor includes a semiconductor layer having first conductivity, a trench isolation layer disposed in the semiconductor layer to define a first active region and a second active region, a first junction region having second conductivity, disposed in the first active region, and being in contact with a first sidewall of the trench isolation layer, a second junction region having the second conductivity, disposed in the second active region, being in contact with a second sidewall of the trench isolation layer, and being spaced apart from the first junction region, and a gate electrode disposed over the trench isolation layer. A lower portion of the gate electrode extends from a top surface of the trench isolation layer into the trench isolation layer to a predetermined depth.

A NAND flash memory array includes a select line having a first edge region containing a first portion of floating gate material and a second edge region containing a second portion of floating gate material, and having a central region between the first edge region and the second edge region where no floating gate material is present.

The present disclosure relates to methods of forming a field effect transistor (FET) over a substrate, and associated integrated circuit device that improve etching back profile and prevent metal gate defect. In some embodiments, a recess is formed through an inter-layer dielectric (ILD) layer along a sidewall spacer and filled with a high- dielectric layer and a metal gate. An etch back is performed to lower the high- dielectric layer and the metal gate, where an antenna shaped residue of the high- dielectric material and the metal gate material is left at the boundary region of the high- layer and the metal gate, along the sidewall spacer. Then a second etch is performed to the sidewall spacer, removing a top edge portion of the sidewall spacer. Then one more step of etch can be performed to the high- layer and the metal gate to planarize and remove the residue.

A semiconductor process for treating a metal gate includes the following steps. A metal gate including a main conductive material on a substrate is provided. A H.sub.2/N.sub.2 plasma treatment process is performed to reduce the main conductive material.