Embodiments of the present invention provide a structure and method of minimizing stress relaxation during fin formation. Embodiments may involve forming a looped spacer on an upper surface of a substrate and adjacent to at least a sidewall of a mandrel. The mandrel may be removed, leaving the looped spacer on the substrate. An exposed portion of the substrate may be removed to form a looped fin below the looped spacer. The spacer may be removed, leaving a looped fin. A looped fin formation may reduce stress relaxation compared to conventional fin formation methods. Embodiments may include forming a gate over a looped portion of a looped fin. Securing a looped portion in position with a gate may decrease stress relaxation in the fin. Thus, a looped fin with a looped portion of the looped fin under a gate may have substantially reduced stress relaxation compared to a conventional fin.

Semiconductor devices are provided. A semiconductor device includes a fin protruding from a substrate. Moreover, the semiconductor device includes first and second gate structures on the fin, and an isolation region between the first and second gate structures. The isolation region includes first and second portions having different respective widths. Related methods of forming semiconductor devices are also provided.

An integrated circuit (IC) device includes a pair of fin-shaped active areas that are adjacent to each other with a fin separation area therebetween, the pair of fin-shaped active areas extend in a line, and a fin separation insulating structure in the fin separation area, wherein the pair of fin-shaped active areas includes a first fin-shaped active area having a first corner defining part of the fin separation area, and wherein the fin separation insulating structure includes a lower insulating pattern that covers sidewalls of the pair of fin-shaped active areas, and an upper insulating pattern on the lower insulating pattern to cover at least part of the first corner, the upper insulating pattern having a top surface at a level higher than a top surface of each of the pair of fin-shaped active areas.

An SOI wafer contains a compressively stressed buried insulator structure. In one example, the stressed buried insulator (BOX) may be formed on a host wafer by forming silicon oxide, silicon nitride and silicon oxide layers so that the silicon nitride layer is compressively stressed. Wafer bonding provides the surface silicon layer over the stressed insulator layer. Preferred implementations of the invention form MOS transistors by etching isolation trenches into a preferred SOI substrate having a stressed BOX structure to define transistor active areas on the surface of the SOI substrate. Most preferably the trenches are formed deep enough to penetrate through the stressed BOX structure and some distance into the underlying silicon portion of the substrate. The overlying silicon active regions will have tensile stress induced due to elastic edge relaxation.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a structure and method of minimizing stress relaxation during fin formation. Embodiments may involve forming a looped spacer on an upper surface of a substrate and adjacent to at least a sidewall of a mandrel. The mandrel may be removed, leaving the looped spacer on the substrate. An exposed portion of the substrate may be removed to form a looped fin below the looped spacer. The spacer may be removed, leaving a looped fin. A looped fin formation may reduce stress relaxation compared to conventional fin formation methods. Embodiments may include forming a gate over a looped portion of a looped fin. Securing a looped portion in position with a gate may decrease stress relaxation in the fin. Thus, a looped fin with a looped portion of the looped fin under a gate may have substantially reduced stress relaxation compared to a conventional fin.

A semiconductor device and method of formation are provided herein. A semiconductor device includes a fin having a first wall extending along a first plane, the fin including a doped region defining a first furrow on a first side of the first plane. A dielectric is disposed within the first furrow, such that the dielectric is in contact with the first furrow between a first end of the dielectric and a second end of the dielectric. The first end is separated a first distance from the first plane. The dielectric disposed within the furrow increases the isolation of a channel portion of adjacent fins, and thus decreases current leakage of a FinFet, as compared to a FinFet including fins that do not include a dielectric disposed within a furrow.

A semiconductor device includes a first fin and a second fin arranged on a substrate, a gate stack arranged over a channel region of the first fin, and spacers arranged along sidewalls of the gate stack. A cavity is arranged adjacent to a distal end of the gate stack. The cavity is defined by the substrate, a distal end of the second fin, and the spacers. A dielectric fill material is arranged in the cavity such that the dielectric fill material contacts the substrate, the distal end of the second fin, and the spacers.

Semiconductor devices are provided. A semiconductor device includes a fin protruding from a substrate. Moreover, the semiconductor device includes first and second gate structures on the fin, and an isolation region between the first and second gate structures. The isolation region includes first and second portions having different respective widths. Related methods of forming semiconductor devices are also provided.

A method of forming a semiconductor device that includes providing regions of epitaxial oxide material on a substrate of a first lattice dimension, wherein regions of the epitaxial oxide material separate regions of epitaxial semiconductor material having a second lattice dimension are different than the first lattice dimension to provide regions of strained semiconductor. The regions of the strained semiconductor material are patterned to provide regions of strained fin structures. The epitaxial oxide that is present in the gate cut space obstructs relaxation of the strained fin structures. A gate structure is formed on a channel region of the strained fin structures separating source and drain regions of the fin structures.

A strained semiconductor layer is produced from a semiconductor layer extending on an insulating layer. A thermal oxidization is performed on the semiconductor layer across its entire thickness to form two bars extending in a direction of a transistor width. Insulating trenches are formed in a direction of a transistor length. A strain of the strained semiconductor layer is induced in one implementation before the thermal oxidation is performed. Alternatively, the strain is induced after the thermal oxidation is performed. The insulating trenches serve to release a component of the strain extending in the direction of transistor width. A component of the strain extending in the direction of transistor length is maintained. The bars and trenches delimit an active area of the transistor include source, drain and channel regions.