A method for fabricating a multi-layer, crown-shaped MIM capacitor is provided. A base having therein a conductive region within a capacitor-forming region is formed. An IMD layer is deposited on the base to cover the capacitor-forming region. A capacitor trench is formed within the capacitor-forming region. The capacitor trench penetrates through the IMD layer, thereby exposing a portion of the conductive region. A concentric capacitor lower electrode structure is formed within the capacitor trench. The concentric capacitor lower electrode structure includes a first electrode and a second electrode surrounded by the first electrode. The first electrode is in direct contact with the conductive region. A conductive supporting pedestal is formed within the capacitor trench for fixing and electrically connecting bottom portions of the first and second electrodes. A capacitor dielectric layer conformally lining the first and second electrodes and a top surface of the conductive supporting pedestal is formed.

A method of forming a fin-shaped structure includes the following steps. A substrate having at least a fin structure thereon is provided. A liner is formed on sidewalls of the fin structure. An oxide layer is formed between the fin structure and the substrate. The fin structure is removed until a bottom layer of the fin structure is reserved, to form a recess between the liner. A buffer epitaxial layer and an epitaxial layer are sequentially formed in the recess. A top part of the liner is removed until sidewalls of the epitaxial layer are exposed. Moreover, a fin-shaped structure formed by said method is also provided.

A Semiconductor device and method for fabricating the same are provided. The method includes forming a trench in a substrate, forming a lower gate metal using a first gas, the lower gate metal burying at least a portion of the trench, forming a barrier metal on the lower gate metal, on the barrier metal, forming an upper gate metal using a second gas different from the first gas and forming a capping film on the gate metal, the capping film filling the trench.

A non-volatile memory device with a programmable leakage can be formed employing a trench capacitor. After formation of a deep trench, a metal-insulator-metal stack is formed on surfaces of the deep trench employing a dielectric material that develops leakage path filaments upon application of a programming bias voltage. A set of programming transistors and a leakage readout device can be formed to program, and to read, the state of the leakage level. The non-volatile memory device can be formed concurrently with formation of a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device by forming a plurality of deep trenches, depositing a stack of an outer metal layer and a node dielectric layer, patterning the node dielectric layer to provide a first node dielectric for each non-volatile memory device that is thinner than a second node dielectric for each DRAM device, and forming an inner metal layer.

A capacitive device includes a first electrode comprising a nanosheet stack, and a second electrode comprising a nanosheet stack, the second electrode arranged substantially parallel to the first electrode. A first conductive contact is arranged on a basal end of the first electrode, and a second conductive contact arranged on a basal end of the second electrode.

A gate structure is formed over a substrate. The gate structure includes a gate electrode and a hard mask located over the gate electrode. The hard mask comprises a first dielectric material. A first interlayer dielectric (ILD) is formed over the gate structure. The first ILD comprises a second dielectric material different from the first dielectric material. A first via is formed in the first ILD. Sidewalls of the first via are surrounded by spacers that comprise the first dielectric material. A second ILD is formed over the first ILD. A via hole is formed in the second ILD. The via hole exposes the first via. A protective layer is formed in the via hole. A bottom segment of the protective layer is removed. Thereafter, an etching process is performed. A remaining segment of the protective layer prevents an etching of the spacers during the etching process.

A plurality of fin structures containing, from bottom to top, a non-doped semiconductor portion and a second doped semiconductor portion of a first conductivity type, extend upwards from a surface of a first doped semiconductor portion of the first conductivity type. A trapping material (e.g., an electron-trapping material) is present along a bottom portion of sidewall surfaces of each non-doped semiconductor portion and on exposed portions of each first doped semiconductor portion. Functional gate structures straddle each fin structure. Metal lines are located above each fin structure and straddle each functional gate structure. Each metal line is orientated perpendicular to each functional gate structure and has a bottommost surface that is in direct physical contact with a portion of a topmost surface of each of the second doped semiconductor portions.

A method of forming a semiconductor device including a memory cell area having a plurality of memory cells and a peripheral circuit area for reading and writing data on the memory cells in the memory cell area of a semiconductor substrate is provided. Contact pads are formed on source/drain regions of transistors in the peripheral circuit area as well as in the memory cell area. The contact pads are concurrently formed on the source/drain regions of the transistors in the memory cell area and the peripheral circuit area. As a result, there is no step difference between the contact pads and, thus, it is easy to form metal contact plugs on the contact pads.

A semiconductor memory structure includes a substrate including a memory cell region and a cell edge region adjacent to the memory cell region. Active regions are formed in the substrate and in the memory cell region and the cell edge region. At least a dummy bit line is formed on the active regions in the cell edge region. The dummy bit line extends along a first direction and overlaps at least two active regions along a second direction. The dummy bit line further includes a first inner line portion and an outer line portion. The first inner line portion and the outer line portion extend along the first direction and a width of the first inner line portion is different from a width of the outer line portion.

A first transistor including a channel formation region, a first gate insulating layer, a first gate electrode, and a first source electrode and a first drain electrode; a second transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer, a second source electrode and a second drain electrode, a second gate insulating layer, and a second gate electrode; and a capacitor including one of the second source electrode and the second drain electrode, the second gate insulating layer, and an electrode provided to overlap with one of the second source electrode and the second drain electrode over the second gate insulating layer are provided. The first gate electrode and one of the second source electrode and the second drain electrode are electrically connected to each other.