The disclosed technology generally relates to ferroelectric materials and semiconductor devices, and more particularly to semiconductor memory devices incorporating doped polar materials. In one aspect, a semiconductor device comprises a capacitor, which in turn comprises a polar layer comprising a crystalline base polar material doped with a dopant. The base polar material includes one or more metal elements and one or both of oxygen or nitrogen, wherein the dopant comprises a metal element that is different from the one or more metal elements and is present at a concentration such that a ferroelectric switching voltage of the capacitor is different from that of the capacitor having the base polar material without being doped with the dopant by more than about 100 mV. The capacitor additionally comprises first and second crystalline conductive or semiconductive oxide electrodes on opposing sides of the polar layer, wherein the polar layer has a lattice constant that is matched within about 20% of a lattice constant of one or both of the first and second crystalline conductive or semiconductive oxide electrodes. The first crystalline conductive or semiconductive oxide electrode serves as a template for growing the polar layer thereon, such that at least a portion of the polar layer is pseudomorphically formed on the first crystalline conductive or semiconductive oxide electrode.

The disclosure provides structures and methods to provide a discontinuous barrier film between an emitter and base of a bipolar transistor. A structure according to the disclosure includes a discontinuous barrier film vertically interposed between an emitter and a base of a heterojunction bipolar transistor. Methods of the disclosure include: forming a collector terminal within a semiconductor substrate; forming a base terminal on the collector terminal; forming a discontinuous barrier film on the base terminal; and forming an emitter terminal over the base terminal and the discontinuous barrier film to define a bipolar transistor. The discontinuous barrier film is vertically interposed between the emitter terminal and the base of the bipolar transistor.

The disclosed technology generally relates to ferroelectric materials and semiconductor devices, and more particularly to semiconductor memory devices incorporating doped polar materials. In one aspect, a capacitor comprises a crystalline polar layer comprising a base polar material substitutionally doped with a dopant. The base polar material comprises one or more metal elements and one or both of oxygen or nitrogen. The dopant comprises a metal element of one of 4d series, 5d series, 4f series or 5f series that is different from the one or more metal elements, such that a ferroelectric switching voltage of the capacitor is different from that of the capacitor having the base polar material without being doped with the dopant by more than about 100 mV.

Aspects disclosed in the detailed description include an impure Indium Phosphide (InP) semiconductor substrate. Related apparatus and methods are also disclosed. In this regard, in some exemplary aspects disclosed herein, a semiconductor substrate comprising a silicon layer and an impure InP layer adjacent to the silicon layer. The impure InP layer may be epitaxially grown on a Silicon (Si) nanoridge base or directly bonded to the silicon layer after being epitaxially grown and cleaved. Utilizing an impure InP layer advantageously provides structural strength to be deployed in a 300 millimeter wafer process while achieving the electrical and thermal characteristic of InP it provides in a semiconductor substrate.

A semiconductor device, such as a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT), may include an extrinsic base region an intrinsic base region, and a lateral base link region disposed between and in contact with each of the extrinsic base region and an intrinsic base region. The extrinsic base region, the lateral base link region, and a portion of the intrinsic base region each may be formed on a passivation layer disposed over an isolation region and a collector region of a substrate of the semiconductor device. The extrinsic base region and a first portion of the lateral base link region may be formed from polycrystalline semiconductor material. The intrinsic base region and a second portion of the lateral base link region may be formed from monocrystalline semiconductor material. The lateral base link region may be formed after formation of the extrinsic base region and the intrinsic base region.

The disclosed technology generally relates to ferroelectric materials and semiconductor devices, and more particularly to semiconductor memory devices incorporating doped polar materials. In one aspect, a semiconductor device comprises a capacitor which in turn comprises a polar layer comprising a base polar material doped with a dopant. The base polar material includes one or more metal elements and one or both of oxygen or nitrogen. The dopant comprises a metal element that is different from the one or more metal elements and is present at a concentration such that a ferroelectric switching voltage of the capacitor is different from that of the capacitor having the base polar material without being doped with the dopant by more than about 100 mV. The capacitor stack additionally comprises first and second crystalline conductive oxide electrodes on opposing sides of the polar layer. The capacitor stack further comprises first and second barrier metal layers on respective ones of the first and second crystalline conductive oxide electrodes on opposing sides of the polar layer.

Described herein are various amorphous metal thin film transistors. Embodiments of such transistors include an amorphous metal gate electrode and a channel conductor formed on a non-conducting substrate. Further embodiments of such transistors include an amorphous metal source electrode, an amorphous metal drain electrode, and a channel conductor formed on a non-conducting substrate. Methods of forming such transistors are also described.