A semiconductor device and fabrication method are described for integrating I/O and core nanosheet transistors in a single nanosheet process flow by processing a stack of alternating first and second semiconductor structures formed on a substrate, where the first semiconductor structures located over a I/O thick oxide transistor region include a planar semiconductor channel layer sandwiched between upper and lower dielectric layers, and where the alternating first and second semiconductor structures are processed to form gate-all-around electrodes in a core transistor stack that are connected over a relatively thinner gate dielectric layer to control one or more first planar semiconductor channel layers in the core transistor stack, and to form gate-all-around electrodes in an I/O transistor stack that are connected over a relatively thicker gate dielectric layer to control one or more second planar semiconductor channel layers in the I/O transistor stack.

Provided are multi-gate devices and methods for fabricating such devices. A method includes forming a first gate structure and a second gate structure, wherein the first gate structure and the second gate structure have different structural configurations; performing a single etching process on the first gate structure and second gate structure to simultaneously form openings of different depths; and forming isolation material in the openings.

A semiconductor device may include: a field insulating layer; a first gate electrode disposed on the field insulating layer; a plurality of first nanosheets disposed in the first gate electrode; a second gate electrode disposed on the field insulating layer and forming a boundary with the first gate electrode; a plurality of second nanosheets disposed in the second gate electrode; and a gate pattern bridge disposed between the first gate electrode and the second gate electrode and contacting the boundary.

Provided is a semiconductor device that includes a first active pattern and a second active pattern on a substrate, the first active pattern spaced apart from the second active pattern in a first direction, and extending in a second direction, the second direction being different from the first direction, a lower channel pattern and a lower source/drain pattern on the first active pattern and alternately arranged in the second direction, an upper channel pattern on the lower channel pattern, and an upper source/drain pattern on the lower source/drain pattern, a gate pattern on first active pattern, the lower channel pattern, and the upper channel pattern, and a first active contact connected to the lower source/drain pattern, and a second active contact connected to the upper source/drain pattern.

A semiconductor structure includes: a substrate; and gate-all-around transistors on the substrate. Each gate-all-around transistor includes: a discrete protrusion on the substrate; a channel structure layer spaced apart from and suspended on the protrusion, including channel layers longitudinally stacked at intervals along a direction perpendicular to a surface of the substrate, a distance between the protrusion and a channel layer adjacent to the protrusion being larger than a distance between adjacent channel layers along the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate; a gate structure crossing the channel structure layer and surrounding each channel layer in the channel structure layer; a gate dielectric layer between the gate structure and the channel layers, and between the gate structure and the protrusion; and source-drain doped regions on the protrusion at two sides of the gate structure and in contact with ends of each channel layer along an extension direction.

A semiconductor device includes: a substrate including active patterns; a device isolation layer disposed between the active patterns; a stacked pattern disposed on the substrate; a power transmission network layer disposed on a first surface of the substrate; a first through via penetrating the stacked pattern; and a second through via disposed between the power transmission network layer and the first through via, wherein the second through via penetrates the active patterns and the device isolation layer.

Methods and devices are provided for enhanced contacts in vertical three-dimensional (3D) memory. Methods can include forming arrays of vertically stacked memory cells with horizontally oriented access devices and horizontally oriented storage nodes at each level of the vertical stack. Methods can include forming continuous, vertically oriented digit lines connected to the first source/drain regions of the horizontally oriented access devices, and forming contacts coupling the digit lines to logic components of the vertical three-dimensional (3D) memory. Forming the contacts can include forming a gettering material on upper surfaces of each digit line, and forming a conductive material on the gettering material.

Provided is a semiconductor device including: a substrate; an active pattern on an upper side of the substrate; a gate structure on and intersecting the active pattern; a source/drain pattern on a side face of the gate structure and connected to the active pattern; an etch stop layer extending along an upper side of the substrate and an outer face of the source/drain pattern; a back side source/drain contact in the substrate, the back side source/drain contact being connected to the source/drain pattern; and a back side wiring structure on a lower side of the substrate and connected to the back side source/drain contact, wherein the back side source/drain contact extends along a part of a side face of the source/drain pattern, and wherein a part of the back side source/drain contact farthest from the lower side of the substrate is in contact with the etch stop layer.

Systems, methods and apparatus are provided for an array of vertically stacked memory cells having horizontally oriented access devices and storage nodes. The horizontally oriented access devices having a first source/drain regions and a second source/drain regions separated by channel regions. Gates at the channel regions formed fully around every surface of the channel region as gate-all-around (GAA) structures separated from channel regions by gate dielectrics. The memory cells have horizontally oriented storage nodes connected to the second source/drain regions and digit lines connected to the first source/drain regions.

Horizontal gate-all-around devices and methods of manufacturing are described. The hGAA devices include a fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) under the channel layers in the same footprint as the hGAA. The buried dielectric isolation layer of the FD-SOI includes one or more of silicon oxide (SiOx), silicon nitride (SiN), silicon carbide (SiC), and a high-k material, and the buried dielectric isolation layer has a thickness in a range of from 0 nm to 10 nm.