A method of forming a semiconductor device includes providing a substrate having a patterned film including manganese; depositing a graphene layer over exposed surfaces of the patterned film; depositing a dielectric layer containing silicon and oxygen over the graphene layer; and heat-treating the substrate to form a manganese-containing diffusion barrier region between the graphene layer and the dielectric layer.

A semiconductor device includes a lower structure including a substrate and a cell structure on the substrate and a plurality of interconnection layers, which are stacked on the lower structure in a first direction extending perpendicular to a top surface of the substrate. An uppermost interconnection layer of the plurality of interconnection layers includes uppermost conductive lines. Each of the uppermost conductive lines includes a lower metal compound pattern, a metal pattern, an upper metal compound pattern, and a capping pattern, which are sequentially stacked in the first direction. The lower metal compound pattern, the metal pattern, and the upper metal compound pattern include a same metallic element.

A semiconductor device includes a porous dielectric layer including a recessed portion, a conductive layer formed in the recessed portion, and a cap layer formed on the porous dielectric layer and on the conductive layer in the recessed portion, an upper surface of the porous dielectric layer being exposed through a gap in the cap layer.

Embodiments herein provide for oxygen based treatment of low-k dielectric layers deposited using a flowable chemical vapor deposition (FCVD) process. Oxygen based treatment of the FCVD deposited low-k dielectric layers desirably increases the Ebd to capacitance and reliability of the devices while removing voids. Embodiments include methods and apparatus for making a semiconductor device including: etching a metal layer disposed atop a substrate to form one or more metal lines having a top surface, a first side, and a second side; depositing a passivation layer atop the top surface, the first side, and the second side under conditions sufficient to reduce or eliminate oxygen contact with the one or more metal lines; depositing a flowable layer of low-k dielectric material atop the passivation layer in a thickness sufficient to cover the one or more metal lines; and contacting the flowable layer of low-k dielectric material with oxygen under conditions sufficient to anneal and increase a density of the low-k dielectric material.

A semiconductor device includes a gate structure on a substrate, an offset spacer adjacent to the gate structure, a main spacer around the offset spacer, a source/drain region adjacent to two sides of the main spacer, a contact etch stop layer (CESL) adjacent to the main spacer, and an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer around the CESL. Preferably, a dielectric constant of the offset spacer is higher than a dielectric constant of the main spacer.