Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. The method includes: forming a gate insulating material layer on a substrate; forming a gate material layer on the gate insulating material layer; and performing an etching process on the gate material layer and the gate insulating material layer to form a gate layer and a gate insulating layer. The gate insulating layer and the gate layer each include a first end and a second end opposite to each other in a direction parallel to a channel length. The first end of the gate insulating layer is recessed inwards by a preset length relative to the first end of the gate layer, and the second end of the gate insulating layer is recessed inwards by the preset length relative to the second end of the gate layer.

A fin field effect transistor (Fin FET) device includes a fin structure extending in a first direction and protruding from an isolation insulating layer disposed over a substrate. The fin structure includes a well layer, an oxide layer disposed over the well layer and a channel layer disposed over the oxide layer. The Fin FET device includes a gate structure covering a portion of the fin structure and extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The Fin FET device includes a source and a drain. Each of the source and drain includes a stressor layer disposed in recessed portions formed in the fin structure. The stressor layer extends above the recessed portions and applies a stress to a channel layer of the fin structure under the gate structure. The Fin FET device includes a dielectric layer formed in contact with the oxide layer and the stressor layer in the recessed portions.

A method for smoothing a surface of a semiconductor portion is disclosed. In the method, an intentional oxide layer is formed on the surface of the semiconductor portion, a treated layer is formed in the semiconductor portion and inwardly of the intentional oxide layer, and then, the intentional oxide layer and the treated layer are removed to obtain a smoothed surface. The method may also be used for widening a recess in a manufacturing process for a semiconductor structure.

Some embodiments include a NAND memory array having a vertical stack of alternating insulative levels and conductive levels. The conductive levels include control gate regions and include second regions proximate to the control gate regions. High-k dielectric structures are directly against the control gate regions and extend entirely across the insulative levels. Charge-blocking material is adjacent to the high-k dielectric structures. Charge-storage material is adjacent to the charge-blocking material. The charge-storage material is configured as segments which are vertically stacked one atop another, and which are vertically spaced from one another. Gate-dielectric material is adjacent to the charge-storage material. Channel material extends vertically along the stack and is adjacent to the gate-dielectric material. Some embodiments include integrated assemblies, and methods of forming integrated assemblies.

A method used in forming an array of memory cells comprises forming lines of top-source/drain-region material, bottom-source/drain-region material, and channel-region material vertically there-between in rows in a first direction. The lines are spaced from one another in a second direction. The top-source/drain-region material, bottom-source/drain-region material, and channel-region material have respective opposing sides. The channel-region material on its opposing sides is laterally recessed in the second direction relative to the top-source/drain-region material and the bottom-source/drain-region material on their opposing sides to form a pair of lateral recesses in the opposing sides of the channel-region material in individual of the rows. After the pair of lateral recesses are formed, the lines of the top-source/drain-region material, the channel-region material, and the bottom-source/drain-region material are patterned in the second direction to comprise pillars of individual transistors. Rows of wordlines are formed in the first direction that individually are operatively aside the channel-region material of individual of the pillars in the pairs of lateral recesses and that interconnect the transistors in that individual row. Other embodiments, including structure independent of method, are disclosed.

An etching method includes preparing a substrate having an etching target portion formed on a silicon-containing portion, plasma-etching the etching target portion of the substrate into a predetermined pattern by plasma of a processing gas containing a CF-based gas, and removing a damage layer formed due to implantation of C and F into the silicon-containing portion exposed at a bottom of the predetermined pattern by the plasma etching. The removing of the damage layer includes forming an oxide of the damage layer by supplying oxygen-containing radicals and fluorine-containing radicals and oxidizing the damage layer with the oxygen-containing radicals while etching the damage layer with the fluorine-containing radicals, and removing the oxide by a radical treatment or a chemical treatment with a gas.

An integrated circuit device is provided that includes a first fin structure and a second fin structure extending from a substrate. The first fin structure is a first composition, and includes rounded corners. The second fin structure is a second composition, different than the first composition. A first interface layer is formed directly on the first fin structure including the rounded corners and a second interface layer directly on the second fin structure. The first interface layer is an oxide of the first composition and the second interface layer is an oxide of the second composition. A gate dielectric layer is formed over the first interface layer and the second interface layer.

Various embodiments of the present application are directed towards a method to integrate NVM devices with a logic or BCD device. In some embodiments, an isolation structure is formed in a semiconductor substrate. The isolation structure demarcates a memory region of the semiconductor substrate, and further demarcates a peripheral region of the semiconductor substrate. The peripheral region may, for example, correspond to BCD device or a logic device. A doped well is formed in the peripheral region. A dielectric seal layer is formed covering the memory and peripheral regions, and further covering the doped well. The dielectric seal layer is removed from the memory region, but not the peripheral region. A memory cell structure is formed on the memory region using a thermal oxidation process. The dielectric seal layer is removed from the peripheral region, and a peripheral device structure including a gate electrode is formed on the peripheral region.

Semiconductor device and the manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. An exemplary method comprises forming a first stack structure and a second stack structure in a first area over a substrate, wherein each of the stack structures includes semiconductor layers separated and stacked up; depositing a first interfacial layer around each of the semiconductor layers of the stack structures; depositing a gate dielectric layer around the first interfacial layer; forming a dipole oxide layer around the gate dielectric layer; removing the dipole oxide layer around the gate dielectric layer of the second stack structure; performing an annealing process to form a dipole gate dielectric layer for the first stack structure and a non-dipole gate dielectric layer for the second stack structure; and depositing a first gate electrode around the dipole gate dielectric layer of the first stack structure and the non-dipole gate dielectric layer of the second stack structure.

The present disclosure provides a method of forming N-type and P-type source/drain features using one patterned mask and one self-aligned mask to increase windows of error tolerance and provide flexibilities for source/drain features of various shapes and/or volumes. The present disclosure also includes forming a trench between neighboring source/drain features to remove bridging between the neighboring source/drain features. In some embodiments, the trenches between the source/drain features are formed by etching from the backside of the substrate.