Methods of forming an oxide layer over a semiconductor substrate are provided. The method includes forming a first oxide containing portion of the oxide layer over a semiconductor substrate at a first growth rate by exposing the substrate to a first gas mixture having a first oxygen percentage at a first temperature. A second oxide containing portion is formed over the substrate at a second growth rate by exposing the substrate to a second gas mixture having a second oxygen percentage at a second temperature. A third oxide containing portion is formed over the substrate at a third growth rate by exposing the substrate to a third gas mixture having a third oxygen percentage at a third temperature. The first growth rate is slower than each subsequent growth rate and each growth rate subsequent to the second growth rate is within 50% of each other.

A semiconductor device includes first transistor having a first gate stack and first source/drain regions on opposing sides of the first gate stack; a second transistor having a second gate stack and second source/drain regions on opposing sides of the second gate stack; and a gate isolation structure separating the first gate stack from the second gate stack. The gate isolation structure includes a dielectric liner having a varied thickness along sidewalls of the first gate stack and the second gate stack and a dielectric fill material over the dielectric liner, wherein the dielectric fill material comprises a seam.

A method for forming a semiconductor device structure is provided. The semiconductor device includes forming nanowire structures stacked over a substrate and spaced apart from one another, and forming a dielectric material surrounding the nanowire structures. The dielectric material has a first nitrogen concentration. The method also includes treating the dielectric material to form a treated portion. The treated portion of the dielectric material has a second nitrogen concentration that is greater than the first nitrogen concentration. The method also includes removing the treating portion of the dielectric material, thereby remaining an untreated portion of the dielectric material as inner spacer layers; and forming the gate stack surrounding nanowire structures and between the inner spacer layers.

To manufacture an integrated circuit (IC) device, a structure in which a first material film including silicon atoms and nitrogen atoms and a second material film devoid of nitrogen atoms is formed on a substrate. A carbonyl compound having a functional group without an α-hydrogen is applied to the structure, and thus, an inhibitor is selectively formed only on an exposed surface of the first material film from among the first material film and the second material film.

There is provided a technique that includes (a) forming a first film having a first thickness on an underlayer by supplying a first process gas not including oxidizing gas to a substrate, wherein the first film contains silicon, carbon, and nitrogen and does not contain oxygen, and the underlayer is exposed on a surface of the substrate and is at least one selected from the group of a conductive metal-element-containing film and a nitride film; and (b) forming a second film having a second thickness larger than the first thickness on the first film by supplying a second process gas including oxidizing gas to the substrate, wherein the second film contains silicon, oxygen, and nitrogen, and wherein in (b), oxygen atoms derived from the oxidizing gas and diffuse from a surface of the first film toward the underlayer are absorbed by the first film and the first film is modified.

Provided is an etching method that can ameliorate defects caused by etching during processing contact holes in a semiconductor device. The etching method includes attracting and adhering a first polymerization film onto an insulating film disposed on a semiconductor layer that contains silicon by plasma of a first gas, removing the first polymerization film by plasma of a second gas, and simultaneously, oxidizing an upper surface of the insulating film to form an alteration layer, attracting and adhering a second polymerization film onto the alteration layer by plasma of a third gas, and removing the second polymerization film and the alteration layer by plasma of a fourth gas.

A method for making a semiconductor device includes forming a ROX layer on a substrate and a patterned silicon oxynitride layer on the patterned ROX layer; conformally forming a dielectric oxide layer to cover the substrate, the patterned silicon oxynitride layer, and the patterned ROX layer; and fully oxidizing the patterned silicon oxynitride layer to form a fully oxidized gate oxide layer on the substrate.

A method includes forming a silicon liner over a semiconductor device, which includes a dummy gate structure disposed over a substrate and S/D features disposed adjacent to the dummy gate structure, where the dummy gate structure traverses a channel region between the S/D features. The method further includes forming an ILD layer over the silicon liner, which includes elemental silicon, introducing a dopant species to the ILD layer, and subsequently removing the dummy gate structure to form a gate trench. Thereafter, the method proceeds to performing a thermal treatment to the doped ILD layer, thereby oxidizing the silicon liner, and forming a metal gate stack in the gate trench and over the oxidized silicon liner.

There is provided a technique that includes (a) forming a first film having a first thickness on an underlayer by supplying a first process gas not including oxidizing gas to a substrate, wherein the first film contains silicon, carbon, and nitrogen and does not contain oxygen, and the underlayer is exposed on a surface of the substrate and is at least one selected from the group of a conductive metal-element-containing film and a nitride film; and (b) forming a second film having a second thickness larger than the first thickness on the first film by supplying a second process gas including oxidizing gas to the substrate, wherein the second film contains silicon, oxygen, and nitrogen, and wherein in (b), oxygen atoms derived from the oxidizing gas and diffuse from a surface of the first film toward the underlayer are absorbed by the first film and the first film is modified.

A method includes forming a protruding structure, and forming a non-conformal film on the protruding structure using an Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) process. The non-conformal film includes a top portion directly over the protruding structure, and a sidewall portion on a sidewall of the protruding structure. The top portion has a first thickness, and the sidewall portion has a second thickness smaller than the first thickness.