Strain relief trenches may be formed in a substrate prior to growth of an epitaxial layer on the substrate. The trenches may reduce the stresses and strains on the epitaxial layer that occur during the epitaxial growth process due to differences in material properties (e.g., lattice mismatches, differences in thermal expansion coefficients, and/or the like) between the epitaxial layer material and the substrate material. The stress and strain relief provided by the trenches may reduce or eliminate cracks and/or other types of defects in the epitaxial layer and the substrate, may reduce and/or eliminate bowing and warping of the substrate, may reduce breakage of the substrate, and/or the like. This may increase the center-to-edge quality of the epitaxial layer, may permit epitaxial layers to be grown on larger substrates, and/or the like.

Strain relief trenches may be formed in a substrate prior to growth of an epitaxial layer on the substrate. The trenches may reduce the stresses and strains on the epitaxial layer that occur during the epitaxial growth process due to differences in material properties (e.g., lattice mismatches, differences in thermal expansion coefficients, and/or the like) between the epitaxial layer material and the substrate material. The stress and strain relief provided by the trenches may reduce or eliminate cracks and/or other types of defects in the epitaxial layer and the substrate, may reduce and/or eliminate bowing and warping of the substrate, may reduce breakage of the substrate, and/or the like. This may increase the center-to-edge quality of the epitaxial layer, may permit epitaxial layers to be grown on larger substrates, and/or the like.

A method of manipulating deposition rates of poly-silicon and a method of manufacturing a silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) device are provided. The method of manipulating deposition rates of poly-silicon includes: providing a substrate, where a first surface of the substrate includes at least two of an oxide material region, a silicon nitride material region and a silicon material region; performing a first treatment on the first surface of the substrate, so as to manipulate the deposition rates of poly-silicon on different regions of the first surface to be closer; and forming a poly-silicon layer on the first surface of the substrate.

A method for filling recessed features with a low-resistivity metal. The method includes providing a patterned substrate containing a recessed feature formed in a first layer and a second layer that is exposed in the recessed feature, and pre-treating the substrate with a surface modifier that increases metal deposition selectivity on the second layer relative to on the first layer, depositing a metal layer on the substrate by vapor phase deposition, where the metal layer is preferentially deposited on the second layer in the recessed feature, and removing metal nuclei deposited on the first layer, including on a field area and on sidewalls of the first layer in the recessed feature, to selectively form the metal layer on the second layer in the recessed feature. The steps of pre-treating, depositing and removing may be repeated at least once to increase a thickness of the metal layer in the recessed feature.

A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes forming a first material over a base material by vapor phase epitaxy. The first material has a crystalline portion and an amorphous portion. The amorphous portion of the first material is removed by abrasive planarization. At least a second material is formed by vapor phase epitaxy over the crystalline portion of first material. The second material has a crystalline portion and an amorphous portion. The amorphous portion of the second material is removed by abrasive planarization. A semiconductor structure formed by such a method includes the substrate, the first material, the second material, and optionally, an oxide material between the first material and the second material. The substrate, the first material, and the second material define a continuous crystalline structure. Semiconductor structures, memory devices, and systems are also disclosed.

A method for filling recessed features with a low-resistivity metal. The method includes providing a patterned substrate containing a recessed feature formed in a first layer and a second layer that is exposed in the recessed feature, and pre-treating the substrate with a surface modifier that increases metal deposition selectivity on the second layer relative to on the first layer, depositing a metal layer on the substrate by vapor phase deposition, where the metal layer is preferentially deposited on the second layer in the recessed feature, and removing metal nuclei deposited on the first layer, including on a field area and on sidewalls of the first layer in the recessed feature, to selectively form the metal layer on the second layer in the recessed feature. The steps of pre-treating, depositing and removing may be repeated at least once to increase a thickness of the metal layer in the recessed feature.

A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes forming a first material over a base material by vapor phase epitaxy. The first material has a crystalline portion and an amorphous portion. The amorphous portion of the first material is removed by abrasive planarization. At least a second material is formed by vapor phase epitaxy over the crystalline portion of first material. The second material has a crystalline portion and an amorphous portion. The amorphous portion of the second material is removed by abrasive planarization. A semiconductor structure formed by such a method includes the substrate, the first material, the second material, and optionally, an oxide material between the first material and the second material. The substrate, the first material, and the second material define a continuous crystalline structure. Semiconductor structures, memory devices, and systems are also disclosed.

A method of forming an aluminum nitride film includes: preparing a substrate that comprises, in a surface thereof, a plurality of concave portions that are separated from each other; forming an aluminum nitride film on said surface of the substrate and on an inner surface of each of the concave portions such that open holes are formed in a portion of the aluminum nitride film corresponding to each of the concave portions, each of the holes being smaller than each of openings of the concave portions; and applying heat treatment to the substrate with the aluminum nitride film formed thereon in a nitrogen gas containing a carbon monoxide gas to close the holes formed in the aluminum nitride film.

Electrical devices operating in a range of 273 C. to 100 C. are disclosed. The devices include an insulating substrate. A UO.sub.2+x crystal or oriented crystal UO.sub.2+x film is on a first portion of the substrate. The UO.sub.2+x crystal or film originates and hosts a non-equilibrium polaronic quantum phase-condensate. A first lead on a second portion of the substrate is in electrical contact with the UO.sub.2+x crystal or film. A second lead on a third portion of the surface is in electrical contact with the UO.sub.2+x crystal or film. The leads are isolated from each other. A UO.sub.2+x excitation source is in operable communication with the UO.sub.2+X crystal or film. The source is configured to polarize a region of the crystal or film thereby activating the non-equilibrium quantum phase-condensate. One source state causes the UO.sub.2+X crystal or film to be conducting. Another source state causes the UO.sub.2+x crystal or film to be non-conductive.

A p-channel tri-gate transistor has a silicon fin that protrudes from a bulk silicon substrate, a thin silicon-germanium active layer is formed on three sidewalls of the silicon fin, and a hole well is formed between the gate insulating film and the silicon fin in the active layer surrounded by the tri-gate by a valence band offset electric potential against the silicon fin for moving holes collected in the hole well along the active layer with a high hole-mobility. Thus, it is possible to have the effects of not only an ultra-high speed, low power operation, but also a body biasing through an integral structure of the silicon fin-body. The p-channel tri-gate transistor can be fabricated together with an n-channel FinFET transistor in one substrate by the same CMOS process.