A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device of an embodiment includes: forming a first film on a semiconductor layer containing silicon (Si), the first film containing a metal element and oxygen (O) and having a first thickness; and forming a second film between the semiconductor layer and the first film using radical oxidation, the second film containing silicon (Si) and oxygen (O) and having a second thickness larger than the first thickness.

A semiconductor device with different configurations of gate structures and a method of fabricating the same are disclosed. The method includes forming a fin structure on a substrate, forming a gate opening on the fin structure, forming an interfacial oxide layer on the fin structure, forming a first dielectric layer over the interfacial oxide layer, forming a dipole layer between the interfacial oxide layer and the first dielectric layer, forming a second dielectric layer on the first dielectric layer, forming a work function metal (WFM) layer on the second dielectric layer, and forming a gate metal fill layer on the WFM layer. The dipole layer includes ions of first and second metals that are different from each other. The first and second metals have electronegativity values greater than an electronegativity value of a metal or a semiconductor of the first dielectric layer.

A semiconductor device with different configurations of gate structures and a method of fabricating the same are disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a first gate structure and a second gate structure. The first gate structure includes a first interfacial oxide (IO) layer, a first high-K (HK) dielectric layer disposed on the first interfacial oxide layer, and a first dipole layer disposed at an interface between the first IL layer and the first HK dielectric layer. The HK dielectric layer includes a rare-earth metal dopant or an alkali metal dopant. The second gate structure includes a second IL layer, a second HK dielectric layer disposed on the second IL layer, and a second dipole layer disposed at an interface between the second IL layer and the second HK dielectric layer. The second HK dielectric layer includes a transition metal dopant and the rare-earth metal dopant or the alkali metal dopant.

A gate structure of a field effect transistor includes a first gate dielectric layer, a second gate dielectric layer, and one or more conductive layers disposed over the first gate dielectric layer and the second gate dielectric layer. The first gate dielectric layer is separated from the second gate dielectric layer by a gap filled with a diffusion blocking layer.

The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor structure and a manufacturing method thereof. The method includes providing a substrate, where the substrate includes a device region and a peripheral region; and forming a bit line structure in the device region, and forming a transistor structure in the peripheral region, where the transistor structure includes a gate structure, and the bit line structure includes a bit line conductive layer and a bit line protective layer; the gate structure includes a gate oxide layer, a high-k dielectric layer, a gate conductive layer and a gate protective layer; the gate conductive layer and the bit line conductive layer are obtained by patterning a same conductive material layer, and the bit line protective layer and the gate protective layer are obtained by patterning a same protective material layer.

A semiconductor device includes a first transistor and a second transistor. The first transistor includes first and second diffusion regions in a substrate, a first gate insulating film over the substrate, a first gate electrode over the first gate insulating film; first and second silicide layers on the first and second diffusion regions, respectively; and a first gate silicide layer on the first gate electrode. The second transistor includes third and fourth diffusion regions in the substrate; a second gate insulating film over the substrate; a second gate electrode over the second gate insulating film; and a second gate silicide layer on the second gate electrode. The second gate insulating film is thicker than the first gate insulating film, and at least a part of the third diffusion region and at least a part of the fourth diffusion region are covered by the second gate insulating film.

A system and method may determine the operating parameters, such as voltages, of MOS transistors within a circuit design by testing or simulation, for example and may identify a MOS transistor operating with its drain voltage higher than its gate voltage in the circuit. The design system and method may substitute a smaller transistor, having a high-k dielectric layer, for the original transistor in the circuit design.

The disclosed subject matter provides a semiconductor structure and fabrication method thereof. In a semiconductor structure, a dielectric layer, a plurality of discrete gate structures, and a plurality of sidewall spacers are formed on a semiconductor substrate. The plurality of discrete gate structures and sidewall spacers are formed in the dielectric layer, and a sidewall spacer is formed on each side of each gate structure. A top portion of each gate structure and a top portion of the dielectric layer between neighboring sidewall spacers of neighboring gate structures are removed. A protective layer is formed on each of the remaining dielectric layer and the remaining gate structures. Contact holes are formed on the semiconductor substrate, between neighboring sidewall spacers, and on opposite sides of the protective layer on the remaining dielectric layer. A metal plug is formed in each contact hole.

An integrated circuit includes a first domain supplied with power at a first supply voltage. A first transistor comprising in the first domain includes a first gate region and a first gate dielectric region. A second domain is supply with power at a second supply voltage and includes a second transistor having a second gate region and a second gate dielectric region, the second gate region being biased at a voltage that is higher than the first supply voltage. The first and second gate dielectric regions have the same composition, wherein that composition configures the first transistor in a permanently turned off condition in response to a gate bias voltage lower than or equal to the first supply voltage. The second transistor is a floating gate memory cell transistor, with the second gate dielectric region located between the floating and control gates.

A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, comprising the following steps: providing a semiconductor substrate comprising a low-voltage device region and a high-voltage device region; forming first gate oxide layers in a non-gate region of the high-voltage device region and the low-voltage device region and a second gate oxide layer in a gate region of the high-voltage device region; the thickness of the second gate oxide layer is greater than the thickness of the first gate oxide layer; forming a first polysilicon gate and a first sidewall structure on the surface of the first gate oxide layer of the low-voltage device region and a second polysilicon gate and a second sidewall structure on the surface of the second gate oxide layer; the width of the second gate oxide layer is greater than the width of the second polysilicon gate; performing source drain ions injection to form a source drain extraction region; after depositing a metal silicide area block (SAB), performing a photolithographic etching on the metal SAB and forming metal silicide. The above manufacturing method of a semiconductor device simplifies process steps and reduces process cost. The present invention also relates to a semiconductor device.