A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming M_1st segments in a first metallization layer including: forming first and second M_1st segments for which corresponding long axes extend in a first direction and are substantially collinear, the first and second M_1st segments being free from another instance of M_1st segment being between the first and second M_1st segments; and (A) where the first and second M_1st segments are designated for corresponding voltage values having a difference equal to or less than a reference value, separating the first and second M_1st segments by a first gap; or (B) where the first and second M_1st segments are designated for corresponding voltage values having a difference greater than the reference value, separating the first and second M_1st segments by a second gap, a second size of the second gap being greater than a first size of the first gap.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a pair of semiconductor fins, a dummy fin structure, a gate structure, a plurality of source/drain structures, a crystalline hard mask layer, and an amorphous hard mask layer. The pair of semiconductor fins extend upwardly from the substrate. The dummy fin structure extends upwardly above the substrate and is laterally between the pair of semiconductor fins. The gate structure extends across the pair of semiconductor fins and the dummy fin structure. The source/drain structures are above the pair of semiconductor fins and on either side of the gate structure. The crystalline hard mask layer extends upwardly from the dummy fin and has an U-shaped cross section. The amorphous hard mask layer is in the first hard mask layer, wherein the amorphous hard mask layer having an U-shaped cross section conformal to the U-shaped cross section of the crystalline hard mask layer.

A semiconductor structure includes a first FinFET device disposed over a substrate, a second FinFET device disposed over the substrate, and an isolation structure. The first FinFET device includes at least a first fin and a first metal gate structure over the first fin. The second FinFET device includes at least a second fin and a second metal gate structure over the second fin. The isolation structure is disposed between the first metal gate structure and the second metal gate structure. The isolation structure includes a dielectric feature and a dielectric layer. The dielectric layer is between the dielectric feature and the first metal gate structure, between the dielectric feature and the second metal gate structure, and between the dielectric feature and the substrate. The dielectric feature and the dielectric layer include different materials and different thicknesses.

Provided is an integrated circuit including standard cells arranged over a plurality of rows. The standard cells may include: a plurality of functional cells each implemented as a logic circuit; and a plurality of filler cells including at least one first filler cell and at least one second filler cell that each include at least one pattern from among a back end of line (BEOL) pattern, a middle of line (MOL) pattern, and a front end of line (FEOL) pattern, and wherein the at least one first filler cell and the at least one second filler cell have a same size as each other, and a density of one of the at least one pattern of the at least one first filler cell is different from a density of one of the at least one pattern of the at least one second filler cell.

A method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming a source/drain region on a substrate, depositing a metal-rich metal silicide layer on the source/drain region, depositing a silicon-rich metal silicide layer on the metal-rich metal silicide layer, and forming a contact plug on the silicon-rich metal silicide layer. This disclosure also describes a semiconductor device including a fin structure on a substrate, a source/drain region on the fin structure, a metal-rich metal silicide layer on the source/drain region, a silicon-rich metal silicide layer on the metal-rich metal silicide layer, and a contact plug on the silicon-rich metal silicide layer.

An integrated circuit device includes a device isolation trench defining an active area, a gate trench extending in a first direction across the active area and the device isolation film, a gate dielectric film covering an inner wall of the gate trench, and a conductive line filling a part of the gate trench above the gate dielectric film. The active area includes a fin body portion located under the conductive line, and a thinner fin portion protruding from the fin body portion toward the conductive line and having a width less than a width of the fin body portion in the first direction.

An integrated circuit (IC) includes: a first cell including an input pin and an output pin extending in a first direction; a second cell adjacent to the first cell in the first direction and including an input pin and an output pin extending in the first direction; a first cell isolation layer extending between the first cell and the second cell in a second direction crossing the first direction; and a first wire extending in the first direction, overlapping the first cell isolation layer, and being connected to the output pin of the first cell and the input pin of the second cell, wherein the output pin of the first cell, the input pin of the second cell, and the first wire are formed in a first conductive layer as a first pattern extending in the first direction.

A device includes a plurality of fin structures that each protrude vertically upwards out of a substrate and each extend in a first direction in a top view. A gate structure is disposed over the fin structures. The gate structure extends in a second direction in the top view. The second direction is different from the first direction. The fin structures have a fin pitch equal to a sum of: a dimension of one of the fin structures in the second direction and a distance between an adjacent pair of the fin structures in the second direction. An end segment of the gate structure extends beyond an edge of a closest one of the fin structures in the second direction. The end segment has a tapered profile in the top view or is at least 4 times as long as the fin pitch in the second direction.

A device includes standard cells in a layout of an integrated circuit, the standard cells includes first and second standard cells sharing a first active region and a second active region. The first standard cell includes first and second gates. The first gate includes a first gate finger and a second gate finger that are arranged over the first active region, for forming the first transistor and the second transistor. The second gate is separate from the first gate, the second gate includes a third gate finger and a fourth gate finger that are arranged over the second active region, for forming the third transistor and the fourth transistor. The second standard cell includes a third gate arranged over the first active region and the second active region, for forming the fifth transistor and the sixth transistor. The first to fourth transistors operate as an electrostatic discharge protection circuit.

A semiconductor device includes a first active region, a second active region spaced apart from the first active region, a plurality of first channel layers disposed on the first active region, and a second channel layer disposed on the second active region. The semiconductor device further includes a first gate structure intersecting the first active region and the first channel layers, a second gate structure intersecting the second active region and the second channel layer, a first source/drain region disposed on the first active region and contacting the plurality of first channel layers, and a second source/drain region and contacting the second channel layer. The plurality of first channel layers includes a first uppermost channel layer and first lower channel layers disposed below the first uppermost channel layer, and the first uppermost channel layer includes a material that is different from a material included in the first lower channel layers.