IP Library Granted Patent US 12713668
Granted Patent B2
US 12713668 · App. 17/811,315 · Granted Aug 18, 2026

Single diffusion break

Inventors: Ruilong Xie (Niskayuna, NY); Chanro Park (Clifton Park, NY); Kangguo Cheng (Schenectady, NY); Julien Frougier (Albany, NY); Min Gyu Sung (Latham, NY)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
H10D62/121H10D30/014H10D30/43H10D30/6757H10D62/151H10D64/017H10D64/021H10D84/013H10D84/0147H10D84/038
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12713668
App. No.
17/811,315
Granted
Aug 18, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments of present invention provide a semiconductor structure. The semiconductor structure includes a first transistor, a second transistor, and a third transistor separated by their respective source/drain regions; and a diffusion break between the second transistor and the third transistor, wherein a first distance between a center of a gate of the first transistor and a center of a gate of the second transistor is more than half of a second distance between the center of the gate of the second transistor and a center of a gate of the third transistor. A method of manufacturing the semiconductor structure is also provided.

Claims (21)

1 . A semiconductor structure comprising:

a first transistor, a second transistor, and a third transistor separated by their respective source/drain regions; and

a diffusion break between the second transistor and the third transistor,

wherein the second transistor has a first source/drain region shared with the first transistor, and has a second source/drain region at a first side of the diffusion break and in direct contact with the diffusion break; and wherein the third transistor has a first source/drain region at a second side of the diffusion break and in direct contact with the diffusion break, the second side being opposite the first side;

wherein a first distance between a center of a gate of the first transistor and a center of a gate of the second transistor is more than half of a second distance between the center of the gate of the second transistor and a center of a gate of the third transistor.

2 . The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the diffusion break has a width and the gates of the first, second, and third transistors have a length, wherein the width of the diffusion break is smaller than the length of the gates.

3 . The semiconductor structure of claim 2 , wherein the first, second, and third transistors have their respective sidewall spacers, wherein two opposing sidewall spacers of the first transistor and the second transistor has a first gap and two opposing sidewall spacers of the second transistor and the third transistor has a second gap, and wherein the second gap equals two times the first gap plus the width of the diffusion break.

4 . The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the diffusion break is adjacent to a source/drain (S/D) epi region of the second transistor and adjacent to a S/D epi region of the third transistor.

5 . The semiconductor structure of claim 4 , wherein the diffusion break extends into a substrate underneath the second and third transistors to separate the S/D epi region of the second transistor from the S/D epi region of the third transistor.

6 . The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , further comprising a fourth transistor next to the third transistor, wherein a third distance between the center of the gate of the third transistor and a center of a gate of the fourth transistor equals to the first distance.

7 . A semiconductor structure comprising:

a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, and a fourth transistor separated by their respective source/drain regions, a first distance between the first and second transistors is more than half of a second distance between the second and third transistors; and

a diffusion break between the second transistor and the third transistor,

wherein the second transistor has a first source/drain region shared with the first transistor, and has a second source/drain region at a first side of the diffusion break and in direct contact with the diffusion break; the third transistor has a first source/drain region at a second side of the diffusion break and in direct contact with the diffusion break, and has a second source/drain region shared with the fourth transistor, the first side being opposite the second side.

8 . The semiconductor structure of claim 7 , wherein a center of a gate of the first transistor and a center of a gate of the second transistor has a first distance, and the center of the gate of the second transistor and a center of a gate of the third transistor has a second distance, wherein the second distance is less than two times the first distance.

9 . The semiconductor structure of claim 7 , wherein the diffusion break has a width and the gates of the first, second, third, and fourth transistors have a length, wherein the width of the diffusion break is smaller than the length of the gates.

10 . The semiconductor structure of claim 7 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth transistors have their respective sidewall spacers, wherein two opposing sidewall spacers of the first transistor and the second transistor has a first gap and two opposing sidewall spacers of the second transistor and the third transistor has a second gap, wherein the second gap equals two times the first gap plus the width of the diffusion break.

11 . The semiconductor structure of claim 10 , wherein a third gap between two opposing sidewall spacers of the third transistor and the fourth transistor equals the first gap.

12 . The semiconductor structure of claim 7 , wherein the diffusion break is adjacent to a source/drain (S/D) epi region of the second transistor and adjacent to a S/D epi region of the third transistor.

13 . The semiconductor structure of claim 12 , wherein the diffusion break extends into a substrate underneath the second and third transistors to separate the S/D epi region of the second transistor from the S/D epi region of the third transistor.

14 . The semiconductor structure of claim 7 , wherein the diffusion break is a single diffusion break of dielectric material, and the first, second, third, and fourth transistors are nanosheet transistors.