Semiconductor device and methods for fabricating same

1. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising:

providing a substrate comprising a layer of semiconductor material;

forming an inactive region in the substrate to define an active region in a first portion of the substrate;

forming a gate electrode structure having a portion overlying the active region, the gate electrode structure comprising: a common portion; a plurality of gate electrode finger portions integral with the common portion; and a plurality of fillet portions integral with the common portion and the gate electrode finger portions, wherein the fillet portions do not overlie the active region;

depositing a compressive stress layer overlying the active region; and

removing a portion of the compressive stress layer overlying the inactive region to leave a remaining portion of the compressive stress layer overlaying the active region;

depositing a tensile stress layer overlying a remaining portions of the compressive stress layer and overlying an exposed portion of the inactive region; and

removing a portion of the tensile stress layer overlying at least a portion of the remaining portion of the compressive stress layer, wherein a remaining portion of the tensile stress layer is disposed outside the active region and is spaced apart from the active region and overlies a portion of the compressive stress layer that does not overlap with the active region.

2. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the active region comprises: a lateral edge which defines an active width of the active region, and a transverse edge which defines a length of the active region, and wherein the step of depositing a tensile stress layer overlying a remaining portions of the compressive stress layer and overlying an exposed portion of the inactive region, comprises:

depositing a tensile stress layer overlying remaining portions of the compressive stress layer and overlying an exposed portion of the inactive region which is spaced apart from the transverse edge of the active region.

3. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to claim 2 , wherein the common portion is spaced apart from the active region by a first distance; wherein a portion of each gate electrode finger portion overlies the active region, wherein a gate length of the portion of each gate electrode finger portion which overlies the active region is substantially uniform; and wherein the fillet portions have a concave-shaped edge and are disposed between the common portion and the gate electrode finger portions;

wherein the step of depositing a compressive stress layer overlying the active region comprises:

depositing a compressive stress layer overlying the active region and the gate electrode finger portions; and

wherein

at least a portion of the tensile layer is disposed adjacent the transverse edge of the active region and is outside the active region and is in contact with the inactive region.

4. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to claim 3 , wherein the tensile layer is spaced apart from the compressive layer by a distance of at least 0.02 μm, wherein the active width is between 0.1 μm and 1.0 μm, and wherein the first distance is between 0.01 μm and 0.04 μm to reduce variations in a gate length of the portion of each gate electrode finger portion which overlie the active region due to corner rounding of the fillet portions.

5. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the remaining portion of the tensile stress layer increases compressive stress of the remaining portion of the compressive stress layer overlying the active region to increase drive current in the active region.

6. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the remaining portion of the tensile layer increases stress in the active region to increase drive current in the active region so that the fillet portions are non-overlying the active region without increasing layout area occupied by the semiconductor device.

7. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the remaining portion of the tensile layer disposed adjacent the active region and non-overlapping the active region.

8. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device in and on a substrate comprising a layer of semiconductor material, the method comprising:

forming an inactive region in the substrate to define an active region in a first portion of the substrate;

forming a gate electrode structure having a portion overlying the active region, the gate electrode structure comprising: a common portion; a plurality of gate electrode finger portions integral with the common portion; and a plurality of fillet portions integral with the common portion and the gate electrode finger portions, wherein the fillet portions are non-overlying the active region;

depositing a compressive stress layer overlying the active region and the gate electrode finger portions;

removing a portion of the compressive stress layer overlying the inactive region to leave a remaining portion of the compressive stress layer overlying the active region;

depositing a tensile stress layer overlying remaining portions of the compressive stress layer and overlying an exposed portion of the inactive region that is spaced apart from the active region and in contact with the inactive region; and

removing a portion of the tensile stress layer overlying at least a portion of the remaining portion of the compressive stress layer to leave a remaining portion of the tensile stress layer that overlies a portion of the compressive stress layer and is spaced apart from and non-overlapping the active region.

9. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the common portion is spaced apart from the active region by a first distance.

10. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein a portion of each gate electrode finger portion overlies the active region.

11. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein a gate length of the portion of each gate electrode finger portion which overlies the active region is substantially uniform.

12. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the fillet portions have a concave-shaped edge and are disposed between the common portion and the gate electrode finger portions.

13. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the tensile layer is spaced apart from the compressive layer by a distance of at least 0.02 μm.

14. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the active region comprises: a lateral edge which defines an active width of the active region, and a transverse edge which defines a length of the active region, and wherein the active width is between 0.1 μm and 1.0 μm.

15. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the first distance is between 0.01 μm and 0.04 μm to reduce variations in a gate length of the portion of each gate electrode finger portion which overlie the active region due to corner rounding of the fillet portions.

16. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the fillet portions are located along interior corner portions of the gate electrode structure between side portions of the gate electrode finger portions and the common portion.

17. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the remaining portion of the tensile stress layer increases compressive stress of the remaining portion of the compressive stress layer overlying the active region and increases stress in the active region to increase drive current in the active region.