BACKGROUND

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced exponential growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. As the semiconductor industry has strived for higher device density, higher performance, and lower costs, problems involving both fabrication and design have been encountered, therefore leading semiconductor technologies to three-dimensional designs, such as fin-like field effect transistors (FinFETs).

A FinFET includes a thin vertical ‘fin’ extending on a substrate. The source, drain, and channel regions are defined within this fin. A gate is provided over (e.g., wrapping) the fin. This configuration allows the FinFET devices to have the benefits of reduced leakage current and short-channel effects, as compared to traditional transistors.

