FinFET with gate extension

A semiconductor device comprising:

• a body region formed from a volume of semiconductor material;
• a semiconductive fin protruding vertically from the body region and extending along a first direction parallel to a surface of the body region from a first end to a second end of the semiconductive fin;
• a gap region between the first and the second end of the semiconductive fin where at least a top portion of the semiconductive fin is absent;
• electrically insulating field insulator material disposed directly above the body region and surrounding a lower portion of the semiconductive fin, the field insulator material having a first thickness above a first portion of the body region;
• a first current terminal that is electrically coupled to the semiconductive fin at the first end of the semiconductive fin;
• a second current terminal that is electrically coupled to the semiconductive fin at the second end of the semiconductive fin;
• a gate electrode that is electrically coupled to the semiconductive fin and disposed between the first end of the semiconductive fin and the gap region, the gate electrode surrounding the top portion of the semiconductive fin and separated from the semiconductive fin by a gate insulator material;
• a recess in the field insulator material in the gap region in which the field insulator material has a second thickness that is less than first thickness;
• additional electrically insulating material on a sidewall of the gate electrode and extending continuously from the sidewall of the gate electrode onto and along of a sidewall of the semiconductive fin to contact the field insulator material within the gap region;
• and
• an electrically conductive gate extension that is separately formed from the gate electrode and is electrically coupled to the semiconductive fin, and wherein the gate extension has a first portion disposed on top of and directly electrically coupled to the gate electrode and a second portion that extends beyond the gate electrode into the gap region to contact the recess in the field insulator material, wherein the second end of the gate extension is separated from the body region by a distance corresponding to the second thickness of the field insulator material, and wherein the additional electrically insulating material is present between the sidewall of the gate electrode and the second portion of the gate extension, and the additional electrically insulating material forms an insulating barrier between the second portion of the gate extension and the sidewall of the semiconductive fin.

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

• providing a semiconductor substrate that includes a body region formed from a volume of semiconductor material;
• forming a semiconductive fin protruding vertically from the body region and extending along a first direction parallel to a surface of the body region from a first end to a second end of the semiconductive fin;
• forming an electrically insulating field insulator material disposed directly above the body region that surrounds a lower portion of the semiconductive fin;
• forming a gap region between the first and the second end of the semiconductive fin where at least a top portion of the semiconductive fin is absent;
• forming a first current terminal that is electrically coupled to the semiconductive fin at the first end of the semiconductive fin;
• forming a second current terminal that is electrically coupled to the semiconductive fin at the second end of the semiconductive fin;
• forming a gate electrode disposed between the first end of the semiconductive fin and the gap region, the gate electrode surrounding the top portion of the semiconductive fin and separated from the semiconductive fin by a gate insulator material;
• forming additional electrically insulating material on a sidewall of the gate electrode and extending continuously from the sidewall of the gate electrode onto and along a sidewall of the semiconductive fin to contact the field insulator material within the gap region;
• and
• forming an electrically conductive gate extension having a first portion disposed on top of and directly electrically coupled to the gate electrode and a second portion that extends beyond the gate electrode into the gap region to contact the field insulator material within the gap region, and wherein the additional electrically insulating material is present between the sidewall of the gate electrode and the second portion of the gate extension, and the additional electrically insulating material forms an insulating barrier between the second portion of the gate extension and the sidewall of the semiconductive fin.