Methods of Forming Contact Features in Semiconductor Devices

A semiconductor structure, comprising:

• a semiconductor substrate;
• an isolation structure disposed over the semiconductor substrate;
• a first metal contact over the isolation structure;
• a semiconductor fin protruding from the semiconductor substrate and adjacent to the isolation structure;
• a source/drain (S/D) feature disposed in the semiconductor fin;
• a second metal contact disposed over the S/D feature;
• a dielectric liner disposed along sidewalls of the first metal contact and the second metal contact;
• and
• a metal gate stack disposed between the first metal contact and the second metal contact to contact the isolation structure.

A semiconductor structure, comprising:

• a semiconductor fin protruding from a substrate;
• a source/drain (S/D) feature disposed in the semiconductor fin;
• an isolation structure disposed over the substrate and adjacent to the semiconductor fin;
• an interlayer-dielectric (ILD) layer disposed over the isolation structure, the semiconductor fin and the S/D feature;
• a dielectric layer extends through the ILD layer, wherein a first portion of the dielectric layer is disposed over the isolation structure, and wherein a second portion of the dielectric layer is disposed over the S/D feature;
• a first metal plug disposed over the first portion of the dielectric layer;
• a second metal plug disposed over the second portion of the dielectric layer;
• and
• a silicide layer disposed between the second metal plug and the S/D feature.