Using a same mask for direct print and self-aligned double patterning of nanosheets

A semiconductor structure comprising:

• a substrate;
• a nanosheet stack disposed over the substrate, the nanosheet stack comprising alternating layers of a sacrificial material and a channel material, the layers of channel material providing nanosheet channels for one or more nanosheet field-effect transistors;
• a hard mask stack disposed over the nanosheet stack;
• a patterning layer disposed over the hard mask stack;
• and
• a lithographic mask disposed over the patterning layer, the lithographic mask covering (i) one or more first regions for direct printing of one or more fins of a first width in the nanosheet stack and the substrate and (ii) one or more second regions for setting the spacing between two or more fins of a second width in the nanosheet stack and the substrate using self-aligned double patterning;
• wherein the second width is less than the first width.

A semiconductor structure comprising:

• a substrate;
• a nanosheet stack disposed over the substrate, the nanosheet stack comprising alternating layers of a sacrificial material and a channel material, the layers of channel material providing nanosheet channels for one or more nanosheet field-effect transistors;
• a hard mask stack disposed over the nanosheet stack;
• a patterning layer disposed over the hard mask stack;
• and
• a lithographic mask disposed over the patterning layer, the lithographic mask exposing (i) one or more first regions for direct printing of one or more fins of a first width in the nanosheet stack and the substrate and (ii) one or more second regions for setting the spacing between two or more fins of a second width in the nanosheet stack and the substrate using self-aligned double patterning;
• wherein the second width is less than the first width.