Semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) strained active areas

A method of forming strained active areas for forming strained channel semiconductor devices comprising the steps of:

• providing a semiconductor substrate comprising a lower semiconductor region, an insulator region overlying the lower semiconductor regions and an upper semiconductor region;
• ion implanting a portion of the insulator region with an inert dopant;
• forming a hardmask layer over the upper semiconductor region;
• patterning and etching through a thickness portion of the hardmask layer the upper semiconductor region to expose portions of the insulator region to form an NMOS active region and a PMOS active region;
• carrying out a thermal oxidation process to produce a differential volume expansion in the PMOS active region with respect to the NMOS active region;
• removing a thickness portion of the insulator region adjacent either side of the PMOS region to form recessed areas;
• and,
• removing remaining portions of the hardmask layer to leave upper semiconductor region portions comprising the PMOS device active region in compressive strain and the NMOS device active region in tensile strain.