Method for forming single diffusion breaks between finFET devices and the resulting devices

A method, comprising:

• forming a fin in a semiconductor substrate;
• forming a plurality of sacrificial gate structures above said fin;
• forming an interlayer dielectric layer above said sacrificial gate structures;
• planarizing said interlayer dielectric layer to expose said sacrificial gate structures;
• forming a cap layer above said interlayer dielectric layer and above said sacrificial gate structures;
• forming a hard mask layer above said cap layer;
• forming a first opening in said hard mask layer and said cap layer so as to expose a selected one of said sacrificial gate structures;
• removing said selected one of said sacrificial gate structures to define a second opening that exposes a portion of said fin;
• performing an etch process through said second opening on said exposed portion of said fin to define a first recess in said fin;
• forming a dielectric material layer above said hard mask layer so as to fill said first recess and said first and second openings and to define a diffusion break in said fin;
• planarizing said dielectric material layer using said hard mask layer as a stop layer;
• selectively removing a first portion of said dielectric material layer disposed in said first opening after planarizing said dielectric material layer;
• performing an etch process to remove said hard mask layer after selectively removing said first portion of said dielectric material layer;
• removing said cap layer and a second portion of said dielectric material layer disposed in said second opening so as to expose remaining ones of said plurality of sacrificial gate structures;
• and
• replacing said remaining ones of said plurality of sacrificial gate structures with replacement gate structures.