Patent ID: 7339213

Claim:
A semiconductor device comprising: a semiconductor wafer; and a triple-gate transistor formed on the semiconductor wafer, the triple-gate transistor comprising: an active region having three current-carrying surfaces, including a current-carrying top surface and two current-carrying side surfaces, wherein the three current-carrying surfaces are formed in crystal planes of a same first crystal orientation, and wherein the active region is oriented in a first direction; a gate dielectric on the current-carrying top and side surfaces of the active region; a top channel in the current-carrying top surface of the active region and side channels in the current-carrying side surfaces of the active region, the top and side channels oriented in the first direction with respect to the same first crystal orientation of the current-carrying top and side surfaces; and gate electrodes on the gate dielectric corresponding to the top and side channels and aligned perpendicular to the active region such that current flows in the first direction along the top channel and the side channels.