Patent ID: 7482615

Claim:
A semiconductor device comprising at least one p-channel field effect transistor (FET) containing a source region, a drain region, a channel region, a gate dielectric layer, a gate electrode, and an intrinsically stressed phase change material layer comprised of Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 , In 2 Se 3 , Sb 2 Te or a combination thereof, the intrinsically stressed phase change material layer overlying the gate electrode and arranged and constructed for creating stress in the channel region of the at least one p-channel FET, wherein said intrinsically stressed phase change material layer contains intrinsic tensile stress, and wherein an insulating cap layer is positioned overlying the gate electrode, the intrinsically stressed phase change material, and the gate dielectric layer to confine a volumetric expansion or contraction of the intrinsically stressed phase change material layer in producing the stress in the channel region, wherein the volumetric expansion or contraction of the intrinsically stressed phase change material results from a phase change between a crystalline state and an amorphous state.