Patent ID: 7615454

Claim:
A method of forming a gate structure comprising: forming a gate region atop a mesa portion of a substrate, wherein a hardmask is atop said gate region; forming sidewall spacers abutting said gate region; forming source and drain regions; etching said substrate selective to said hardmask and said sidewall spacers to form recessed substrate surfaces offset from said mesa portion of said substrate on which said gate region is formed, wherein said mesa portion contains a mesa top surface and mesa sidewalls located above and adjoined to said recessed surfaces, and wherein said mesa top surface is vertically offset from said recessed surfaces, wherein the sidewall spacers are present abutting said mesa top surface, wherein outer surfaces of said sidewall spacers are aligned to said mesa sidewalls; removing the sidewall spacers to provide an exposed mesa top surface; forming silicide regions on the exposed mesa top surface, the mesa sidewalls and the recessed surfaces; and forming a nitride liner on at least said gate region and said silicide regions on said recessed substrate surfaces, wherein said nitride liner provides a stress to said mesa portion of said substrate underlying said gate region.