Patent ID: 8647949

Claim:
A method of forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising: at least partially forming an isolation trench and a gate trench in a substrate, wherein the gate trench is formed between a source and a drain and has opposing substrate source and drain sidewalls; forming a blanket of nonconductive material over the substrate having the isolation trench and the gate trench formed therein; and providing a gate trench etch mask having an opening that defines the nonconductive material to be removed to define the gate trench, wherein the etch mask opening extends at least partially over the opposing substrate source and drain sidewalls; removing at least a portion of the nonconductive material in the gate trench so as to form a pair of nonconductive sidewalls of the gate trench and to expose the substrate source and drain sidewall and a bottom of the gate trench, each sidewall of the nonconductive pair of sidewalls extending between the source and the drain such that a space is defined between the pair of sidewalls, the exposed substrate, and the exposed sides of the source and the drain.