Patent ID: 7550343

Claim:
A method for forming a semiconductor structure in manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising: providing a substrate layer; etching an oxide layer provided on the substrate layer to form first and second isolation regions, the first and second isolation regions defining an epitaxial growth surface of the substrate layer for epitaxial growth of a substrate material on the epitaxial growth surface between the first and second isolation regions; epitaxially growing the substrate material on the epitaxial growth surface of the substrate layer to form an active region comprising the epitaxially-grown substrate material between the first and second isolation regions; introducing a dopant material while epitaxially growing the substrate material, wherein the dopant material comprises one of an n-type material, a p-type material, and germanium; and adjusting an amount of the dopant material introduced while epitaxially growing the substrate material, to control a doping gradient of the dopant material in the epitaxially-grown substrate material substantially independent of: an implant process for introducing the dopant material into the active region; and an anneal process for activating the dopant material.