Patent ID: 8404538

Claim:
A method comprising: providing a substrate comprising a substrate material, a gate dielectric film above the substrate, and a first spacer adjacent to the gate dielectric film, the first spacer having an L-shape including a horizontal first portion in contact with a surface of the substrate and a vertical second portion in contact with a side of the gate dielectric film, wherein the horizontal first portion extends away from the gate dielectric film beyond a side edge of the vertical second portion opposite the gate dielectric film; forming a recess in a region of the substrate adjacent to the first spacer, the recess defined by a first sidewall of the substrate material, at least a portion of the first sidewall underlying and contacting at least the horizontal first portion of the first spacer extending beyond the side edge of the vertical second portion opposite the gate dielectric film; reflowing the substrate material beneath the horizontal first portion of the first spacer extending beyond the side edge of the vertical second portion opposite the gate dielectric film while the horizontal first portion is in place, so that a top portion of the first sidewall of the substrate material defining the recess is substantially aligned with a boundary between the gate dielectric film and the first spacer; and filling the recess with a stressor material, so that the stressor material has a flat top surface contacting an entire bottom surface of the horizontal first portion.