Vertical replacement gate (VRG) mosfet with a conductive layer adjacent a source/drain region and method of manufacture therefor

The present invention provides a VRG structure formed on a semiconductor wafer substrate. The VRG structure has a first source/drain region located in a semiconductor wafer substrate, and a conductive layer located adjacent the source/drain region, a second source/drain region and a conductive channel that extends from the first source/drain region to the second source/drain region. The conductive layer provides an electrical connection to the first source/drain region. The conductive layer may have a low sheet resistance that may be less than about 50 OMEGA/square or less than about 20 OMEGA/square, to the first source/drain region.