A structure and method for making includes adjacent pMOSFET and nMOSFET
devices in which the gate stacks are each overlain by a stressing layer
that provides compressive stress in the channel of the PMOSFET device and
tensile stress in the channel of the nMOSFET device. One of the PMOSFET
or nMOSFET device has a height shorter than that of the other adjacent
device, and the shorter of the two devices is delineated by a
discontinuity or opening in the stressing layer overlying the shorter
device. In a preferred method for forming the devices a single stressing
layer is formed over gate stacks having different heights to form a first
type stress in the substrate under the gate stacks, and forming an
opening in the stressing layer at a distance from the shorter gate stack
so that a second type stress is formed under the shorter gate stack.