Abstract: In order to improve the reliability of a semiconductor device having a fuse formed by a Damascene technique, a barrier insulating film and an inter-layer insulating film are deposited over a fourth-layer wiring and a fuse. The barrier insulating film is an insulating film for preventing the diffusion of Cu and composed of a SiCN film deposited by plasma CVD like the underlying barrier insulating film. The thickness of the barrier insulating film covering the fuse is larger than the thickness of the underlying barrier insulating film so as to improve the moisture resistance of the fuse.

Abstract: For simplifying the dual-damascene formation steps of a multilevel Cu interconnect, a formation step of an antireflective film below a photoresist film is omitted. Described specifically, an interlayer insulating film is dry etched with a photoresist film formed thereover as a mask, and interconnect trenches are formed by terminating etching at the surface of a stopper film formed in the interlayer insulating film. The stopper film is made of an SiCN film having a low optical reflectance, thereby causing it to serve as an antireflective film when the photoresist film is exposed.

Abstract: For simplifying the dual-damascene formation steps of a multilevel Cu interconnect, a formation step of an antireflective film below a photoresist film is omitted. Described specifically, an interlayer insulating film is dry etched with a photoresist film formed thereover as a mask, and interconnect trenches are formed by terminating etching at the surface of a stopper film formed in the interlayer insulating film. The stopper film is made of an SiCN film having a low optical reflectance, thereby causing it to serve as an antireflective film when the photoresist film is exposed.

Abstract: A semiconductor IC device which includes a circuit region and a peripheral region on a main surface of a semiconductor substrate, a first insulating film formed over the main surface, external terminals arranged in the peripheral region and formed over the first insulating film, a conductive guard ring formed over the first insulating film and provided around the external terminals, and second insulating films formed in the internal region and the peripheral region, the second insulating film in the peripheral region is formed over the first insulating film and over the guard ring and is contacting the external terminals, the second insulating films of the circuit region and that of the peripheral region are separately formed and are isolated from each other. Separate second insulating film may be formed over the wirings of one or more of existing wiring levels of the semiconductor device.

Abstract: For simplifying the dual-damascene formation steps of a multilevel Cu interconnect, a formation step of an antireflective film below a photoresist film is omitted. Described specifically, an interlayer insulating film is dry etched with a photoresist film formed thereover as a mask, and interconnect trenches are formed by terminating etching at the surface of a stopper film formed in the interlayer insulating film. The stopper film is made of an SiCN film having a low optical reflectance, thereby causing it to serve as an antireflective film when the photoresist film is exposed.

Abstract: For simplifying the dual-damascene formation steps of a multilevel Cu interconnect, a formation step of an antireflective film below a photoresist film is omitted. Described specifically, an interlayer insulating film is dry etched with a photoresist film formed thereover as a mask, and interconnect trenches are formed by terminating etching at the surface of a stopper film formed in the interlayer insulating film. The stopper film is made of an SiCN film having a low optical reflectance, thereby causing it to serve as an antireflective film when the photoresist film is exposed.

Abstract: In order to improve the reliability of a semiconductor device having a fuse formed by a Damascene technique, a barrier insulating film and an inter-layer insulating film are deposited over a fourth-layer wiring and a fuse. The barrier insulating film is an insulating film for preventing the diffusion of Cu and composed of a SiCN film deposited by plasma CVD like the underlying barrier insulating film. The thickness of the barrier insulating film covering the fuse is larger than the thickness of the underlying barrier insulating film so as to improve the moisture resistance of the fuse.

Abstract: In order to improve the reliability of a semiconductor device having a fuse formed by a Damascene technique, a barrier insulating film and an inter-layer insulating film are deposited over a fourth-layer wiring and a fuse. The barrier insulating film is an insulating film for preventing the diffusion of Cu and composed of a SiCN film deposited by plasma CVD like the underlying barrier insulating film. The thickness of the barrier insulating film covering the fuse is larger than the thickness of the underlying barrier insulating film so as to improve the moisture resistance of the fuse.

Abstract: A semiconductor IC device which includes a circuit region and a peripheral region on a main surface of a semiconductor substrate, a first insulating film formed over the main surface, external terminals arranged in the peripheral region and formed over the first insulating film, a conductive guard ring formed over the first insulating film and provided around the external terminals, and second insulating films formed in the internal region and the peripheral region, the second insulating film in the peripheral region is formed over the first insulating film and over the guard ring and is contacting the external terminals, the second insulating films of the circuit region and that of the peripheral region are separately formed and are isolated from each other. Separate second insulating film may be formed over the wirings of one or more of existing wiring levels of the semiconductor device.

Abstract: As etch-stop films or Cu-diffusion barrier films used in insulation films constituting conductor layers of a stacked structure, films having smaller dielectric constant than silicon nitride films are used, and an insulation film at a lower-layer part of the stacked structure is made to have smaller dielectric constant than that at an upper-layer part thereof, and further this insulation film is a silicon oxide (SiO) film and has, in the interior thereof, nano-pores of from 0.05 nm or more to 4 nm or less in diameter as chief construction. This makes it possible to dramatically reduce effective dielectric constant while keeping the mechanical strength of the conductore layers themselves, and can materialize a highly reliable and high-performance semiconductor device having mitigated the wiring delay of signals which pass through wirings.

Abstract: For simplifying the dual-damascene formation steps of a multilevel Cu interconnect, a formation step of an antireflective film below a photoresist film is omitted. Described specifically, an interlayer insulating film is dry etched with a photoresist film formed thereover as a mask, and interconnect trenches are formed by terminating etching at the surface of a stopper film formed in the interlayer insulating film. The stopper film is made of an SiCN film having a low optical reflectance, thereby causing it to serve as an antireflective film when the photoresist film is exposed.

Abstract: An insulating portion of the respective wiring layers for a semiconductor device is constituted of insulating films. The one insulating film is made of a material whose conductivity is higher than that of the other insulating film that is made of an ordinary silicon oxide film and is provided in contact with the wiring. An electric charge accumulated in the wiring generated in the course of manufacture of the semiconductor device is discharged through the one insulating film at a stage where a charge accumulation in the wiring is low. This permits the heat release value generated through the discharge to be suppressed to a low level, and the short-circuiting-failure between adjacent wirings to be suppressed or prevented.

Abstract: A semiconductor IC device which includes a circuit region and a peripheral region on a main surface of a semiconductor substrate, a first insulating film formed over the main surface, external terminals arranged in the peripheral region and formed over the first insulating film, a conductive guard ring formed over the first insulating film and provided around the external terminals, and second insulating films formed in the internal region and the peripheral region, the second insulating film in the peripheral region is formed over the first insulating film and over the guard ring and is contacting the external terminals, the second insulating films of the circuit region and that of the peripheral region are separately formed and are isolated from each other. Separate second insulating film may be formed over the wirings of one or more of existing wiring levels of the semiconductor device.

Abstract: A technique is provided for improving the security of information stored in a semiconductor device. Multilayer wiring layers are formed over a semiconductor substrate. Wirings are formed on the uppermost wiring layer among those multilayer wiring layers. On the wirings, there is formed, in the following order, a silicon oxide film, a colored thin film, and a silicon oxide film, over which, a silicon nitride film serving as a surface protective film is formed. In other words, the invention is characterized by that the colored thin film is formed between the wiring constituting the uppermost wiring layer and the silicon nitride film serving as the surface protective film. The colored thin film has a function of attenuating visible light and laser light in the specific wavelength region, and is formed of, for example, a silicon oxide film containing cobalt oxide.

Abstract: As etch-stop films or Cu-diffusion barrier films used in insulation films constituting conductor layers of a stacked structure, films having smaller dielectric constant than silicon nitride films are used, and an insulation film at a lower-layer part of the stacked structure is made to have smaller dielectric constant than that at an upper-layer part thereof, and further this insulation film is a silicon oxide (SiO) film and has, in the interior thereof, nano-pores of from 0.05 nm or more to 4 nm or less in diameter as chief construction. This makes it possible to dramatically reduce effective dielectric constant while keeping the mechanical strength of the conductore layers themselves, and can materialize a highly reliable and high-performance semiconductor device having mitigated the wiring delay of signals which pass through wirings.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device includes the steps of forming an isolation trench in an isolation region of a semiconductor substrate, filling the isolation trench up to predetermined middle position in its depth direction with a first insulating film deposited by a coating method, filling a remaining depth portion of the isolation trench into which the first insulating film is filled with a second insulating film, then forming a plurality of patterns on the semiconductor substrate, filling a trench forming between the plurality of patterns up to predetermined middle position in a trench depth direction with a third insulating film deposited by a coating method, and filling a remaining portion of the trench into which the third insulating film is filled with a fourth insulating film that is more difficult to etch than the third insulating film.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device includes the steps of forming an isolation trench in an isolation region of a semiconductor substrate, filling the isolation trench up to predetermined middle position in its depth direction with a first insulating film deposited by a coating method, filling a remaining depth portion of the isolation trench into which the first insulating film is filled with a second insulating film, then forming a plurality of patterns on the semiconductor substrate, filling a trench forming between the plurality of patterns up to predetermined middle position in a trench depth direction with a third insulating film deposited by a coating method, and filling a remaining portion of the trench into which the third insulating film is filled with a fourth insulating film that is more difficult to etch than the third insulating film.

Abstract: An insulating portion of the respective wiring layers for a semiconductor device is constituted of insulating films. The one insulating film is made of a material whose conductivity is higher than that of the other insulating film that is made of an ordinary silicon oxide film and is provided in contact with the wiring. An electric charge accumulated in the wiring generated in the course of manufacture of the semiconductor device is discharged through the one insulating film at a stage where a charge accumulation in the wiring is low. This permits the heat release value generated through the discharge to be suppressed to a low level, and the short-circuiting-failure between adjacent wirings to be suppressed or prevented.

Abstract: An insulating portion of the respective wiring layers for a semiconductor device is constituted of insulating films. The one insulating film is made of a material whose conductivity is higher than that of the other insulating film that is made of an ordinary silicon oxide film and is provided in contact with the wiring. An electric charge accumulated in the wiring generated in the course of manufacture of the semiconductor device is discharged through the one insulating film at a stage where a charge accumulation in the wiring is low. This permits the heat release value generated through the discharge can be suppressed to a low level, and the short-circuiting failure between adjacent wirings can be suppressed or prevented.

Abstract: In order to improve the reliability of a semiconductor device having a fuse formed by a Damascene technique, a barrier insulating film and an inter-layer insulating film are deposited over a fourth-layer wiring and a fuse. The barrier insulating film is an insulating film for preventing the diffusion of Cu and composed of a SiCN film deposited by plasma CVD like the underlying barrier insulating film. The thickness of the barrier insulating film covering the fuse is larger than the thickness of the underlying barrier insulating film so as to improve the moisture resistance of the fuse.