Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a capacitor having a lower electrode (102), a high-dielectric-constant or ferroelectric thin film (103), and an upper electrode (104) which are subsequently stacked. An impurity having an action of suppressing the catalytic activity of a metal or a conductive oxide constituting the electrode is added to the upper electrode (104). The addition of the impurity is effective to prevent inconveniences such as a reduction in capacitance, an insulation failure, and the peeling of the electrode due to hydrogen heat-treatment performed after formation of the upper electrode (104), and to improve the long-term reliability.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a first insulating film on a substrate, forming a second insulating film on the first insulating film, and forming a gate electrode on the second insulating film. Forming the second insulating film includes supplying film-forming materials and adsorbing the film-forming materials on the first insulating film, purging the film-forming materials that have not been adsorbed, supplying oxidants to oxidize the adsorbed film-forming materials, and purging the oxidants that have not contributed to oxidization. Forming the second insulating film is repeated in cycles, continuously, and the purging time of the oxidants in an initial number of the cycles is longer than the purging time of the oxidants in cycles following the initial number of cycles.

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing an FET having a gate insulation film with an SiO2 equivalent thickness of 2 nm or more and capable of suppressing the leak current to {fraction (1/100)} or less compared with existent SiO2 films, an SiO2 film of 0.5 nm or more is formed at a boundary between an Si substrate (polycrystalline silicon gate) and a high dielectric insulation film, and the temperature for forming the SiO2 film is made higher than the source-drain activating heat treatment temperature in the subsequent steps. As such, a shifting threshold voltage by the generation of static charges or lowering of a drain current caused by degradation of mobility can be prevented so as to reduce electric power consumption and increase current in a field effect transistor of a smaller size.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a spark plug is disclosed. In first step S10, a chip 1 including a flange portion 1b and a protrusion 1a protruding from a first face 1c of the flange portion 1b is manufactured. In second step S20, a second face 1d of the flange portion 1b is tentatively joined, through resistance welding, to a joint face 32 (42) of the electrode base metal of at least either one of a center electrode 30 and a ground electrode 40, the joint face 32 (42) being located on the side toward a discharge gap. In third step S30, the flange portion 1b is laser-welded to the joint face 32 (42) such that a weld portion 3 extends to points on the second face 1d of the flange portion 1b, the points being located inward of corresponding intersections of the second face 1d of the flange portion 1b and imaginary extension lines of the side surface of the protrusion 1a.

Abstract: A ground-electrode spark portion 32 is formed from a noble metal which contains Pt as a main component, and is joined to a main metal portion of the ground electrode 4 via an alloy layer which has a thickness ranging from 0.5 &mgr;m to 100 &mgr;m and in which the noble metal that constitutes the ground-electrode spark portion 32 and the metal that constitutes the main metal portion of the ground electrode 4 are alloyed with each other. The ground-electrode spark portion 32 is configured such that a distal end surface 32t facing a spark discharge gap g is smaller in diameter than a bottom surface 32u joined to the ground electrode 4; and the distal end surface 32t is protrusively located beyond the side surface 4s of the ground electrode 4.

Abstract: The present invention provides a MISFET with a replacement gate electrode, which ensures large ON-current. A semiconductor device, in which on the substrate, first and second field effect transistors are formed, the first field effect transistor is a replacement gate type field effect transistor, and the length of the overlap between a gate electrode and a source/drain diffusion zone of the first field effect transistor correspond to that between a gate electrode and a source/drain diffusion zone of the second field effect transistor.

Abstract: Herein disclosed is a semiconductor integrated circuit device fabricating process for forming MISFETs over the principal surface in those active regions of a substrate, which are surrounded by inactive regions formed of an element separating insulating film and channel stopper regions, comprising: the step of for forming a first mask by a non-oxidizable mask and an etching mask sequentially over the principal surface of the active regions of the substrate; the step of forming a second mask on and in self-alignment with the side walls of the first mask by a non-oxidizable mask thinner than the non-oxidizable mask of the first mask and an etching mask respectively; the step of etching the principal surface of the inactive regions of the substrate by using the first mask and the second mask; the step of forming the element separating insulating film over the principal surface of the inactive regions of the substrate by an oxidization using the first mask and the second mask; and the step of forming the channel s

Abstract: Herein disclosed is a semiconductor integrated circuit device fabricating process for forming MISFETs over the principal surface in those active regions of a substrate, which are surrounded by inactive regions formed of an element separating insulating film and channel stopper regions, comprising: the step of for forming a first mask by a non-oxidizable mask and an etching mask sequentially over the principal surface of the active regions of the substrate; the step of forming a second mask on and in self-alignment with the side walls of the first mask by a non-oxidizable mask thinner than the non-oxidizable mask of the first mask and an etching mask respectively; the step of etching the principal surface of the inactive regions of the substrate by using the first mask and the second mask; the step of forming the element separating insulating film over the principal surface of the inactive regions of the substrate by an oxidization using the first mask and the second mask; and the step of forming the channel s

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing an FET having a gate insulation film with an SiO2 equivalent thickness of 2 nm or more and capable of suppressing the leak current to {fraction (1/100)} or less compared with existent SiO2 films, an SiO2 film of 0.5 nm or more is formed at a boundary between an Si substrate (polycrystalline silicon gate) and a high dielectric insulation film, and the temperature for forming the SiO2 film is made higher than the source-drain activating heat treatment temperature in the subsequent steps. As such, a shifting threshold voltage by the generation of static charges or lowering of a drain current caused by degradation of mobility can be prevented so as to reduce electric power consumption and increase current in a field effect transistor of a smaller size.

Abstract: In a miniaturized field effect transistor, the roughness of the interface between a gate dielectric film and a gate electrode is controlled on an atomic scale. The thickness variation of the gate dielectric film is lowered, whereby a field effect transistor with high mobility is manufactured. An increase in the mobility in the field effect transistor can be achieved not only in the case of using a conventional SiO2 thermal oxide film as the gate dielectric film but also in the case of using a high dielectric material for the gate dielectric film.

Abstract: The present invention provides a MISFET with a replacement gate electrode, which ensures large ON-current.

Abstract: A diffusion preventive layer extending between the bottom surface of a lower electrode and an interconnection connecting the lower electrode to one of the diffusion layer of a switching transistor is self-aligned. As a result, side trench is produced since a hole pattern is formed by using a dummy film, and even if a contact plug of a memory section is misaligned with the diffusion preventive layer, the contact plug is out of direct contact with a dielectric film having a high permittivity. Hence, a highly reliable device can be obtained.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a capacitor having a lower electrode (102), a high-dielectric-constant or ferroelectric thin film (103), and an upper electrode (104) which are subsequently stacked. An impurity having an action of suppressing the catalytic activity of a metal or a conductive oxide constituting the electrode is added to the upper electrode (104). The addition of the impurity is effective to prevent inconveniences such as a reduction in capacitance, an insulation failure, and the peeling of the electrode due to hydrogen heat-treatment performed after formation of the upper electrode (104), and to improve the long-term reliability.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having a bottom electrode, a ferroelectric film, and a top electrode formed on a semiconductor substrate, wherein the angle of each of the main cross sectional sides of the ferroelectric film relative to the main surface of the semiconductor substrate is less than 75 degrees. Forming the ferroelectric film into the trapezoid in cross section having such an angle provides a microscopic capacitor without electrical short-circuit between the top and bottom electrodes if the top electrode, the ferroelectric film, and the bottom electrode are etched with single photolithography process step. The novel technique implements a microscopic memory cell structure suitable for highly integrated memory devices.

Abstract: A diffusion preventive layer extending between the bottom surface of a lower electrode and an interconnection connecting the lower electrode to one of the diffusion layers of a switching transistor is self-aligned. As a result, no side trench is produced since a hole pattern is formed by using a dummy film, and even if a contact plug of a memory section is misaligned with the diffusion preventive layer, the contact plug is out of direct contact with a dielectric film having a high permittivity. Hence, a highly reliable device can be obtained.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a capacitor having a lower electrode (102), a high-dielectric-constant or ferroelectric thin film (103), and an upper electrode (104) which are subsequently stacked. An impurity having an action of suppressing the catalytic activity of a metal or a conductive oxide constituting the electrode is added to the upper electrode (104). The addition of the impurity is effective to prevent inconveniences such as a reduction in capacitance, an insulation failure, and the peeling of the electrode due to hydrogen heat-treatment performed after formation of the upper electrode (104), and to improve the long-term reliability.

Abstract: A diffusion preventive layer extending between the bottom surface of a lower electrode and an interconnection connecting the lower electrode to one of the diffusion layers of a switching transistor is self-aligned. As a result, no side trench is produced since a hole pattern is formed by using a dummy film, and even if a contact plug of a memory section is misaligned with the diffusion preventive layer, the contact plug is out of direct contact with a dielectric film having a high permittivity. Hence, a highly reliable device can be obtained.

Abstract: Disclosed is a semiconductor device having ferroelectric capacitors above a principal surface of a substrate and a process for producing the same wherein an oriented polycrystal silicon film or an amorphous silicon film 52 is disposed on the whole area beneath a conductive diffusion barrier, 61 or 73, under a lower electrode, 62 or 74, of each ferroelectric capacitor formed in the device. As a result, the conductive diffusion barrier, the lower electrode and the capacitor ferroelectric film become oriented films; therefore, it is possible to reduce the signal variation in capacitors even in minute semiconductor devices, and obtain a highly reliable semiconductor device.

Abstract: Herein disclosed is a semiconductor integrated circuit device fabricating process for forming MISFETs over the principal surface in those active regions of a substrate, which are surrounded by inactive regions formed of an element separating insulating film and channel stopper regions, comprising: the step of for forming a first mask by a non-oxidizable mask and an etching mask sequentially over the principal surface of the active regions of the substrate; the step of forming a second mask on and in self-alignment with the side walls of the first mask by a non-oxidizable mask thinner than the non-oxidizable mask of the first mask and an etching mask respectively; the step of etching the principal surface of the inactive regions of the substrate by using the first mask and the second mask; the step of forming the element separating insulating film over the principal surface of the inactive regions of the substrate by an oxidization using the first mask and the second mask; and the step of forming the channel s

Abstract: Herein disclosed is a semiconductor integrated circuit device fabricating process for forming MISFETs over the principal surface in those active regions of a substrate, which are surrounded by inactive regions formed of an element separating insulating film and channel stopper regions, comprising: the step of for forming a first mask by a non-oxidizable mask and an etching mask sequentially over the principal surface of the active regions of the substrate; the step of forming a second mask on and in self-alignment with the side walls of the first mask by a non-oxidizable mask thinner than the non-oxidizable mask of the first mask and an etching mask respectively; the step of etching the principal surface of the inactive regions of the substrate by using the first mask and the second mask; the step of forming the element separating insulating film over the principal surface of the inactive regions of the substrate by an oxidization using the first mask and the second mask; and the step of forming the channel s