Abstract: When a void is caused in an interlayer insulating film on a semiconductor substrate, the invention prevents short circuit between two or more contact plugs that sandwich the void therebetween via a conductive film buried in the void at the time of formation of the contact plugs. An element isolation region having an upper surface lower than a main surface of the semiconductor substrate is formed inside a trench in the main surface of the semiconductor substrate, so that a void formed immediately above the semiconductor substrate in an active region and a void formed immediately above the element isolation region are divided from each other. In this manner, a conductive film is prevented from being buried in the second void.

Abstract: When a void is caused in an interlayer insulating film on a semiconductor substrate, the invention prevents short circuit between two or more contact plugs that sandwich the void therebetween via a conductive film buried in the void at the time of formation of the contact plugs. An element isolation region having an upper surface lower than a main surface of the semiconductor substrate is formed inside a trench in the main surface of the semiconductor substrate, so that a void formed immediately above the semiconductor substrate in an active region and a void formed immediately above the element isolation region are divided from each other. In this manner, a conductive film is prevented from being buried in the second void.

Abstract: A picture decoding apparatus has a memory for storing decoded picture data, three line buffers for temporarily storing picture data read from the memory, and a line buffer controller. Two of the three line buffers are selected sequentially and cyclically, and their operation modes are changed over to the writing mode, and decoded picture data read from the memory is stored sequentially in the two line buffers. The two line buffers are changed over from the writing mode to the reading mode sequentially and cyclically in the same order as that in which the two line buffers selected sequentially and cyclically were changed over to the writing mode, and data for one line is read sequentially from the two line buffers.