Abstract: To suppress defects occurred in a semiconductor substrate, a semiconductor device is constituted by having: the semiconductor substrate; an element isolating region having a trench formed in the semiconductor substrate and an embedding insulating film which is embedded into the trench; an active region formed adjacent to the element isolating region, in which a gate insulating film is formed and a gate electrode is formed on the gate insulating film; and a region formed in such a manner that at least a portion of the gate electrode is positioned on the element isolating region, and a first edge surface of an upper side of the embedding insulating film in a first element isolating region where the gate electrode is positioned is located above a second edge surface of the embedding insulating film in a second element isolating region where the gate electrode film is not positioned.

Abstract: The metal layers embedded into the contact holes of various kinds in shape are used as the lines and are employed as the lines for controlling the substrate bias. The first-layer metal line layers are made thin so as to be also employed as the lines for controlling the substrate bias. Moreover, the second-layer metal line layers are employed as the copper line layers. Thereby, a semiconductor integrated circuit which allows a high-speed and low-power operation is provided with a small area and without increasing the number of the masks.

Abstract: A Co silicide layer having a low resistance and a small junction leakage current is formed on the surface of the gate electrode, source and drain of MOSFETs by silicidizing a Co film deposited on a main plane of a wafer by sputtering using a high purity Co target having a Co purity of at least 99.99% and Fe and Ni contents of not greater than 10 ppm, preferably having a Co purity of 99.999%.

Abstract: In a semiconductor device having a cobalt silicide film, at least nickel or iron is contained in the cobalt silicide film for preventing the rise of resistance incidental to thinning of the film.

Abstract: On the occasion of the aligning process to transfer a predetermined pattern to a semiconductor wafer by irradiating a photoresist on the semiconductor wafer with an aligning laser beam of the modified lighting via a photomask MK, the photomask MK allocating, to provide periodicity, the main apertures to transfer the predetermined pattern as the apertures formed by removing a part of the half-tone film on the mask substrate and the auxiliary apertures not resolved on the semiconductor wafer as the apertures formed by removing a part of the half-tone film is used to improve the resolution of the pattern.

Abstract: Prior known static random access memory (SRAM) cells are required that a diffusion layer be bent into a key-like shape in order to make electrical contact with a substrate with a P-type well region formed therein, which would result in a decrease in asymmetry leading to occurrence of a problem as to the difficulty in micropatterning. To avoid this problem, the P-type well region in which an inverter making up an SRAM cell is formed is subdivided into two portions, which are disposed on the opposite sides of an N-type well region NW1 and are formed so that a diffusion layer forming a transistor has no curvature while causing the layout direction to run in a direction parallel to well boundary lines and bit lines. At intermediate locations of an array, regions for use in supplying power to the substrate are formed in parallel to word lines in such a manner that one regions is provided per group of thirty two memory cell rows or sixty four cell rows.

Abstract: In order to provide a semiconductor integrated circuit device such as a high-performance semiconductor integrated circuit device capable of reducing a soft error developed in each memory cell of a SRAM, the surface of a wiring of a cross-connecting portion, of a SRAM memory cell having a pair of n-channel type MISFETs whose gate electrodes and drains are respectively cross-connected, is formed in a shape that protrudes from the surface of a silicon oxide film. A silicon nitride film used as a capacitive insulating film, and an upper electrode are formed on the wiring. A capacitance can be formed of the wiring, the silicon nitride film and the upper electrode, and a soft error produced due to an &agr; ray can be reduced. Since a capacitance can be formed even at each sidewall of the wiring, an increase in capacity can be achieved.

Abstract: Prior known static random access memory (SRAM) cells are required that a diffusion layer be bent into a key-like shape in order to make electrical contact with a substrate with a P-type well region formed therein, which would result in a decrease in asymmetry leading to occurrence of a problem as to the difficulty in micro-patterning. To avoid this problem, the P-type well region in which an inverter making up an SRAM cell is formed is subdivided into two portions, which are disposed on the opposite sides of an N-type well region NW1 and are formed so that a diffusion layer forming a transistor has no curvature while causing the layout direction to run in a direction parallel to well boundary lines and bit lines. At intermediate locations of an array, regions for use in supplying power to the substrate are formed in parallel to word lines in such a manner that one regions is provided per group of thirty two memory cell rows or sixty four cell rows.

Abstract: A low threshold voltage NMIS area and a high threshold voltage PMIS area are set by a photoresist mask also used for well formation. Using a photoresist mask with openings for the NMIS and PMIS, the NMIS and PMIS areas are set by one ion implantation step. After gate oxidation, ion implantation is conducted through an amorphous silicon film onto wells, channels, and gate electrodes. A plurality of CMIS threshold voltages can be set and the gate electrodes of both polarities can be formed in a reduced number of steps using photoresist. This solves the problem in which photomasks are required as many as there are ion implantation types for wells, channel stoppers, gate electrodes, and threshold voltage control and hence the number of manufacturing steps and the production cost are increased.

Abstract: The metal layers embedded into the contact holes of various kinds in shape are used as the lines and are employed as the lines for controlling the substrate bias. The first-layer metal line layers are made thin so as to be also employed as the lines for controlling the substrate bias. Moreover, the second-layer metal line layers are employed as the copper line layers. Thereby, a semiconductor integrated circuit which allows a high-speed and low-power operation is provided with a small area and without increasing the number of the masks.

Abstract: A semiconductor device and process of forming the device are described. The process includes forming a pad oxide film on the circuit-forming side of a semiconductor substrate; forming an oxidation prevention film on the pad oxide film; removing the oxidation prevention film and the pad oxide film at a desired position, thereby exposing the surface of the semiconductor substrate; horizontally recessing the pad oxide film; etching the exposed surface of the semiconductor substrate by isotropic etching; forming a trench to a desired depth, using the oxidation prevention film as a mask; horizontally recessing the pad oxide film; and oxidizing the trench formed in the semiconductor substrate. The produced device has round upper trench edges obtained by conducting isotropic etching of the exposed surface of the semiconductor substrate and horizontally recessing of the pad oxide film before the oxidation of the trench, whereby only one oxidation step is required.

Abstract: A process of producing a semiconductor device having a highly reliable groove isolation structure with a desired radius of curvature formed at the groove upper edge and without formation of any step. The device is produced by reducing the stress generation around the groove upper edge of an element isolation groove on a semiconductor substrate, thereby optimizing the shape of an element isolation groove and making the device finer and improving the device electric characteristics.

Abstract: An operational margin of a memory of a semiconductor integrated circuit device including an SRAM is improved. In order to set the Vth of driving MISFETs Qd, transfer MISFETs Qt and MISFETs for load resistance QL forming memory cells of an SRAM, relatively and intentionally higher than the Vth of predetermined MISFETs of SRAM peripheral circuits and logic circuits such as microprocessor, an impurity introduction step is introduced to set the Vth of the driving MISFETs Qd, transfer MISFETs Qt and MISFETs for load resistance, separately from an impurity introduction step for setting the Vth of the predetermined MISFETs.

Abstract: A MISFET capable of a high speed operation includes a metal silicide layer in a high concentration region aligned with a gate side wall layer on a self-alignment basis. A MISFET which can be driven at a high voltage includes an LDD portion having a width greater than the width of the side wall layer, a high concentration region in contact with the LDD portion and a metal silicide layer in the high concentration region.

Abstract: In a high frequency amplifying MOSFET having a drain offset region, the size is reduced and the on-resistance is decreased by providing conductor plugs 13 (P1) for leading out electrodes on a source region 10, a drain region 9 and leach-through layers 3 (4), to which a first layer wirings 11a, 11d (M1) are connected and, further, backing second layer wirings 12a to 12d are connected on the conductor plugs 13 (P1) to the first layer wirings 11s, 11d (M1).

Abstract: Grooves are defined in a substrate having device isolation regions by dry etching using silicon nitride films and side wall spacers as masks. Thereafter, the side wall spacers lying on side walls of the silicon nitride films are removed and the substrate is subjected to thermal oxidation, whereby the surface of the substrate at a peripheral portion of each active region is subjected to so-called round processing so as to have a sectional shape having a convex rounded shape.

Abstract: A gate electrode 8A of a memory cell selection MISFET Qs, which forms part of a memory cell, and gate electrodes 8B and 8C of an n-channel type MISFET Qn and a p-channel type MISFET Qp, which forms part of a logic LSI, are formed by an SiGe layer 28 and a W layer 29 deposited above the layer 28. A silicon nitride film 9 is formed above the gate electrodes 8A, 8B, and 8C to realize self-aligned contact holes (SAC).

Abstract: A SRAM of complete CMOS type having its memory cell composed of six MISFETs, in which a pair of local wiring lines for connecting the input/output terminals of CMOS inverters are formed of a refractory metal silicide layer formed over a first conducting layer constituting the individual gate electrodes;of the drive MISFETs, the transfer MISFETs and the load MISFETs of the memory cell and in which a reference voltage line formed over the local wiring lines is arranged to be superposed over the local wiring lines to form a capacity element.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having a highly reliable groove isolation structure with a desired radius of curvature formed at the groove upper edge and without formation of any step, there is produced by reducing the stress generation around the groove upper edge of an element isolation groove on a semiconductor substrate, thereby optimizing the shape of an element isolation groove and making the device finer and improving the device electric characteristics.

Abstract: A MISFET capable of a high speed operation includes a metal silicide layer in a high concentration region aligned with a gate side wall layer on a self-alignment basis. A MISFET which can be driven at a high voltage includes an LDD portion having a width greater than the width of the side wall layer, a high concentration region in contact with the LDD portion and a metal silicide layer in the high concentration region.