Method of manufacturing semiconductor device having oxide films with different thickness
After a first gate oxide film is formed on a substrate, a nitride layer is formed by a first oxynitriding process. The first gate oxide film is selectively removed from a thinner film part area of the substrate. A second gate oxide film forming process forms a second gate oxide film in the thinner film part area and a third gate oxide film in a thicker film part area. By executing second oxynitriding process, nitride layers are formed at the thinner and the thicker part areas.
Latest Elpida Memory, Inc. Patents:
- Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device of variable resistive type with reduced variations of forming current after breakdown
- Test method for semiconductor device having stacked plural semiconductor chips
- DRAM MIM capacitor using non-noble electrodes
- High work function, manufacturable top electrode
- Semiconductor device and control method for semiconductor device
This application is a Continuation in Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/843,694, filed on May 12, 2004. This application claims priority to prior Japanese Application JP 2003-134265, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, in particular, to a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device including transistors having gate insulating films with different thickness.
There is a known semiconductor device, in which plural kinds of transistors having gate insulating films with different thickness are formed on a common substrate as a combination of a semiconductor memory and peripheral circuits thereof.
A conventional method of manufacturing the semiconductor device of the above type uses an oxynitriding process for a thinner gate insulating film for one of the transistors. That is, nitrogen elements are mainly introduced into the thinner gate insulating film. No or few nitrogen elements are introduced into a thicker gate insulating film for another one of the transistors.
Generally, when thickness of a gate oxide film is 7 nm or more as before, the oxynitriding process is unnecessary. This is because the thicker gate oxide film equal to or more than 7 nm has no problem such as leakage current and boron leakage. Moreover, the oxynitriding process is undesirable when the thickness of the gate oxide film is 5 nm or more because it deteriorates reliability of the gate oxide film.
However, the gate oxide film of the transistor tends to become thin according to demands of miniaturizing, implementing thin design, and saving power consumption of the semiconductor device recently. Thus, importance of the oxynitriding process becomes high to suppress leakage current and to improve operating characteristics of the transistor. Therefore, in a case of manufacturing the semiconductor device including plural kinds of transistors having gate insulating films with different thickness, it becomes important to introduce nitrogen elements into not only the thinner gate insulating film but also the thicker gate insulating film.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn view of the foregoing and other exemplary problems, drawbacks, and disadvantages of the conventional methods and structures, an exemplary feature of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device capable of introducing nitrogen elements into not only a thinner gate insulating film formed on a substrate but also a thicker gate insulating film formed on the substrate.
Other exemplary features of this invention will become clear as the description proceeds.
According to an exemplary aspect of this invention, a method of manufacturing semiconductor device includes multi-oxidation process for forming oxide films with different thickness on a substrate. The method includes executing an oxide film forming process for forming each of said oxide films on said substrate, and inevitably executing an oxynitriding process for forming nitride layer in each of said oxide films after the oxide film forming process.
According to another exemplary aspect of this invention, a semiconductor device has a substrate with a plurality of regions. The semiconductor device comprises oxide films which are formed in the regions and which have different thickness. Nitride layers are formed at vicinities of interfaces between the oxide films and the substrate.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring to
At first, as illustrated in
Next, as shown in
Next, as shown in
Subsequently, as shown in
Next, as shown in
Lastly, as shown in
After that, the polysilicon film 112 is patterned in a predetermined pattern. Then, gate electrodes and source-drain regions are formed on/in the semiconductor substrate 101 to form the semiconductor device. Thus, the semiconductor device including two (or more) kinds of transistors with different thickness of gate insulating film is completed.
Another method of manufacturing another related semiconductor device of the type is described in reference to
At first, as shown in
Next, as shown in
As shown in
Next, a first oxynitriding process is performed to form oxynitride films 205 at the device areas A-21 and A-22. In this event a two-layer film 206 consist of the oxide film and an oxynitride film is formed at the device area A-23. Each of the oxynitride films 205 has a thickness, for example, of 1.6 nm while the two-layer film 206 has a thickness, for example, of 4.8 nm.
Next, as shown in
After that, a second oxynitriding process is performed to the silicon substrate 201 with the oxynitride film 205 at the device area A-21 and the two-layer film 206 at the device area A-23. The second oxynitriding process uses source gas whose density of nitrogen is lower than that of the source gas used in the first oxynitriding process. Accordingly, as shown in
In the former of the related methods mentioned above, the oxynitride process (e.g. nitrogen ion implantation) is performed only after the first gate oxide film (104) is formed. Moreover, in the latter of the related methods, the oxynitride processes are used for forming the second and third gate insulating films (208 and 209). At any rate, the oxynitride process(es) is(are) used to introduce nitrogen into the thinner (oxide) film part area(s). Accordingly, the related methods can insufficiently introduce nitrogen into the thicker (oxide) film part area. In addition, each of the related methods cannot form a nitride layer in the vicinity of interface between the substrate and the gate insulating film. This makes it difficult to obtain desirable characteristics of the semiconductor device manufactured by the method.
Referring to
In each of
Hereafter, the description will be mainly directed to forming gate oxide films and oxynitriding the gate oxide films. Known processes can be used for other necessary processes in the method of manufacturing the semiconductor device.
As illustrated in
Next, a first oxynitriding process is applied to the semiconductor substrate 301 on which the first gate oxide film 302 is formed. As a result, a first nitride layer 303 is formed in the first gate oxide film 302 as illustrated in
Here, the NO or N2O treatment tends to form the first nitride layer 303 at vicinity of an interface between the first gate oxide film 302 and the semiconductor substrate 301. Moreover, the NH3 treatment tends to form the first nitride layer 303 both at the vicinity of an upper surface of the first gate oxide film 302 and at the vicinity of the interface between the first gate oxide film 302 and the semiconductor substrate 301. Furthermore, the plasma nitriding tends to form the first nitride layer 303 at the vicinity of the upper surface of the first gate oxide film 302.
Next, a resist film for an etching mask is deposited on the upper surface of the first gate oxide film 302. Then the resist film is selectively removed from the thinner film part area A-31 by etching to leave the part thereof at the thicker film part area A-32 as illustrated in
Next, the first gate oxide film 302 of the thinner film part area A-31 is removed by a wet etching method using diluted or buffered hydrofluoric acid or a dry etching method. In this event, the first nitride layer 303 of the thinner film part area A-31 is partly removed together with the first gate oxide film 302. As a result, the first nitride layer 303 is divided into a second nitride layer 303A of the thinner film part area A-31 and a third nitride layer 303B of the thicker film part area A-32. Then, the etching mask 304 is completely removed to expose the first oxide film 302 of the thicker film part area A-32 as illustrated in
Subsequently, a second oxide film forming process which may be similar to or different from the first oxide film forming process is executed to the semiconductor substrate 301 of
Here, the third nitride layer 303B (which is maldistributed at the vicinity of interface between the substrate 301 and the third gate oxide film 305B) migrates to the inner part of the third gate oxide film 305B accordingly as the third gate oxide film 305B increases the thickness thereof when the above mentioned oxide film forming methods are used for the second oxide film forming process except the ISSG and the plasma oxidation.
To the contrary, when the ISSG or the plasma oxidation is used for the second oxide film forming process, the third nitride layer 303B remains at the vicinity of interface between the substrate 301 and the third gate oxide film 305B as shown in
Next, a second oxynitriding process, which may be similar to or different from the first oxynitriding process, is performed to the semiconductor substrate 301 with the second and the third gate oxide film 305A and 305B. Hereby, as shown in
According to this exemplary embodiment, the oxide films (305A and 305B) having different thickness can be formed in the thinner and the thicker film part area A-31 and A-32 respectively, while the nitride films (306A and 306B) having enough nitrogen elements can be formed in the thinner and the thicker film part areas A-31 and A-32, respectively.
For instance, nitrogen density of 3-5% can be introduced into the vicinity of the interface between the oxide film and the semiconductor substrate in both of the thinner and the thicker film part areas A-31 and A-32, if the first NO (nitric oxide) treatment using NO (2L) of 100% is executed for about 30 seconds at 1050° C. with the sheet-fed equipment after the oxide film of thickness 5.0 nm is formed as the first gate oxide film, and the second NO treatment using NO (2L) of 100% is executed for about 30 seconds at 1050° C. with the sheet-fed equipment after the oxide film of thickness 3.0 nm is formed as the second gate oxide film.
Generally, if the thickness of the oxide film is equal to or less than 5 nm, it is not a considerable problem that the reliability of the oxidation film is decreased by the introduction of nitrogen. Moreover, because the oxide film forming methods described above can form the oxide film with high reliability, it is hard that introduction of the nitrogen decreases the reliability of the oxide film formed by those methods.
According to the exemplary embodiment, the amount of nitrogen element introduced into the thinner film part area A-31 and the thicker film part area A-32 can be independently controlled. For instance, to introduce nitrogen into the thicker film part area A-32 chiefly, the amount of the introduction of nitrogen by the second oxynitriding process only has to be decreased. Oppositely, to introduce nitrogen into the thinner film part area A-31 chiefly, the amount of the introduction of nitrogen by the first oxynitriding process only has to be decreased. Additionally, the amount of the introduction of nitrogen is controlled by changing treatment time of the oxynitoriding process, gas pressure, and/or treatment temperature.
As mentioned above, because the amounts of the nitrogen elements in the nitride layers formed in the thinner and the thicker film part areas can be adjusted in the method of this exemplary embodiment, prevention of missing B (boron) and reduction of current leakage in the thinner film part area A-31 and improvement of characteristic regarding interface between the oxide film and the substrate in the thicker film part area A-32 can be both achieved.
Referring to
At first, like the first exemplary embodiment, the first oxide film forming process and the first oxynitriding process are executed to a semiconductor substrate 601. As a result, as shown in
Next, a first resist mask 604 is formed by means of the known method on the third device area A-63. By the use of the first resist mask 604, the first gate oxide film 602 of the first and the second device areas A-61 and A-62 is etched as shown in
After the first resist mask 604 is removed from the third device area A-63, the second oxide film forming process and the second oxynitriding process are executed to form a second gate oxide film 605A and a fourth nitride layer 606A at the first and the second device areas A-61 and A-62 and a third gate oxide film 605B and a fifth nitride layer 606B at the third device area A-63 as shown in
Next, a second resist mask(s) 607 is formed at the first and the third device area A-63. The second oxide film 605A of the second device area A-62 is etched by the use of the resist mask 607. Then, the fourth nitride layer 606A of the second device area A-62 is changed into a sixth nitride film 606C as shown in
After the resist mask 707 is removed from the first and the third device areas A-61 and A-63, the third oxide film forming process and the third oxynitriding process are executed. Consequently, as shown in
As mentioned above, according to this exemplary embodiment, three gate oxide films different from one another in thickness can be formed. Furthermore, the final nitride layers different from one another in amount of doped nitrogen elements can be formed in the interfaces between the gate oxide films and the substrate. In other words, according to the exemplary embodiment, it is possible to make three elemental devices, such as transistors, having different (gate) oxide films in thickness and different amounts of nitrogen elements in the nitride layers at the first, the second and the third device areas of the common substrate.
Additionally, the methods used in the first embodiment can be used for the oxide film forming process, the oxynitriding process and the etching process of the second embodiment.
This invention is used for manufacturing four or more elements having different gate oxide films in thickness on a common substrate.
Though the explanation is made for manufacturing the three elemental devices different from one another in thickness of the oxide film on the substrate, this invention can be used for manufacturing four or more elemental devices different from one another in thickness of the gate oxide film on a substrate.
Referring to
At first, as shown in
Next, a first oxynitriding process is executed to the semiconductor substrate 701 with the first gate oxide film 702 to form a first nitride layer 703 in the vicinity of an interface between the semiconductor 701 and the first gate oxide film 702 as shown in
After an etching resist mask 704 is formed in the thinner film part area A-71 as illustrated in
Next a second oxide film forming process is executed to form a second gate oxide film 705A as shown in
After that, execution of a second oxynitiriding process forms fourth and fifth nitride layers 706A and 706B in the thicker and the thinner film part areas A-72 and A-71, respectively, as shown in
As mentioned above, according to the exemplary embodiment, the oxide films with different thickness can be formed at the thinner and the thicker part areas of the semiconductor substrate. Furthermore, the nitride layers with sufficient nitrogen elements can be formed by the exemplary embodiment. In addition, a single layer film formed by the second gate oxide film forming process and the subsequent oxynitriding process can be assigned to the thicker film part area which needs high reliability in its oxide film while a double layer film formed by two oxide film forming processes can be assigned to the thinner film part area which needs prevention of boron leakage and reduction of current leakage rather than the high reliability in its oxide film.
The method according to this exemplary embodiment can be used for manufacturing three or more elements with different gate oxide films in thickness on a common substrate.
Referring to
The semiconductor device according to the exemplary embodiment depicted in
Next, a second oxidizing process, such as ISSG or plasma oxidizing, is executed to form a gate oxide layer 905 on an exposed surface of the silicon substrate 901 and a surface oxide layer 906 at a surface of the nitride layer 903 (
In
The gate insulating films 803-1 and 804-1 have the two-layer structure including the oxide layer and the nitride layer in common. Therefore, they have equal reliability and allow matching characteristics of transistors formed in the thin and the thick film regions.
The nitride layers 806a and 806b suppress the diffusion of dopants doped in gate electrodes into the silicon substrate 801. In addition, good controllability of dopant profile in the silicon semiconductor 801 is obtained as a relatively small heat treatment is executed to form the two-layer structure.
Referring to
Each of the oxide layers 805a, 805b, 1001a and 1001b may include nitrogen atoms whose density is lower than that of the nitride layer 806a or 806b adjacent thereto. The gate insulating films 803-2 and 804-2 may be different from each other in number of nitrogen atoms per unit area. The lower oxide layer 805a (or 805b) may be different from the upper oxide layer 1001a (or 1001b) in thickness. Furthermore, when the lower oxide layer 805a is thinner/thicker than the upper oxide layer 1001a, the lower oxide layer 805b may be thicker/thinner than the upper oxide layer 1001b.
The semiconductor device according to the exemplary embodiment depicted in
In
The gate insulating films 803-2 and 804-2 have the three layer structure including the lower and the upper oxide layers and the nitride layer between the upper and the lower oxide layers in common. Therefore, they have equal reliability and allow matching characteristics of transistors formed in the thin and the thick film regions.
The oxide layers 805a and 805b are in contact with the silicon substrate 801. The upper oxide layers 1001a and 1001b are formed in contact with the gate electrodes (not shown in
The nitride layers 806a and 806b suppress diffusion of dopants doped in the gate electrode into the silicon substrate 801. The oxide layers 805a and 1001a (or 805b and 1001b) disposed at both sides of the nitride layer 806a (or 806b) reduces internal stress caused by the nitride layer 806a (or 806b) and thereby a leakage current is suppressed. The nitride layer 806a (or 806b) causes large internal stress in the gate insulating film 803-2 and 804-2.
Referring to
The semiconductor device according to the embodiment depicted in
Then, an etching process using a photo resist is executed to partially remove the oxide layer 1302 from a thin film region 1304 of the silicon substrate 1301 (
In
The gate insulating films 803-3 and 804-3 have the two-layer structure including the oxide layer and the nitride layer in common. Therefore, they have equal reliability and allow matching characteristics of transistors formed in the thin and the thick film regions.
The structure that the nitride layer include in the gate insulating film is in contact with the silicon substrate enlarges a range of feasible threshold voltage of transistors having the gate insulating film. Therefore, the nitride layer 1201a (or 1201b) allows manufacturing transistors having a high threshold voltage easily.
Referring to
The oxide layer 1402 may include nitrogen atoms whose density is lower than that of the nitride layer 1401. At least one of the oxide layers 1403 and 1404 may include nitrogen atoms whose density is lower than that of the nitride layer 1405. The gate insulating films 803-4 and 804-4 may be different from each other in number of nitrogen atoms per unit area. In the gate insulating film 803-4, the oxide layer 1402 may be disposed on the nitride layer 1401 that is disposed on the substrate 801.
The semiconductor device according to the exemplary embodiment depicted in
Next, an oxynitriding process, such as NO or N2O treatment, is executed to form a nitride layer 1501 at interface between the silicon substrate 901 and the oxide layer 905 (
In
The structure that the nitride layer include in the gate insulating film is in contact with the silicon substrate enlarges a range of feasible threshold voltage of a transistor having the gate insulating film. Therefore, the nitride layer 1501 allows manufacturing transistors having a high threshold voltage easily even if the gate insulating film is thin.
Referring to
The oxide layer 1603 may include nitrogen atoms whose density is lower than that of each of the nitride layers 1601 and 1602. Each of the oxide layers 1604 and 1605 may include nitrogen atoms whose density is lower than that of each of the nitride layers 1606 and 1607. The gate insulating films 803-5 and 804-5 may be different from each other in number of nitrogen atoms per unit area.
The semiconductor device according to the exemplary embodiment depicted in
In
Because the gate insulating film 803-5 (or 804-5) includes two nitride layers 1601 and 1602 (or 1606 and 1607), each nitride layer can be thin in comparison with a case that a gate insulating film includes one nitride layer. Therefore, the gate insulating film 803-5 (or 804-5) can be reduced its internal stress caused by the nitride layers 1601 and 1602 (or 1606 and 1607) and thereby a leak current can be reduced.
The structure that the nitride layer included in the gate insulating film is in contact with the silicon substrate enlarges a range of feasible threshold voltage of transistors having the gate insulating film. Therefore, the nitride layer 1601 allows manufacturing a transistor having a high threshold voltage easily even if the gate insulating film is thin.
Referring to
The semiconductor device according to the exemplary embodiment depicted in
Next, an oxynitriding process, such as a NO or N2O treatment, is executed to form a nitride layer 1903 between the silicon substrate 1901 and the gate oxide layer 1902 (
Next, a second oxidizing process, such as ISSG or plasma oxidizing, is executed to form a gate oxide layer 1905 in the thin layer region 1904 (
In
Because the gate insulating film 804-6 includes two nitride layers 1804 and 1805, each nitride layer can be thin in comparison with a single nitride layer structure case that a gate insulating film includes one nitride layer. Therefore, the gate insulating film 804-6 can reduce internal stress caused by the nitride layers 1804 and 1805 and thereby a leakage current can be reduced.
Referring to
Each of the oxide layers 2001a and 2002a may include nitrogen atoms whose density is lower than that of each of the nitride layers 2003a and 2004a. Similarly, each of the oxide layers 2001b and 2002b may include nitrogen atoms whose density is lower than that of each of the nitride layers 2003b and 2004b. The gate insulating films 803-7 and 804-7 may be different from each other in number of nitrogen atoms per unit area.
The semiconductor device according to the exemplary embodiment depicted in
In
Because the gate insulating film 803-7 (or 804-7) includes two nitride layers 2003a and 2003b, each nitride layer can be thin in comparison with the case that a gate insulating film includes one nitride layer. Therefore, the gate insulating film 803-7 (or 804-7) can reduce internal stress caused by the nitride layers 2003a and 2004a (or 2003b and 2004b) and thereby a leak current can be reduced.
Referring to
The semiconductor device according to the exemplary embodiment depicted in
In
Because the gate insulating film 804-8 includes three nitride layers 2205, 2206 and 2207, each nitride layer can be thin in comparison with the case that the gate insulating film includes two nitride layers. Therefore, the gate insulating film 804-8 can further reduce internal stress caused by the nitride layers 2205, 2207 and 2208 and thereby a leak current can be reduced.
In addition, an increase of the number of nitride layers in the gate insulating film improves the ability of the suppressing diffusion of the dopants from the gate electrode into the silicon substrate 801.
Though each of the exemplary embodiments mentioned above includes two regions having different thicknesses, this invention may be applied to a device which includes three or more regions having different thickness.
The gate insulating films may be used for MOSFETs.
While this invention has thus far been described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments thereof, it will readily be possible for those skilled in the art to put this invention into practice in various other manners.
While the invention has been described in terms of several exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Further, it is noted that, Applicants' intent is to encompass equivalents of all claim elements, even if amended later during prosecution.
Claims
1. A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate; and
- two gate insulating films having different thicknesses on said semiconductor substrate,
- wherein each of said gate insulating films includes a two-layer structure comprising an oxide layer and a nitride layer disposed on said oxide layer.
2. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said gate insulating films are different from each other in number of nitrogen atoms per unit area.
3. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said nitride layer is thinner than said oxide layer in one of said gate insulating films.
4. A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate; and
- two gate insulating films having different thicknesses on said semiconductor substrate,
- wherein each of said gate insulating films includes a three layer structure including lower and upper oxide layers and a nitride layer disposed between said lower and said upper oxide layers.
5. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 4, wherein one of said lower and said upper oxide layers includes nitrogen atoms whose density is lower than that of said nitride layer.
6. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said gate insulating films are different from each other in number of nitrogen atoms per unit area.
7. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said lower and said upper oxide layers have different thicknesses in one of said gate insulating films.
8. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said lower oxide layer is thinner than said upper oxide layer in one of said gate insulating films, and said lower oxide layer is thicker than said upper oxide layer in the other of said gate insulating films.
9. A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate; and
- two gate insulating films having different thicknesses on said semiconductor substrate,
- wherein each of said gate insulating films includes a two-layer structure comprising a nitride layer and an oxide layer disposed on said nitride layer.
10. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said oxide layer includes nitrogen atoms whose density is lower than that of said nitride layer.
11. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 9, wherein one of said gate insulating films is different from the other in number of nitrogen atoms per unit area.
12. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said nitride layer is thinner than said oxide layer in one of said gate insulating films.
13. A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate; and
- two gate insulating films having different thicknesses on said semiconductor substrate,
- wherein one of said gate insulating films includes a two layer structure comprising a first nitride layer and a first oxide layer, and
- wherein the other of said gate insulating films includes a three layer structure comprising second and third oxide layers and a second nitride layer disposed between said second and said third oxide layers.
14. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 13, wherein each of said first, said second and said third oxide layers includes nitrogen atoms whose density is lower than that of an adjacent one of said first and said second nitride layers.
15. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 13, wherein one of said gate insulating films is different from the other in number of nitrogen atoms per unit area.
16. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said first oxide layer is disposed on said first nitride layer.
17. A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate; and
- two gate insulating films having different thicknesses on said semiconductor substrate,
- wherein one of said gate insulating films includes a three layer structure comprising first and second nitride layers and an oxide layer disposed between said first and said second nitride layers.
18. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 17, wherein said oxide layer includes nitrogen atoms whose density is lower than that of each of said first and said second nitride layers.
19. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the other of said gate insulating films includes at least one nitride layer, and
- wherein said gate insulating films are different from each other in number of nitrogen atoms per unit area.
20. A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate; and
- two gate insulating films having different thicknesses on said semiconductor substrate,
- wherein one of said gate insulating films includes a four layer structure comprises a lower nitride layer, a lower oxide layer disposed on said lower nitride layer, an upper nitride layer disposed on said lower oxide layer and an upper oxide layer disposed on said upper nitride layer.
21. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 20, wherein each of said lower and said upper oxide layers includes nitrogen atoms whose density is lower than that of each of said lower and said upper nitride layers.
22. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the other of said gate insulating films includes a nitride layer, and
- wherein said gate insulating films are different from each other in number of nitrogen atoms per unit area.
23. A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate; and
- two gate insulating films having different thicknesses on said semiconductor substrate,
- wherein one of said gate insulating films includes a four layer structure comprising a lower oxide layer, a lower nitride layer disposed on said lower oxide layer, an upper oxide layer disposed on said lower nitride layer and an upper nitride layer disposed on said upper oxide layer.
24. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 23, wherein each of said lower and said upper oxide layers includes nitrogen atoms whose density is lower than that of each of said lower and said upper nitride layers.
25. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the other of said gate insulating films includes a nitride layer, and
- wherein said gate insulating films are different from each other in number of nitrogen atoms per unit area.
26. A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate; and
- two gate insulating films having different thicknesses on said semiconductor substrate,
- wherein one of said gate insulating films includes a five-layer structure comprising three nitride layers and two oxide layers which are alternately disposed.
27. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 26, wherein each of said oxide layers includes nitrogen atoms whose density is lower than that of each of said nitride layers.
28. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 26, wherein the other of said gate insulating films includes a nitride layer, and
- wherein said gate insulating films are different from each other in number of nitrogen atoms per unit area.
29. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 26, wherein the other of said gate insulating films includes a nitride layer, and
- wherein said gate insulating films are different from each other in number of nitrogen layers.
30. A semiconductor device having two gate insulating film different from each other in thickness, produced by a process comprising:
- executing a first oxide process for forming a first oxide layer;
- executing a nitriding process for forming a nitride layer;
- executing an etching process for partially etching the first oxide layer; and
- executing a second oxide process for forming a second oxide layer.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 1, 2005
Publication Date: Jun 15, 2006
Applicant: Elpida Memory, Inc. (Tokyo)
Inventor: Takayuki Kanda (Tokyo)
Application Number: 11/291,068
International Classification: H01L 29/94 (20060101); H01L 21/8238 (20060101);