Abstract: A semiconductor substrate shaped to have a curved surface profile by anodization. Prior to being anodized, the substrate is finished with an anode pattern on its bottom surface so as to be consolidated into a unitary structure in which the anode pattern is precisely reproduced on the substrate. The anodization utilizes an electrolytic solution which etches out an oxidized portion as soon as it is formed as a result of the anodization, to thereby develop a porous layer in a pattern in match with the anode pattern. The anode pattern brings about an in-plane distribution of varying electric field intensity by which the porous layer develops into a shape complementary to a desired surface profile. Upon completion of the anodization, the curves surface is revealed on the surface of the substrate by etching out the porous layer and the anode pattern from the substrate.

Abstract: Techniques for electronic device fabrication are provided. In one aspect, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device comprises at least one interposer structure having one or mole vias and a plurality of decoupling capacitors integrated therein, the at least one interposer structure being configured to allow for one or more of the plurality of decoupling capacitors to be selectively deactivated. In another aspect, a method of fabricating an electronic device comprising at least one interposer structure having one or more vias and a plurality of decoupling capacitors integrated therein comprises the following step. One or more of the plurality of decoupling capacitors are selectively deactivated.

Abstract: A method is provided in which a stress present in a film is reduced in magnitude by oxidizing the film through atomic oxygen supplied to a surface of the film. In an embodiment, a mask is used to selectively block portions of the film so that the stress is relaxed only in areas exposed to the oxidation process. A method is further provided in which a film having a stress is formed over source and drain regions of an NFET and a PFET. The stress present in the film over the source and drain regions of either the NFET or the PFET is then relaxed by oxidizing the film through exposure to atomic oxygen to provide enhanced mobility in at least one of the NFET or the PFET while maintaining desirable mobility in the other of the NFET and PFET.

Abstract: Plasma assisted low temperature radical oxidation is described. The oxidation is selective to metals or metal oxides that may be present in addition to the silicon being oxidized. Selectivity is achieved by proper selection of process parameters, mainly the ratio of H2 to O2 gas. The process window may be enlarged by injecting H2O steam into the plasma, thereby enabling oxidation of silicon in the presence of TiN and W, at relatively low temperatures. Selective oxidation is improved by the use of an apparatus having remote plasma and flowing radicals onto the substrate, but blocking ions from reaching the substrate.

Abstract: A method of forming a nitrided silicon oxide layer. The method includes: forming a silicon dioxide layer on a surface of a silicon substrate; performing a rapid thermal nitridation of the silicon dioxide layer at a temperature of less than or equal to about 900° C. and a pressure greater than about 500 Torr to form an initial nitrided silicon oxide layer; and performing a rapid thermal oxidation or anneal of the initial nitrided silicon oxide layer at a temperature of less than or equal to about 900° C. and a pressure greater than about 500 Torr to form a nitrided silicon oxide layer. Also a method of forming a MOSFET with a nitrided silicon oxide dielectric layer.

Abstract: A method for forming an oxide film includes a first in-situ steam generation (ISSG) process using a 1%-H2 concentration in the ambient gas and a subsequent second ISSG process using a 5%-H2 concentration in the ambient gas, wherein the second ISSG process compensates an in-plane thickness distribution of the film formed by the first ISSG process. The time length for the first and second ISSG steps is determined based on a desired film thickness, a time length dependency of a film formed by the second ISSG process, and the oxidation rate of the first and second ISSG processes.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a gate dielectric of a field effect transistor is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes removing a native oxide layer, forming an oxide layer, forming a gate dielectric layer over the oxide layer, forming an oxide layer over the gate dielectric layer, and annealing the layers and underlying thermal oxide/silicon interface. Optionally, the oxide layer may be nitridized prior to forming the gate dielectric layer. In one embodiment, the oxide layer on the substrate is formed by depositing the oxide layer, and the oxide layer on the gate dielectric layer is formed by oxidizing at least a portion of the gate dielectric layer using an oxygen-containing plasma. In another embodiment, the oxide layer on the gate dielectric layer is formed by forming a thermal oxide layer, i.e., depositing the oxide layer on the gate dielectric layer.

Abstract: Methods of forming an oxide layer on silicon carbide include thermally growing an oxide layer on a layer of silicon carbide, and annealing the oxide layer in an environment containing NO at a temperature greater than 1175° C. The oxide layer may be annealed in NO in a silicon carbide tube that may be coated with silicon carbide. To form the oxide layer, a preliminary oxide layer may be thermally grown on a silicon carbide layer in dry O2, and the preliminary oxide layer may be re-oxidized in wet O2.

Abstract: A method for forming a dielectric is provided. The method includes providing a substrate having a silicon-containing semiconductor layer within a process chamber. The process chamber is capable of ionizing a process precursor to a plasma comprising an oxygen-containing element and a fluorocarbon-containing element. A surface portion of the silicon-containing material is oxidized by using the plasma to convert the surface portion into an oxidized dielectric material.

Abstract: A process for forming an oxide-containing film from silicon is provided that includes heating the silicon substrates to a process temperature of between 250° C. and 1100° C. with admission into the process chamber of diatomic reductant source gas Z-Z? where Z and Z? are each H, D and T and a stable source of oxide ion. Multiple exhaust ports exist along the vertical extent of the process chamber to create reactant across flow. A batch of silicon substrates is provided having multiple silicon base layers, each of the silicon base layers having exposed <110> and <100> planes and a film residual stress associated with the film being formed at a temperature of less than 600° C. and having a <110> film thickness that exceeds a <100> film thickness on the <100> crystallographic plane by less than 20%, or a film characterized by thickness anisotropy less than 18% and an electrical breakdown field of greater than 10.5 MV/cm.

Abstract: An object of this invention is to make it possible to suppress early-stage oxidation of a substrate surface prior to oxidation processing, and to remove a natural oxidation film. For this reason, a method is provided comprising the steps of loading a substrate into a processing chamber, supplying a hydrogen-containing gas and an oxygen-containing gas into the processing chamber, and subjecting a surface of the substrate to oxidation processing, and unloading the substrate subjected to oxidation processing from the processing chamber. In the oxidation processing step, the hydrogen-containing gas is introduced in advance into the processing chamber, with the pressure inside the processing chamber set at a pressure that is less than atmospheric pressure, and the oxygen-containing gas is then introduced in the state in which the introduction of the hydrogen-containing gas is continued.

Abstract: The invention is a method for forming a silicon oxide film of an SOI wafer, the method by which at least thermal oxidation treatment is performed (a process (A)) on an SOI wafer having an oxide film on the back surface and, after the thermal oxidation treatment, heat treatment is additionally performed (a process (B)) in a non-oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature higher than the temperature at which the thermal oxidation treatment was performed, whereby a silicon oxide film is formed on the front surface of an SOI layer. This provides a method for forming a silicon oxide film of an SOI wafer, the method that can prevent an SOI wafer from being warped after thermal oxidation treatment even when an SOI wafer having a thick oxide film on the back surface is used and a silicon oxide film for forming a device is formed by thermal oxidation on the front surface on the SOI layer side, and can reduce exposure failure and adsorption failure caused by warpage of the SOI wafer and enhance yields of device fabrication.

Abstract: The present invention provides a solution for interleaving data frames, in a semiconductor device manufacturing system in which the processing apparatus for conducting a process on any one of a semiconductor substrate and a thin film on a surface thereof; a self-diagnostic system for diagnosing a state of the processing apparatus; and a parameter fitting apparatus for maintaining a parameter of the self-diagnostic system when an inspection result of the semiconductor substrate having undergone the process has been determined to be correct, and for changing the parameter of the self-diagnostic system when the inspection result has been determined to be incorrect.

Abstract: Methods are provided for improving inversion layer mobility and providing low defect density in a semiconductor device based upon a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate. More specifically, embodiments of the present method provide for the formation of a gate oxide on a silicon carbide substrate comprising oxidizing the substrate with a gaseous mixture comprising oxygen at a temperature of at least about 1300° C. Semiconductor devices, such as MOSFETS, based upon a substrate treated according to the present method are expected to have inversion layer mobilities of at least about 12 cm2/Vs.

Abstract: A seed layer is formed on a substrate using a first biological agent. The seed layer may comprise densified nanoparticles which are bound to the biological agent. The seed layer is then used for a deposition of a metal layer, such as a barrier layer, an interconnect layer, a cap layer and/or a bus line for a solid state device.

Abstract: Processes for the purification of silicon carbide structures, including silicon carbide coated silicon carbide structures, are disclosed. The processes described can reduce the amount of iron contamination in a silicon carbide structure by 100 to 1000 times. After purification, the silicon carbide structures are suitable for use in high temperature silicon wafer processing.

Abstract: A method of reducing threshold voltage shift of a MOSFET transistor resulting after temperature and voltage stress, and an integrated circuit device fabricated according to the method. The method includes the steps of forming a nitrided dielectric layer on a semiconductor substrate, and subjecting the nitrided dielectric layer to an anneal at low pressure.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a processing chamber that processes a substrate, and a substrate placing base enclosed in the processing chamber, and a substrate transporting member that allows the substrate to wait temporarily on the substrate placing base, and exhaust holes provided so as to surround the substrate placing base, and a retracting space that allows the substrate transporting member to move in between lines each connecting the exhaust hole and an upper end of the substrate placing base and the substrate placing base.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes: providing a substrate structure in which a plurality of gate lines are already formed; forming a capping layer over the substrate structure; oxidizing the capping layer; and forming an insulation layer over the oxidized capping layer. The capping layer may include a nitride-based material. The insulation layer may include substantially the same material as the capping layer. The oxidizing of the capping layer may comprise performing a radical oxidation process.

Abstract: An oxidizing method for an object to be processed according to the present invention includes: an arranging step of arranging a plurality of objects to be processed in a processing container whose inside can be vacuumed, the processing container having a predetermined length, a supplying unit of an oxidative gas being provided at one end of the processing container, a plurality of supplying units of a reducing gas being provided at a plurality of positions in a longitudinal direction of the processing container; an atmosphere forming step of supplying the oxidative gas and the reducing gas into the processing container in order to form an atmosphere having active oxygen species and active hydroxyl species in the processing container; and an oxidizing step of oxidizing surfaces of the plurality of objects to be processed in the atmosphere.

Abstract: In the present invention, when a gate insulation film in a DRAM is formed, an oxide film constituting a base of the gate insulation film is plasma-nitrided. The plasma nitridation is performed with microwave plasma generated by using a plane antenna having a large number of through holes. Nitrogen concentration in the gate insulation film formed by the plasma nitridation is 5 to 20% in atomic percentage. Even without subsequent annealing, it is possible to effectively prevent a boron penetration phenomenon in the DRAM and to reduce traps in the film causing deterioration in driving capability of the device.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a nonvolatile charge trap memory device is described. The method includes first forming a tunnel dielectric layer on a substrate in a first process chamber of a single-wafer cluster tool. A charge-trapping layer is then formed on the tunnel dielectric layer in a second process chamber of the single-wafer cluster tool. A top dielectric layer is then formed on the charge-trapping layer in the second or in a third process chamber of the single-wafer cluster tool.

Abstract: A laser amplification structure comprising an active medium and at least two electrodes disposed on either side of the active medium, the active medium comprising a first layer of a silicon oxide doped with rare earth ions, wherein the first silicon layer is co-doped with silicon nanograins and rare earth ions.

Abstract: A method of treating a substrate comprises depositing silicon oxycarbide on the substrate and removing the silicon oxycarbide from the substrate. The silicon oxycarbide on the substrate is decarbonized by exposure to an energized oxygen-containing gas that heats the substrate and converts the layer of silicon oxycarbide into a layer of silicon oxide. The silicon oxide is removed by exposure to a plasma of fluorine-containing process gas. Alternatively, the remaining silicon oxide can be removed by a fluorine-containing acidic bath. In yet another version, a plasma of a fluorine-containing gas and an oxygen-containing gas is energized to remove the silicon oxycarbide from the substrate.

Abstract: A method for growing an oxynitride film on a substrate includes positioning the substrate in a process chamber, heating the process chamber, flowing a first wet process gas comprising water vapor into the process chamber, and reacting the substrate with the first wet process gas to grow an oxide film on the substrate. The method further includes flowing a second wet process gas comprising water vapor and a nitriding gas comprising nitric oxide into the process chamber, and reacting the oxide film and the substrate with the second wet process gas to grow an oxynitride film. In another embodiment, the method further comprises annealing the substrate containing the oxynitride film in an annealing gas. According to one embodiment of the method where the substrate is silicon, a silicon oxynitride film can be formed that exhibits a nitrogen peak concentration of approximately 3 atomic % or greater.

Abstract: A method is provided with a step of supplying a reacting furnace (200) with a plurality of gases which react each other and an inert gas and oxidizing a substrate (20) under an atmospheric pressure, and a step of carrying out the substrate (20) after oxidizing from the reacting furnace. In the oxidizing step, the partial pressure of the oxidizing gas is kept constant by changing a flow quantity of the inert gas in accordance with atmospheric pressure variation, and a flow quantity of the inert gas is calculated based on a previously calculated flow quantity of a gas generated by the reaction of the gases and a gas remained without being consumed by the reaction.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. In embodiments, a transistor including the gate electrode and a source/drain may be formed between isolation layers and a contact may be connected to the source/drain. A barrier layer may be formed at a boundary between the isolation layer and the source/drain and may physically isolate the isolation layer from the source/drain.

Abstract: An insulting film is modified by subjecting the insulting film to a modification treatment comprising a combination of a plasma treatment and a thermal annealing treatment. There is provided a method of enhancing the characteristic of an insulating film by improving deterioration in the characteristic of the insulating film due to carbon, a suboxide, a dangling bond or the like contained in the insulating film.

Abstract: Substrate, in particular in silicon carbide, covered by a thin film of stoichiometric silicon nitride, for the manufacture of electronic components and method for obtaining said film. To obtain the film on the substrate (1) in the presence of at least one nitrogen gas, the substrate is covered with a film (2) of a material that is permeable to said gas and the film of silicon nitride is capable of forming at the interface between the substrate and the film of the material. The invention applies for example to microelectronics.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including implanting an element selected from fluorine and nitrogen, over the entire region of a semiconductor substrate; oxidizing the semiconductor substrate to thereby form a first oxide film over the surface of the semiconductor substrate; selectively removing the first oxide film in a partial region; oxidizing the semiconductor substrate in the partial region to thereby form a second oxide film thinner than the first oxide film in the partial region; and forming gates to thereby form transistors.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a flash memory device is disclosed. The method comprises forming a first insulating layer on a semiconductor substrate; accumulating nitrogen at an interface between the semiconductor substrate and the first insulating layer to form a second insulating layer at the interface; and implanting oxygen into the second insulating layer to convert the second insulating layer to a third insulating layer.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device based on a SiC substrate (12), comprising the steps of forming (201) an oxide layer (14) on a Si-terminated face of the SiC substrate (12) at an oxidation rate sufficiently high to achieve a near interface trap density below 5×1011 cm?2; and annealing (202) the oxidized SiC substrate in a hydrogen-containing environment, in order to passivate deep traps formed in the oxide-forming step, thereby enabling manufacturing of a SiC-based MOSFET (10) having improved inversion layer mobility and reduced threshold voltage. It has been found by the present inventors that the density of DTs increases while the density of NITs decreases when the Si-face of the SiC substrate is subject to rapid oxidation. According to the present invention, the deep traps formed during the rapid oxidation can be passivated by hydrogen annealing, thus leading to a significantly decreased threshold voltage for a semiconductor device formed on the oxide.

Abstract: Methods of forming oxide layers on silicon carbide layers are disclosed, including placing a silicon carbide layer in a chamber such as an oxidation furnace tube that is substantially free of metallic impurities, heating an atmosphere of the chamber to a temperature of about 500° C. to about 1300° C., introducing atomic oxygen in the chamber, and flowing the atomic oxygen over a surface of the silicon carbide layer to thereby form an oxide layer on the silicon carbide layer. In some embodiments, introducing atomic includes oxygen providing a source oxide in the chamber and flowing a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen gas over the source oxide. The source oxide may comprise aluminum oxide or another oxide such as manganese oxide. Some methods include forming an oxide layer on a silicon carbide layer and annealing the oxide layer in an atmosphere including atomic oxygen.

Abstract: Methods of fabricating an oxide layer on a semiconductor substrate are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of forming an oxide layer on a semiconductor substrate includes placing a substrate to be oxidized on a substrate support in a vacuum chamber of a plasma reactor, the chamber having an ion generation region remote from the substrate support; introducing a process gas into the chamber, the process gas comprising at least one of hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2)—provided at a flow rate ratio of hydrogen (H2) to oxygen (O2) of up to about 3:1—or water vapor (H2O vapor); and generating an inductively coupled plasma in the ion generation region of the chamber to form a silicon oxide layer on the substrate.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method to convert a low resistance cell in a MRAM device to a capacitive cell. The low resistance cell has a plurality of layers on a substrate. At least one layer remote from the substrate is sensitive to oxygen infusion. The method includes removing a cap layer of the cell and applying an oxygen barrier around the cell to expose at least a part of a surface of the at least one layer remote from the substrate. The at least one layer is oxidized. The oxygen barrier is removed.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an SiC single crystal wafer according to the present invention includes the steps of: (a) preparing an SiC single crystal wafer 10 with a mirror-polished surface; (b) oxidizing the surface of the SiC single crystal wafer 10 with plasma, thereby forming an oxide layer 12 on the surface of the SiC single crystal wafer; and (c) removing at least a portion of the oxide layer 12 by a reactive ion etching process. Preferably, the surface of the wafer is planarized by repeatedly performing the steps (b) and (c) a number of times.

Abstract: A method of fabricating spacers is provided. The method includes providing a substrate with a device structure formed thereon. The device structure comprises a gate structure and a pair of source/drain regions. Then, a spacer material layer is formed over the substrate to cover the substrate and the device structure. Thereafter, an etching process is performed to remove a portion of the spacer material layer so that spacers are formed on the respective sidewalls of the gate structure. After that, a plasma treatment step is performed to form a spacer protection layer on the surface of the substrate, the spacers and the gate structure.

Abstract: A peripheral processing method includes: by at least one of locally heating the periphery of a workpiece including a silicon-based substrate and selectively supplying reacting activation species to the periphery, allowing oxidation rate on the periphery to be higher than oxidation rate of native oxide film on a surface of the silicon-based substrate, thereby forming a first oxide film along the periphery, the first oxide film being thicker than the native oxide film.

Abstract: A process for forming a silicon nitride layer on a gate oxide film as part of formation of a gate structure in a semiconductor device includes: forming a layer of silicon nitride on top of a gate oxide film on a semiconductor substrate by a nitridation process, heating the semiconductor substrate in an annealing chamber, exposing the semiconductor substrate to N2 in the annealing chamber, and exposing the semiconductor substrate to a mixture of N2 and N2O in the annealing chamber.

Abstract: A method of forming a capacitor includes forming a conductive first capacitor electrode material comprising TiN over a substrate. TiN of the TiN-comprising material is oxidized effective to form conductive TiOxNy having resistivity no greater than 1 ohm·cm over the TiN-comprising material where x is greater than 0 and y is from 0 to 1.4. A capacitor dielectric is formed over the conductive TiOxNy. Conductive second capacitor electrode material is formed over the capacitor dielectric. Other aspects and implementations are contemplated, including capacitors independent of method of fabrication.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide methods of forming oxide layers on semiconductor substrates. In some embodiments, a method of forming an oxide layer on a semiconductor substrate includes forming an oxide layer on a substrate using an oxidation process having a first process gas at a first temperature less than about 800 degrees Celsius; and annealing the oxide layer formed on the substrate in the presence of a second process gas and at a second temperature. The oxidation process may be a plasma or thermal oxidation process performed at a temperature of about 800 degrees Celsius or below. In some embodiments, the post oxidation annealing process may be a spike or soak rapid thermal process, a laser anneal, or a flash anneal performed at a temperature of at least about 700 degrees Celsius, at least about 800 degrees Celsius, or at least about 950 degrees Celsius.

Abstract: The invention relates to the manufacture of an epitaxial layer, with the following steps: providing a semiconductor substrate; providing a Si—Ge layer on the semiconductor substrate, having a first depth; —providing the semiconductor substrate with a doped layer with an n-type dopant material and having a second depth substantially greater than said first depth; performing an oxidation step to form a silicon dioxide layer such that Ge atoms and n-type atoms are pushed into the semiconductor substrate by the silicon dioxide layer at the silicon dioxide/silicon interface, wherein the n-type atoms are pushed deeper into the semiconductor substrate than the Ge atoms, resulting in a top layer with a reduced concentration of n-type atoms; removing the silicon dioxide layer; growing an epitaxial layer of silicon on the semiconductor substrate with a reduced outdiffusion or autodoping.

Abstract: Silicon layer highly sensitive to oxygen and method for obtaining said layer. This layer (2), formed on a substrate (4) for example of SiC, has a 3'2 structure. To obtain it, it is possible to substantially uniformly deposit silicon on a surface of the substrate. The invention can be applied for example to microelectronics.

Abstract: The present invention provides a solution for interleaving data frames, in a semiconductor device manufacturing system in which the processing apparatus for conducting a process on any one of a semiconductor substrate and a thin film on a surface thereof; a self-diagnostic system for diagnosing a state of the processing apparatus; and a parameter fitting apparatus for maintaining a parameter of the self-diagnostic system when an inspection result of the semiconductor substrate having undergone the process has been determined to be correct, and for changing the parameter of the self-diagnostic system when the inspection result has been determined to be incorrect.

Abstract: The surface of an insulating film disposed on an electronic device substrate is irradiated with plasma based on a process gas comprising at least an oxygen atom-containing gas, to thereby form an underlying film at the interface between the insulating film and the electronic device substrate. A good underlying film is provided at the interface between the insulating film and the electronic device substrate, so that the thus formed underlying film can improve the property of the insulating film.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for forming self-aligned metal silicide contacts over at least two silicon-containing semiconductor regions that are spaced apart from each other by an exposed dielectric region. Preferably, each of the self-aligned metal silicide contacts so formed comprises at least nickel silicide and platinum silicide with a substantially smooth surface, and the exposed dielectric region is essentially free of metal and metal silicide. More preferably, the method comprises the steps of nickel or nickel alloy deposition, low-temperature annealing, nickel etching, high-temperature annealing, and aqua regia etching.

Abstract: This invention is embodied in an improved process for growing high-quality silicon dioxide layers on silicon by subjecting it to a gaseous mixture of nitrous oxide (N2O) and ozone (O3). The presence of O3 in the oxidizing ambiance greatly enhances the oxidation rate compared to an ambiance in which N2O is the only oxidizing agent. In addition to enhancing the oxidation rate of silicon, it is hypothesized that the presence of O3 interferes with the growth of a thin silicon oxynitride layer near the interface of the silicon dioxide layer and the unreacted silicon surface which makes oxidation in the presence of N2O alone virtually self-limiting The presence of O3 in the oxidizing ambiance does not impair oxide reliability, as is the case when silicon is oxidized with N2O in the presence of a strong, fluorine-containing oxidizing agent such as NF3 or SF6.

Abstract: A method is presented in which a layer which is to be oxidized is processed, in a single-substrate process. The process temperature during the processing is recorded directly at the substrate or at a holding device for the substrate. The method includes introducing a substrate, which bears a layer to be oxidized uncovered in an edge region in a layer stack, into a heating device, passing an oxidation gas onto the substrate, heating the substrate to a process temperature, which is recorded during the processing via a temperature of a holding device which holds the substrate, and controlling the substrate temperature to a desired temperature or temperature curve during the processing.

Abstract: A double-structure silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate with a silicon layer, an insulation film (silicon oxide film), a silicon layer, and an insulation film in this order from the side of the surface. The upper-layer insulation film is formed so as to have a uniform distribution of depth while the lower-layer insulation film is formed so as to have a non-uniform distribution of depth so that a thick portion may be formed in the silicon layer along a predetermined path. The refractive index of Si is 3.5 and the refractive index of SiO2 is 1.5. The thick portion of the silicon layer provides a core and the insulation films corresponding to this thick portion provide clads, thereby forming an optical waveguide along the predetermined path. The silicon layer at the side of the surface has a uniform thickness, thereby enabling characteristics of MOS devices fabricated on various portions of the silicon layer to be met with each other easily and facilitating a design of the electrical device as a whole.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor is provided. First, a patterned hard mask layer with an opening therein is formed over the substrate. A spacer is formed on the sidewall of the patterned hard mask layer in the opening. An isotropic etching process is performed on the substrate to form a recess in the substrate. An ion implant process is performed on the substrate in the lower portion of the recess using oxidation-restrained ions. The spacer is removed. Then, a thermal process is performed to form a gate oxide layer on the surface of the substrate within the recess such that the gate oxide layer in the upper portion of the recess is thicker than that in the lower portion of the recess.