Method of fabricating a semiconductor device

Details Method of fabricating a semiconductor device Method of fabricating a semiconductor device

2002-12-06

2004-09-21

Niebling, John F. (Department: 2812)

Semiconductor device manufacturing: process

Making field effect device having pair of active regions...

Having insulated gate

C438S253000, C438S396000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06794240

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of fabricating a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a method of forming a capacitor of the semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
With an advance being made in miniaturization of a semiconductor device, there has since arisen a need for further reducing a capacitor area and so forth. A tantalum oxide film (hereinafter referred to as a Ta
2
O
5
film) having a high permittivity has recently attracted attention as a dielectric film of a capacitor. The dielectric film needs to be rendered thin for the capacitor to have a sufficient capacitance. However, if the dielectric film is formed too thin, this will cause occurrence of leakage current therefrom. Deficiency of oxygen within the Ta
2
O
5
film, residual impurity carbon therein, reduction of the Ta
2
O
5
film due to oxygen being drawn into an electrode material, and so forth are regarded as causes for occurrence of leakage current from the Ta
2
O
5
film. The technique for performing oxygen annealing after formation of the Ta
2
O
5
film as a method of making up for deficiency of oxygen therein has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open H 9-121035, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open H 4-199828. And a method of preventing oxygen from being drawn into an electrode material by forming the electrode material of a metal having a free energy greater than that for the Ta
2
O
5
film has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication H 6-82782.
However, with the technique for performing the oxygen annealing after formation of the Ta
2
O
5
film as disclosed in the technical literature described above, difficulty has been encountered in supplying oxygen as far as the vicinity of the interface between the Ta
2
O
5
film and an underlayer thereof. Further, in the case of changing the electrode material, there have been cases wherein the Ta
2
O
5
film were subjected to a damage caused by a fluorine-containing gas when forming an electrode over the Ta
2
O
5
film.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to solve the problems described above, a typical method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to the invention comprises steps of forming a lower electrode on the surface of a semiconductor substrate, forming a silicon nitride film over the lower electrode, applying a first heat treatment whereby the silicon nitride film is annealed in an atmosphere containing oxygen, forming a dielectric film containing alkaline earth metals over the silicon nitride film, applying a second heat treatment whereby the dielectric film is annealed in an atmosphere containing oxygen, and forming an upper electrode on the surface of the dielectric film.


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