Fuji Electric Holdings Co., Ltd.

Fuji Electric Device Technology Co., Ltd.

Hitoshi Kuribayashi

Ryosuke Shimizu

Akihiko Ohi

Yoshihiko Nagayasu

Daisuke Kishimoto

Reiko Hiruta

Yuji Sano

In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the invention including the step of forming trenches having the depth thereof in perpendicular to the major surface of a semiconductor substrate, the step of forming trenches includes the steps of performing trench etching using an insulator film, formed on the major surface of the semiconductor substrate and shaped with a predetermined pattern, for a mask to form the trenches; etching the inside of the trenches using a halogen containing gas to smoothen the inside of the trenches; and thermally treating in a non-oxidizing and non-nitriding atmosphere. The manufacturing method according to the invention facilitates well removing the etching residues remaining in the trenches and rounding the trench corners properly when the trenches are 2 &#x3bc;m or narrower in width and even when the trenches are 1 &#x3bc;m or narrower in width.

Method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having trenches defined in the substrate surface

A method of forming a semiconductor device uses an anneal technique to planarize and round corners of a trench formed in a substrate. The substrate is annealed under a normal pressure in an inert atmosphere, such as an atmosphere containing one of argon, helium, and neon, or an atmosphere of a gas mixture of hydrogen of 4% or less and one of argon, helium, and neon at a temperature of between 900&#xb0; C. and 1050&#xb0; C. for a time of between 30 seconds and 30 minutes to round the trench corners and planarize the trench side walls. Alternatively, after removing a mask for forming the trench, the substrate can be annealed in the inert atmosphere. This provides easy and inexpensive way of planarizing the trench side walls, as well as rounding of the trench corners. Moreover, by removing the mask for forming the trench before annealing enables the semiconductor device to have a highly reliable gate insulator film with good reproducibility.

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of: exposing a semiconductor surface of a substrate; annealing the substrate in a hydrogen atmosphere at a hydrogen pressure between 200 Torr and 760 Torr and a temperature between 1000&#xb0; C. and 1050&#xb0; C. to planarize the exposed semiconductor surface; and forming a gate insulator film on the planarized semiconductor surface.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device and method of treating semiconductor surface

Growing community of inventors

Nagano, Japan

Hitoshi Kuribayashi