Method of integrating sonos into hkmg flow

Abstract

A semiconductor device and methods of fabricating the same are disclosed. Generally, the method includes forming a tunnel-dielectric for a memory transistor over a surface of a substrate, forming a nitride charge-trapping layer over the tunnel-dielectric, and forming a gate-dielectric for a field-effect transistor over the surface of the substrate. Forming the gate-dielectric can include performing a number of oxidation processes to form a thick gate-oxide while concurrently forming a blocking-dielectric including an oxide layer over the charge-trapping layer of the memory transistor. In one embodiment, performing the oxidation processes includes performing an in-situ-steam-generation process to form the thick gate-oxide and the oxide layer of the blocking-dielectric, followed by a thermal oxidation process to increase a thickness of the thick gate-oxide and the oxide layer without altering a substantially uniform stoichiometric concentration of nitrogen across a thickness of the charge-trapping layer from the tunnel-dielectric to the blocking-dielectric.