1. Field of the Invention
An exemplary aspect of the invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same, and in particular, to a semiconductor device in which an electrode with a three-dimensional structure is formed, and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In DRAMs, disadvantageously, the area occupied by memory cell capacitors is reduced in connection with a reduction in chip size, and the capacitance value of each capacitor thus decreases, degrading the charge holding property of the DRAM. To avoid this problem, a structure has been developed in which the capacitor has a three-dimensional structure and thus an increased surface area. An example of such a capacitor with a three-dimensional structure is a cylinder capacitor structure (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2003-142605 A and 2005-229097 A).
However, in the manufacture of such cylinder capacitors, foreign matter may disadvantageously disperse in a wafer and re-adhere to the wafer, thus reducing manufacturing yield. The cause of these problems will be described with reference to
Memory cell capacitors 161, guard ring 162, and lithography mark 163 are formed: guard ring 162 surrounds an array of memory cell capacitors, and lithography mark 163 is formed around the outer periphery of a chip. A region in which the memory cell capacitors are formed is hereinafter referred to as memory cell region 165. A region around the memory cell region is hereinafter referred to as peripheral region 166.
Wells, isolation regions, transistors, bit lines, cell contact plugs, and bit line contacts are formed on a semiconductor substrate by a normal DRAM forming method. Then, on-bit-line interlayer film 140 and capacitor contact plugs 141 are formed on the semiconductor substrate. On-bit-line interlayer film 140 is formed using, for example, a silicon oxide film. Capacitor contact plugs 141 are formed using, for example, a phosphorous doped polysilicon film. Stopper insulating film 142 is formed. Stopper insulating film 142 is formed of a nitride film and has a film thickness of 100 nm.
Capacitor interlayer film 150 is deposited to allow capacitors to be formed. Capacitor interlayer film 150 is formed of a silicon oxide film and has a film thickness of 1 to 3 μm. Capacitor beam insulating film 151 is formed. Capacitor beam insulating film 151 is formed of a nitride film and has a film thickness of, for example, 100 nm.
The hole portions of memory cell capacitors 161 are formed so as to expose the tops of the capacitor contact plugs. When the hole portions are formed, the hole portions of guard ring 162 and lithography mark 163 are simultaneously formed. The sizes of the hole portions are such that memory cell capacitor 161 has an opening width of 100 nm, guard ring 162 has an opening width of 300 nm, and lithography mark 163 has an opening width of 500 nm. Here, the opening width of the hole portion refers to the diameter of the largest inscribed circle drawn so as to contact the edge of the opening. For example, in the memory cell capacitor, shaped like an ellipse with a minor axis and a major axis, the opening width corresponds to the width of the largest portion of the minor axis. That is, the opening width means the film thickness in the lateral direction which is required to block the hole portion as viewed from above when a film is deposited in the hole portion.
Storage electrode conductive film 155 is formed so as to cover the side surface and bottom surface of the hole portion of memory cell capacitor 161 and the top surface of capacitor interlayer film 150. Storage electrode conductive film 155 is formed of, for example, a TiN film and has a film thickness of 30 nm.
Mask insulating film 157 is grown and buried in the hole portions of memory cell capacitors 161. Mask insulating film 157 is formed of, for example, a silicon oxide film and has a film thickness of 70 nm. Mask insulating film 157 is formed in order to prevent storage electrode conductive film 155 formed at the bottom of the hole portion from being etched to hinder the electric connection between storage electrode conductive film 155 and the underlying contact when storage electrode conductive film 155 on the capacitor oxide film is etched, and in order to flatten differences in level formed by the capacitor holes in the surface of the memory cell array to facilitate formation of patterns during a subsequent lithography step in which capacitor beams are formed.
Mask insulating film 157 on capacitor interlayer film 150 is etched away to expose storage electrode conductive film 155. Mask insulating film 157 is buried in the hole portions of memory cell capacitors 161.
Storage electrode conductive film 155 on capacitor interlayer film 150 is removed by dry etching so as to remain only on the side surface and bottom surface of each of the hole portions of memory cell capacitors 161. Furthermore, storage electrode conductive film 155 in the adjacent memory cell capacitors is electrically separated into pieces for the respective memory cell capacitors. A dry etching technique is used as a method of removing storage electrode conductive film 155 formed on the capacitor interlayer film.
Increasing miniaturization increases the aspect ratio of the capacitor. This disadvantageously reduces the mechanical strength of the capacitor, causing the capacitor to fall down during a wet treatment step such as a washing step. To avoid this problem, a beam formed of a nitride film or the like is used to couple close capacitors together so that the capacitors support each other. This prevents the capacitors from falling down.
Antireflection film 171 and photo resist film 172 are formed. A resist mask forming a support is formed using a photo lithography technique. Antireflection film 171 and capacitor beam insulating film 151 are sequentially etched by dry etching with a resist as a mask.
Antireflection film 171 and photo resist film 172 are removed.
Capacitor beam insulating film 151, which is formed of a silicon nitride film or the like, and storage electrode conductive film 155, which is formed of a TiN film or the like, are etched using a hydrofluoric acid liquid with a low etching rate. Capacitor interlayer film 150, which is a silicon oxide film, is etched using a hydrofluoric acid liquid with a high etching rate. Thus, capacitor interlayer film 150 is etched, with capacitor beam insulating film 151 and storage electrode conductive film 155 left. This step allows the outer peripheral wall of storage electrode conductive film 155 to be exposed. As a result, a cylinder capacitor is formed in which both an inner wall and an outer wall are accessible.
However, the present inventors have found that in the above-described method of manufacturing a capacitor, a step of etching the capacitor oxide film with a hydrofluoric acid liquid as shown in
Increasing integration degree reduces the margin of the matching between a pattern of the capacitors and lithography steps preceding and succeeding the formation of the pattern. Thus, increasing the accuracy of alignment has been more and more important. In response to this requirement, marks required checking patterns for overlapping misalignment and exposure alignment marks have been formed. As these lithography marks, patterns of width of 200 nm to 2 μm are used because of the need to optically recognize the marks.
Furthermore, in wet etching designed to expose the outer wall of the capacitor, the storage electrode conductive film is used to form guard ring 162 in order to limit the etching to a predetermined part of the memory cell region. Guard ring 162 is formed in order to prevent wet etching from progressing to the peripheral region formed outside the memory cell region during a step shown in
Lithography mark 163 and guard ring 162 have large opening widths compared to that of the memory cell capacitor. Hence, in a dry etching step in which the conductive film is left only on the side wall and bottom of each hole portion shown in
An exemplary aspect of the invention provides a novel semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device both of which allow the above-described problems to be solved.
An exemplary aspect of the invention provides a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
An exemplary aspect of the invention provides a semiconductor device comprising:
In an exemplary aspect of the invention, in a semiconductor device including a capacitor with a small opening width and a capacitor with a large opening width, each of the capacitors is formed such that the bottom of a lower electrode is left in the resultant capacitor. This allows the capacitor portion to be prevented from acting as foreign matter during a manufacturing process. Thus, an exemplary aspect of the invention can provide a reliable semiconductor device including a capacitor with a small opening width and a capacitor with a large opening width and offering a high yield.
An exemplary embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in
As shown in
On the other hand, as shown in an enlarged view in
A first embodiment uses a lithography technique with a minimum processing size of 100 nm. The minor axis of memory cell capacitor 161 has a width w11 of 100 nm. The guard ring pattern has a width w12 of 300 nm. Lithography mark 163 has a width w13 of 500 nm. Second lithography mark 164 has a width w14 of 500 nm. In a first embodiment, the lithography mark is a hole portion formed during capacitor steps, which has the largest width in the semiconductor chip. The opening width of the opening of the hole portion refers to the diameter of the largest inscribed circle drawn so as to contact the outer periphery of the opening of the hole portion at the top surface thereof as viewed in a plane parallel to the principal surface of the semiconductor substrate. For example, in the memory cell capacitor, shaped like an ellipse with a minor axis and a major axis, the opening width corresponds to the width of the largest portion of the minor axis. That is, the opening width means the film thickness in the lateral direction which is required to block the hole portion as viewed from above when a film is deposited in the hole portion.
In capacitor steps, besides the above-described components, a TEG such as a film thickness measurement pattern for a capacitor interlayer film may be formed. In this case, for example, a rectangular pattern that is 30 μm on a side is used.
Reference numerals shown in
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to
Isolation region 102 is formed on p-type semiconductor substrate 101. Gate insulating film 104, gate electrode 105, silicon nitride film mask 107, silicon nitride film side wall 108, and source drain diffusion layer 110 are formed on element formation region 103. Memory cell transistor 111 is formed in a memory cell portion. Peripheral transistor 112 is formed in a peripheral region.
A silicon oxide film is deposited and then flattened by a CMP method to form on-gate interlayer film 120. A cell contact hole is formed in on-gate interlayer film 120 by a lithography technique and etching technique. A phosphorous-doped polycrystalline silicon film is deposited by an LP-CVD method. A plug is then formed by a CMP method. Cell contact plugs 122 connected to source drain diffusion layer 110 are then formed.
A silicon oxide film is deposited and then flattened by a CMP method to form on-cell-contact-plug interlayer film 130. Bit line contact holes through which respective cell contact plugs 122 are exposed are formed by a lithography technique and an etching technique.
Bit line contact 131 is formed. Bit line contact 131 is formed by depositing, for example, a barrier metal film of a TiN film/Ti film as well as a tungsten film, and then burying the films by CMP. A tungsten film is deposited and then patterned using the lithography technique and a dry etching technique, to form bit lines 132.
A silicon oxide film is deposited and then flattened by the CMP method to form on-bit-line interlayer film 140. Capacitor contact holes are formed by the lithography technique and the etching technique so as to extend through on-bit-line interlayer film 140 formed between bit lines 132 to cell contact plugs 122. Thus, capacitor contact plugs 141 made of a phosphorous-doped polycrystalline silicon film are formed. Stopper insulating film 142 is formed under a storage electrode in the capacitor; stopper insulating film 142 serves as a stopper during a subsequent step, that is, a step of etching the silicon oxide film. Stopper insulating film 142 is formed of, for example, a silicon nitride film deposited by LP-CVD, and has a film thickness of 100 nm.
Capacitor interlayer film 150 is formed as an interlayer film. A silicon oxide film of film thickness of about 1,000 nm is deposited as capacitor interlayer film 150 by, for example, the LP-CVD method. As the silicon oxide film, a silicon oxide film doped with impurities such as a BPSG film, a non-doped silicon oxide film, or the like is applicable. The surface of capacitor interlayer film 150 is flattened by the CMP method.
Capacitor beam insulating film 151 as a cap insulating film is deposited. Capacitor beam insulating film 151 is formed of, for example, a silicon nitride film and has a film thickness of, for example, 100 nm.
Antireflection film 152 and photo resist film 153 are applied. The lithography technique is used to form, on photo resist film 153, an opening pattern via which memory cell capacitors 161, guard ring 162, and lithography mark 163 are formed.
Antireflection film 152 is etched by the dry etching technique through photo resist film 153 as a mask. Subsequently, capacitor beam insulating film 151, capacitor interlayer film 150, and stopper insulating film 142 are etched through photo resist film 153 and antireflection film 152 as a mask. Thus, hole portions 154 that reach capacitor contact plugs 141 are formed. Hole portions are formed in memory cell capacitors 161, guard ring 162, and lithography mark 163.
Here, a region in which a memory cell is formed is defined as memory cell region 165. A region outside the memory cell region is defined as peripheral region 166. Memory cell capacitors 161 are formed in memory cell region 165. Guard ring 162 is formed so as to surround a memory cell array in which memory cell capacitors 161 are formed in array form. Lithography mark 163 is formed around the outer periphery of the chip.
In a first embodiment, memory cell capacitor 161 has minor axis width D161 of 100 nm. Guard ring 162 has pattern width D162 of 300 nm. Lithography mark 163 has width D163 of 500 nm. In a first embodiment, lithography mark 163 is a hole portion having the largest width among the components formed during capacitor steps.
Storage electrode conductive film 155, as a conductive film, formed of a continuous film is deposited in the hole portions of memory cell capacitors 161, guard ring 162, and lithography mark 163 and on capacitor interlayer film 150. Conductive film 155 is formed of, for example, a single-layer TiN film of thickness of 30 nm grown by a CVD method. Alternatively, a stack film of Ti and TiN (Ti: 10 nm, TiN: 20 nm) may be used.
Mask insulating film 157 is deposited. Mask insulating film 157 is formed of, for example, a silicon oxide film grown by an LPCVD method and has a film thickness of 70 nm. Mask insulating film 157 is buried in each of memory cell capacitors 161 with a high coverage such that mask insulating film 157 extends from the hole portion to bottom of memory cell capacitor 161. The opening of memory cell capacitor 161 is blocked. Mask insulating film 157 is formed in order to prevent storage electrode conductive film 155 at the bottom of the hole portion from being etched to hinder the electric connection between storage electrode conductive film 155 and the underlying contact when storage electrode conductive film 155 on the capacitor oxide film is etched, and in order to flatten differences in level formed by the capacitor holes in the surface of the memory cell array to facilitate formation of a pattern during a subsequent lithography step in which a beam is formed.
Antireflection film 171 and photo resist film 172 are applied. For example, antireflection film 171 has a film thickness of 100 nm, and photo resist film 172 has a film thickness of 300 nm.
Here, in thickness t equal to the sum of the film thicknesses of three layers of insulating films formed on storage electrode conductive film 155, that is, mask insulating film 157, antireflection film 171, and photo resist film 172, the thickness on the capacitor interlayer film is defined as t1, and the thickness of lithography mark 163 with a large opening diameter from the bottom thereof is defined as t2. Then, the insulating films are formed such that t2>t1. The setting of t2>t1 is realized by increasing the fluidity of the three layers of insulating films and depositing the three layers of insulating films to large thicknesses such that t1>D1 denoting the opening width of lithography mark 163.
A first embodiment needs to form a fine beam pattern with an F-number of about 100 nm. Consequently, the thickness of photo resist film 172 needs to be about 300 nm in order to avoid the resist from falling down. The limitation of the thickness of the photo resist in turn limits the thicknesses of antireflection film 171 and mask insulating film 157. Thus, in a first embodiment, increasing film thickness t of the three layers to about D1 is difficult. Hence, the three layers are formed so that film thickness t of the three layers is made as thick as possible and so that a resist film and an antireflection film both with a high fluidity are used to set t2>t1.
The lithography technique is used to form a resist pattern required to process and form a capacitor beam. In the resist pattern, a capacitor beam formation region of the memory cell, the region outside guard ring 162, and lithography mark 163 are covered with resist.
The dry etching technique is used to etch away antireflection film 171 through photo resist film 172 as a mask. Subsequently, mask insulating film 157 is etched away using the dry etching technique.
Dry etching is performed on photo resist film 172 and antireflection film 171 to etch away photo resist film 172 and antireflection film 171 on the capacitor interlayer film. Thus, mask insulating film 157 is exposed. Furthermore, in a first embodiment, the etching is performed such that a film thickness t2a equal to the sum of the film thicknesses of photo resist film 172 and antireflection film 171 remaining at the bottom of the hole portion of lithography mark 163 is about 100 nm or more; the bottom of the hole portion of lithography mark 163 has the largest opening width. Film thickness t2a is set so as to avoid exposing the surface of storage electrode conductive film 155 formed at the bottom of lithography mark 163 after etching of storage electrode conductive film 155, etching of capacitor beam insulating film 151, etching of mask insulating film 157, and etching of storage electrode conductive film 155 during steps of forming the structures shown in
Photo resist film 172 and antireflection film 171 can be etched using, for example, the condition that etching gas contains Cl2 and O2. This gas-based etching allows photo resist film 172 and antireflection film 171 to be etched at almost the same rate and as the same material. Furthermore, a high etching selectivity is exhibited for the silicon oxide film, and the underlying mask insulating film is not substantially etched.
Storage electrode conductive film 155 is etched away by dry etching through mask insulating film 157 as a mask. The etching is performed using gas containing chlorine. Subsequently, capacitor beam insulating film 151 is etched away by dry etching through mask insulating film 157 as a mask. The etching is performed using gas containing CF4.
Mask insulating film 157 on capacitor interlayer film 150 is etched by dry etching. The etching is performed using gas containing CF4.
The inner bottom of lithography mark 163 is protected by photo resist film 172 and antireflection film 171. The bottom of the mask insulating film remains without being etched. The mask insulating film is formed so as to extend from the inner side surface to inner bottom surface of the hole. In a first embodiment, film thickness t2b resulting from the above-described step and which is equal to the sum of the thicknesses of photo resist film 172 and antireflection film 171 is set to about 50 nm or more at the bottom of the hole portion of lithography mark 163. To obtain this film thickness, at least the antireflection film has only to be left. Film thickness t2b serves to avoid exposing the surface of storage electrode conductive film 155 formed at the bottom of lithography mark 163 after etching of storage electrode conductive film 155 during a subsequent step of forming a structure shown in
Storage electrode conductive film 155 formed on capacitor interlayer film 150 is removed by dry etching to electrically separate the adjacent memory cell capacitors. Since the inside of lithography mark 163 is protected by photo resist film 172, antireflection film 171, and mask insulating film 157, storage electrode conductive film 155 is not etched. A first embodiment performs the etching in which storage electrode conductive film 155 formed on the memory cell capacitors is separated into pieces, with a protective film formed at the bottom of a large capacitor pattern with a large opening diameter such as lithography mark 163. This avoids etching the conductive film formed at the bottom of lithography mark 163, which is a large capacitor pattern. Furthermore, the protective film can be formed using the photo resist film and antireflection film for lithography for formation of a capacitor beam insulating film, without the need to deposit a new film. As a result, an increase in costs can be prevented.
A series of steps shown in
Photo resist film 172 and antireflection film 171 remaining at the bottom of lithography mark 163 are removed by wet etching. Alternatively, photo resist film 172 and antireflection film 171 remaining at the bottom of lithography mark 163 may be removed by an ashing method using oxygen gas.
Capacitor interlayer film 150 with the top surface thereof exposed is etched by wet etching using a hydrofluoric acid liquid. Wet etching is performed using a hydrofluoric acid liquid that exhibits a high etching selectivity for capacitor beam insulating film 151 and storage electrode conductive film 155, so as to leave capacitor beam insulating film 151 and storage electrode conductive film 155. The outer wall of storage electrode conductive film 155 is exposed. Thus, a cylinder capacitor storage electrode with the outer wall and the surface of the inner wall is formed. The etching may be performed using HF gas of gas phase.
In a first embodiment, guard ring 162 is formed around the periphery of the memory cell array. Hence, the capacitor interlayer film in the memory cell region is etched away, with the peripheral regions unetched. This prevents a possible difference in level between the memory cell and the periphery, thus preventing patterning for element formation during a subsequent step from being affected.
As shown in
On-plate-electrode interlayer film 183 is formed on the plate electrode. On-plate-electrode interlayer film 183 is formed of, for example, a silicon oxide film. Contact plugs are formed, and TiN film 191 and a wire including AlCu wire 192 are formed both of which are connected to the contact plugs. On-wire interlayer film 193 is formed on the wire. Thereafter, bonding pads and the like are formed to complete a DRAM.
As described above, the etching is performed in which storage electrode conductive film 155 formed on the memory cell capacitors is separated into pieces, with a protective film formed at the bottom of a large capacitor pattern with a large opening diameter such as lithography mark 163. This avoids etching the conductive film formed at the bottom of lithography mark 163, which is a large capacitor pattern. The conductive film remaining at the bottom of lithography mark 163 preferably has a thickness of 15 nm or more to prevent a locally-weak portion of the conductive film from cracking. During a step of etching capacitor interlayer film 150 in order to expose the outer wall of the storage electrode conductive film formed in the hole portion of the memory cell capacitor, the interlayer film under the bottom of lithography mark 163 which is a large capacitor pattern, is prevented from being etched. This enables generation of foreign matter to be inhibited. As a result, for example, a wide lithography mark, a guard ring pattern, and a TEG can be formed in the chip during capacitor steps. Therefore, the area of the chip can be reduced, and very reliable devices can be formed.
Moreover, the protective film, serving to protect the bottom of the large capacitor pattern, is formed using the photo resist film and the antireflection film for lithography for formation of a beam insulating film. Thus, the protective film can be formed, without the need to form a new film and increasing in costs. Moreover, storage electrode conductive film 155 formed on the memory cell capacitors is separated into pieces by means of etching. This avoids using the CMP technique, which requires relatively high manufacturing costs. In addition, a series of etching steps can be consecutively carried out in a dry etching apparatus sealed from outside air. This enables a reduction in investment costs for the apparatus.
As described above, a device with inexpensive, reliable cylinder capacitors can be provided.
In a second embodiment, a manufacturing method according to a first embodiment is partly changed. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to
Steps shown in
A step shown in
Storage electrode conductive film 155 has already been etched away. Thus, capacitor beam insulating film 151 is etched by a step shown in
In a third embodiment, a manufacturing method according to a first or second embodiment is partly changed. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to
Steps shown in
A step shown in
Steps shown in
First to third embodiments use a silicon oxide film formed by the CVD method, as a material for the mask insulating film. However, a fourth embodiment discloses a method of forming mask insulating film 157 by a plasma CVD method which requires reduced manufacturing costs and which offers a high throughput. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to
Steps shown in
Mask insulating film 157 is deposited using the plasma CVD method. The film thickness of mask insulating film 157 is such that the top of the hole portion is blocked. Mask insulating film 157 is grown so as to have a film thickness ranging from a value equal to the diameter of the hole portion to a value about double the diameter of the hole portion. The plasma CVD method offers low coatability. Hence, the hole portion of the mask insulating film is closed at the top. Furthermore, a void is formed inside the hole. In a fourth embodiment, the hole has an opening width of 100 nm, and mask insulating film 157 is deposited to a thickness of about 100 nm. The top surface of the array portion with memory cell capacitors formed therein is flattened by mask insulating film 157. This facilitates lithography for forming the subsequent capacitor beam insulating film. Antireflection film 171 and photo resist film 172 are deposited as is a case with a first embodiment.
As is a case with a first embodiment, the lithography technique is used to form a resist pattern required to process and form capacitor beams. The resist pattern covers the capacitor beam formation region in the memory cell and the regions outside guard ring 162. Lithography mark 163 is covered with the resist.
Antireflection film 171 is etched away by dry etching through photo resist film 172 as a mask. Subsequently, mask insulating film 157 is etched away by dry etching.
As is a case with a first embodiment, photo resist mask film 172 and antireflection film 171 on the capacitor interlayer film are etched away by dry etching to expose mask insulating film 157. At this time, photo resist film 172 or antireflection film 171 are left at the bottom of the hole portion of lithography mark 163, which has the largest opening width.
As is a case with a first embodiment, storage electrode conductive film 155 and capacitor beam insulating film 151 are etched away by dry etching through mask insulating film 157 as a mask.
As is a case with a first embodiment, mask insulating film 157 on capacitor interlayer film 150 is removed. Mask insulating film 157 formed at the bottom of lithography mark 163 is left and protected by photo resist film 172 and antireflection film 171.
If mask insulating film 157 offers low coatability in the hole portion of the memory cell capacitor, the top of a void formed in the hole portion of the memory cell capacitor as a result of the above-described etching may be exposed to form an opening.
As is a case with a first embodiment, storage electrode conductive film 155 on capacitor interlayer film 150 is removed to electrically separate storage electrode conductive film 155 in the adjacent memory cell capacitors into pieces for the respective memory cell capacitors. Storage electrode conductive film 155 formed on guard ring 162, which is a large capacitor pattern, and at the bottom of lithography mark 163, which is a large capacitor, is protected by photo resist film 172, antireflection film 171 and the mask insulating film. Thus, storage electrode conductive film 155 formed in these portions remains without being etched.
On the other hand, the memory cell portion is formed as is a case with a first embodiment without a problem provided that storage electrode conductive film 155 is masked by mask insulating film 157. However, it is assumed that an opening may be formed in mask insulating film 157 formed at the top of the hole portion of the memory cell capacitor and that the mask insulating film formed at the bottom of the hole portion may be removed by etching and does not remain, as shown in
A DRAM is completed through steps shown in
Use of a method according to a fourth embodiment allows mask insulating film 157 on storage electrode conductive film 155 to be formed by the plasma CVD method, which requires reduced manufacturing costs and which offers high throughput. This enables a reduction in production costs.
In first to fourth embodiments, mask insulating film 157 is formed on storage electrode conductive film 155. Furthermore, differences in level formed by the hole portions of the memory cell capacitors are flattened by the mask insulating film, thus enabling lithography to be facilitated. If mask insulating film 157 is not formed, the following problems are likely to occur: halation resulting from reflection of light from the differences in level formed by the hole portions of the memory cell capacitors and a variation in size caused by a variation in the film thickness of antireflection film 171 or resist film 172.
However, if these adverse effects are insignificant because, for example, the width of a pattern of capacitor beams is large, it is possible to use a method of avoiding forming a mask insulating film. This method will be disclosed in a fifth embodiment. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to
Steps shown in
Thereafter, as is a case with a first embodiment, antireflection film 171 and photo resist film 172 are applied. For example, antireflection film 171 has a film thickness of 100 nm, and photo resist film 172 has a film thickness of 300 nm. As is a case with a first embodiment, antireflection film 171 and photo resist film 172 are formed such that the film thickness of each of antireflection film 171 and photo resist film 172 is larger in the large capacitor portion, which has the largest opening diameter, than on the capacitor interlayer film. If the adverse effects of the differences in level formed by the hole portions of the memory cell capacitors are nonnegligible, the thickness of antireflection film 171 may need to be increased to prevent the adverse effect of reflection during a subsequent exposure step.
The lithography technique is used to form a resist pattern required to form capacitor beams. In a fifth embodiment, no mask insulating film is formed, and thus attention needs to be paid to the possible adverse effects of the underlying differences in level formed by the memory cell capacitor holes.
Antireflection film 171 is etched away by dry etching through photo resist film 172 as a mask. The etching is performed so as to expose the surface of storage electrode conductive film 155. In this step, the overetching amount of etching of antireflection film 171 is set such that distance t151b from the etched top surface of the antireflection film buried in the hole portion of the memory cell capacitors, to the bottom surface of the trench, is equal to or larger than distance t151a from the position of the top surface of the resist film in the hole portion of lithography mark 163, which is a large capacitor pattern, to the bottom surface of the trench.
Storage electrode conductive film 155 and capacitor beam insulating film 151 are sequentially etched through photo resist film 172 and antireflection film 171 as a mask.
As is a case with
Storage electrode conductive film 155 on capacitor interlayer film 150 is removed by dry etching through antireflection film 171 and photo resist film 172 as a mask, both of which have been stored in the capacitor portion. Thus, the adjacent memory cell capacitors are electrically separated from each other.
A DRAM is completed through steps shown in
Use of a fifth embodiment eliminates the need for a step of forming and etching mask insulating film 157, thus enabling a reduction in production costs. A fifth embodiment can be implemented under both the following conditions: the capacitor beam pattern can be formed by lithography, and in the etching of antireflection film 171, the remaining portion of antireflection film 171 can be left in the hole portion of the memory cell capacitor.
In first to fifth embodiments, each of the storage electrodes in the memory cell portion is shaped like a cylinder with a void in the inner wall. However, a sixth embodiment discloses a method of forming a capacitor that uses a cylindrical electrode with storage electrode conductive film 155 buried in an inner wall portion. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to a sixth embodiment will be described with reference to
Steps shown in
Steps as those shown in
A DRAM is completed through steps shown in
A further reduction in memory cell size reduces the size of a void portion formed in the inner wall. The void portion thus does not substantially contribute as a capacitance. In other cases, the storage electrode conductive film is buried in to prevent a void from being formed. In this case, a structure with only the outer wall accessible is used as in a sixth embodiment. For example, if the opening width of the memory cell capacitor hole is reduced down to 50 nm, when a TiN film is formed which has the same film thickness as that in a first embodiment, that is, 30 nm, the conductive film is buried in the inner wall of the memory cell capacitor hole. As a result, a cylindrical capacitor with only the outer wall accessible is formed.
In first to sixth embodiments, in an etching step of exposing the outer wall of storage electrode conductive film 155, capacitor interlayer film 150 is removed only from the memory cell portion by means of wet etching. In a seventh embodiment, the regions outside the guard ring with respect to the memory cell are also etched. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to a seventh embodiment will be described with reference to
Steps shown in
A DRAM is completed through steps shown in
A guard ring is formed so as to surround the periphery of the memory cell array. In this case, the guard ring is left and located around the memory cell array in order to prevent the corners of the memory cell capacitors from being exposed during a step of flattening the interlayer film on the plate electrode. The guard ring may be omitted provided that the possible exposure of the corners of the memory cell capacitors is prevented by any other means.
In a step of subjecting the capacitor interlayer film to wet etching, the height, from the substrate, of the interlayer film formed in the peripheral portion can be reduced by also etching the peripheral portion. This advantageously facilitates etching for formation of through-holes 190 and the electric connection of the through-holes. In this case, differences in level are formed between the memory cell portion and the peripheral portion, making formation of wires difficult. Hence, the etching of the peripheral portion can be used when processing of a wiring pattern has margin.
In first to seventh embodiments, a capacitor beam is formed to support a storage electrode in a memory cell. However, if the strength of the capacitor has no problem, a structure with no capacitor beam formed can be used. An eighth embodiment discloses a method of manufacturing such a structure. In a method, in a lithography step of forming a mask pattern of support beams, a pattern is used which allows openings to be formed in a memory cell region with no capacitor beam formed. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to an eighth embodiment will be described with reference to
Steps shown in
As is a case with a step shown in
As is a case with steps shown in
Lithography with about F-number needs to be used to form capacitor beams. However, if no beam is formed, this micro lithography step is unnecessary, allowing production steps to be inexpensively achieved.
In first to eighth embodiments, an exemplary embodiment is applied to cylinder capacitors in a DRAM. However, an exemplary embodiment is not limited to this application. An exemplary embodiment is applicable to any semiconductor device having a structure similar to that of a cylinder capacitor and including an electrode with different opening widths.
In first to eighth embodiments, the antireflection film and the photo resist film are used as a bottom protection film for the large capacitor pattern. However, a mask insulating film may be buried in the large capacitor pattern. In this case, besides the non-doped silicon oxide film, a BPSG film, an SOG film, or the like may be applied to form the mask insulating film. First to eighth embodiments use a silicon oxide film as a cylinder interlayer film. However, an exemplary embodiment is not limited to this configuration. Any insulating film such as a BPSG film or an SOG film may be used.
First to eighth embodiments use a silicon nitride film as a capacitor beam insulating film. However, any material may be used for which hydrofluoric acid exhibits a high etching selectivity when the cylinder interlayer film is etched using the hydrofluoric acid. A tantalum oxide film, alumina, or the like is applicable. Furthermore, in a first to eighth embodiments, a silicon nitride film is used as a capacitor beam insulating film, a silicon oxide film is used as a cylinder interlayer film, and a TiN film is used as a lower electrode. Furthermore, the cylinder oxide film is etched using hydrofluoric acid. However, an exemplary embodiment is not limited to these materials and etching methods. Any materials and etching conditions may be used which exhibit a high etching selectivity for the capacitor beam insulating film and the lower electrode material over the cylinder interlayer film.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2009-093849 | Apr 2009 | JP | national |
This Application is a Continuation Application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/662,189, which was filed on Apr. 5, 2010, and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto. This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese patent application No. 2009-93849, filed on Apr. 8, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12662189 | Apr 2010 | US |
Child | 13914572 | US |