Semiconductor device and manufacturing method for silicon oxynitride film

Abstract

The present invention provides a semiconductor device comprising: a silicon based semiconductor substrate provided with a step including an non-horizontal surface, a horizontal surface and a connection region for connecting the non-horizontal surface and the horizontal surface; a gate insulating film formed in at least a part of the step; and a gate electrode formed on the gate insulating film, wherein the entirety or a part of the gate insulating film is formed of a silicon oxynitride film that contains a rare gas element at a area density of 10 10 cm −2 or more in at least a part of the silicon oxynitride film.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A semiconductor device comprising:
 a silicon based semiconductor channel of a field effect transistor provided with a step including a non-horizontal surface, a horizontal surface and a connection region for connecting the non-horizontal surface and the horizontal surface; 
 a gate insulating film formed in at least a part of the step; 
 a gate electrode formed on the gate insulating film, 
 wherein the entirety or a part of the gate insulating film is formed of a silicon oxynitride film that contains a rare gas element at a area density of 10 10  cm −2  or more in at least a part of the silicon oxynitride film, and 
 wherein the horizontal surface corresponds to a (100) plane in the silicon based semiconductor substrate, the connection regions correspond to a (111) plane in the silicon based semiconductor substrate and the non-horizontal surface corresponds to a (110) plane in the silicon based semiconductor substrate, and wherein a (100) plane and a (111) plane have an interface level density in the order of 10 10  eV −1 cm −2 . 
 
     
     
       2. A semiconductor device according to  claim 1 , in which the rare gas element is Kr or Ar. 
     
     
       3. A semiconductor device according to  claim 1 , in which the silicon oxynitride film is a film formed by simultaneously oxidizing and nitriding the silicon based semiconductor substrate. 
     
     
       4. A semiconductor device according to  claim 1 , in which the silicon oxynitride film is a film formed on the silicon based semiconductor substrate in an atmosphere that includes a nitrogen gas or a compound gas containing nitrogen atom, oxygen gas and a rare gas and introduces microwaves. 
     
     
       5. A semiconductor device according to  claim 4 , in which the compound gas containing nitrogen atom is NH 3 . 
     
     
       6. The semiconductor device of  claim 1 , wherein the gate insulating film on the step has a substantially uniform film thickness in comparison with a film thickness of a gate insulating film according to a thermal oxidation production method. 
     
     
       7. A semiconductor device according to  claim 4 , in which the silicon based semiconductor substrate has a trench comprising a pair of non-horizontal surfaces, a pair of connection regions and the horizontal surface, the gate insulating film is the silicon oxynitride film formed on the entire surface of the trench and contained the rare gas element at the area density of 10 10  cm −2  or more, the gate electrode is filled into the trench. 
     
     
       8. A semiconductor device comprising:
 a silicon based semiconductor channel of a field effect transistor provided with a step including a non-horizontal surface, a horizontal surface and a connection region for connecting the non-horizontal surface and the horizontal surface; 
 a gate insulating film formed in at least a part of the step; 
 a gate electrode formed on the gate insulating film, 
 wherein the entirety or a part of the gate insulating film comprises silicon oxynitride that contains a rare gas element at a area density of 10 10  cm −2  or more in at least a part of the silicon oxynitride, and 
 wherein the horizontal surface corresponds to a (100) plane in the silicon based semiconductor substrate, the connection regions correspond to a (111) plane in the silicon based semiconductor substrate and the non-horizontal surface corresponds to a (110) plane in the silicon based semiconductor substrate, and wherein a (100) plane and a (111) plane have an interface level density in the order of 10 10  eV −1  cm −2 . 
 
     
     
       9. The semiconductor device of  claim 8 , wherein the gate insulating film on the step has a substantially uniform film thickness in comparison with a film thickness of a gate insulating film according to a thermal oxidation production method. 
     
     
       10. A semiconductor device comprising:
 a silicon based semiconductor channel of a field effect transistor provided with a step including a non-horizontal surface, a horizontal surface and a connection region for connecting the non-horizontal surface and the horizontal surface;   a gate insulating film formed in at least a part of the step;   a gate electrode formed on the gate insulating film,   wherein the entirety or a part of the gate insulating film is formed of a silicon oxynitride film containing rare gas atoms, and   wherein the silicon crystal plane of the horizontal surface has the specific characteristic of a (100) plane in the silicon based semiconductor substrate,   the silicon crystal plane of the connection region has the specific characteristic of a (111) plane in the silicon based semiconductor substrate and   the silicon crystal plane of the non-horizontal surface has the specific characteristic of a (110) plane in the silicon based semiconductor substrate,   wherein an interface level density at the interface of the connection region is approximately the same as the interface level density at the interface of the horizontal surface as a result of the silicon oxynitride film being formed by exposing the surface of the silicon based semiconductor to the plasma atmosphere of a silicon oxynitride film forming gas and rare gas, and   wherein a (100) plane and a (111) plane have an interface level density in the order of 10 10  eV −1 cm −2 .