Semiconductor device

Abstract

A gate electrode serving as a Schottky electrode includes a TaNx layer and an Au layer. The TaNx layer serves as a barrier metal for preventing atoms from diffusing from the Au layer into a substrate. TaNx does not contain Si, and therefore has a higher humidity resistance than WSiN containing Si. Accordingly, the gate electrode has a higher humidity resistance than a conventional gate electrode including a WSiN layer. Setting a nitrogen content at less than 0.8 can prevent significant degradation in Schottky characteristics as compared to the conventional gate electrode. Setting the nitrogen content at 0.5 or less, Schottky characteristics can be improved more than in the conventional gate electrode.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.