Semiconductor device including self-aligned contact and method of fabricating the semiconductor device

A semiconductor device comprising:

• a substrate;
• an interlayer insulating film formed on the substrate and including a trench, which has lower and upper portions;
• a gate electrode filling the lower portion of the trench;
• an etching stop layer extending along at least a first sidewall of the upper portion of the trench and along a top surface of the gate electrode;
• a capping pattern formed on the etching stop layer and filling the upper portion of the trench;
• and
• a conductive contact formed on a sidewall of the gate electrode and on a sidewall of the capping pattern, the conductive contact penetrating the interlayer insulating film,
• wherein the etching stop layer extends at least partially along parts of sidewalls of the conductive contact, and
• the capping pattern includes silicon oxide or a low-k material having a lower permittivity than silicon oxide.

A semiconductor device comprising:

• a substrate;
• a gate electrode on the substrate;
• a gate spacer on a sidewall of the gate electrode;
• a capping pattern covering a top surface of the gate electrode and a top surface of the gate spacer;
• an interlayer insulating film formed on the substrate and adjacent to the gate spacer and the capping pattern;
• a conductive contact penetrating the interlayer insulating film, and defined by a sidewall of the gate spacer and a sidewall of the capping pattern,
• wherein the capping pattern and the interlayer insulating film include substantially the same material;
• and
• a sidewall of the capping pattern adjacent to the conductive contact includes a first sidewall portion and a second sidewall portion, which is formed above the first sidewall portion and has a smaller slope than the first sidewall portion.