Semiconductor device with improved contact and method of making the same

Abstract

A semiconductor device with an improved contact capable of improving junction breakdown voltage and junction leakage current by forming a contact at an active region without damaging bird's beak portions of its element-isolation oxide films and a method of making this semiconductor device. The semiconductor device comprises element-isolation oxide films formed on a semiconductor substrate, an etch barrier material film formed on bird's beak portions of element-isolation oxide films, an insulating film formed over the element-isolation oxide films and the etch barrier material layer, and a conductive material layer formed over the insulating film and in contact with the active region. In order to prevent the bird's beak portions of element-isolation oxide films from being damaged upon the formation of contact hole, the etch barrier material film has an etch selectivity different from that of a silicon oxide film formed on the active region.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.