Method for establishing ultra-thin gate insulator using oxidized nitride film

Abstract

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device including a silicon substrate includes forming a thin Nitrogen Oxide base film on a substrate, and then depositing an ultra-thin nitride film on the base film. The semiconductor device is then annealed in situ in ammonia, following which the device is oxidized in Nitrogen Oxide. FET gates are then conventionally formed over the gate insulator, and the gates are next implanted with Nitrogen to passivate dangling Nitrogen and Silicon bonds in the nitride, thus decreasing the charge content in the film. Consequently, the resultant gate insulator is electrically insulative without degrading performance with respect to a conventional gate oxide insulator.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.