METHOD OF MEASURING AMOUNT OF NITROGEN ELEMENT IN SILICON SUBSTRATE, AND METHOD OF FORMING GATE INSULATING FILM

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of simply measuring the amount of a nitrogen element diffused in a silicon substrate in a process of forming a gate electrode film by a plasma nitriding process, and to provide a method of forming a gate electrode film by a plasma nitriding process having less effect on device characteristics.;SOLUTION: A silicon oxide film is eliminated from a silicon substrate to expose a silicon substrate surface on which the amount of the nitrogen element is measured by XPS. In forming a gate electrode film, the silicon substrate is subjected to heat treatment under the condition: M₂/M₁≤2, where M₁ denotes the amount of the nitrogen element in the silicon substrate after a plasma nitriding process and before the heat treatment, and M₂ denotes the amount of the nitrogen element in the silicon substrate after the heat treatment.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT