Patent ID: 6660658
Filing Date: 2003-12-09
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
A method of forming a transistor, comprising:forming a gate oxide layer over a semiconductive substrate, the gate oxide layer comprising silicon dioxide; exposing the gate oxide layer to activated nitrogen species from a nitrogen-containing plasma to introduce nitrogen into the layer, the layer being maintained at less than or equal to 400Â° C. during the exposing; thermally annealing the nitrogen within the layer to bond at least a majority of the nitrogen to silicon proximate the nitrogen, the thermally annealing comprising rapid thermal processing at a ramp rate of at least about 50Â° C./sec to a process temperature of less than 1000Â° C., with the process temperature being maintained for at least about 30 seconds; forming at least one conductive layer over the gate oxide; and forming source/drain regions within the semiconductive substrate; the source/drain regions being gatedly connected to one another by the conductive layer.