Patent ID: 6737341
Filing Date: 2004-05-18
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
A process for manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device, which comprises the steps of:(a) forming, over the silicon surface on a first main surface of a wafer, a gate insulating film having an effective film thickness less than 5 nm in terms of SiO2 and made of a single insulating film containing silicon oxide as a principal component or a composite film thereof with another insulating film; (b) forming, over the gate insulating film, a metal film containing a refractory metal as a principal component without disposing, therebetween, an intermediate layer containing polycrystalline silicon as a principal component and then patterning the metal film to form a metal gate electrode; (c) after step (b), synthesizing water vapor from a mixed gas containing oxygen and hydrogen gases by use of a catalyst at a first temperature in a water vapor preparing unit; (d) keeping the thus synthesized water vapor in a gaseous state and transferring it to a wafer heat treatment chamber where the wafer has been placed, to form a water vapor and hydrogen-containing gas atmosphere having a water vapor/hydrogen partial pressure ratio set at a ratio permitting oxidation of silicon without substantial oxidation of the refractory metal; (e) heat treating the first main surface having the metal gate electrode formed thereover at a second temperature higher than the first temperature in the water-vapor- and hydrogen-containing gas atmosphere in the wafer heat treatment chamber, thereby repairing defects in the gate insulating film right under the metal gate electrode.