Semiconductor device with SEG film active region

A semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same are provided. A barrier film is formed in a device separating structure, and the device separating structure is etched at a predetermined thickness to expose a semiconductor substrate. Then, a SEG film is grown to form an active region whose area is increased. As a result, a current driving power of a transistor located at a cell region and peripheral circuit regions is improved.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to Korean patent application number 10-2006-0048670, filed on May 30, 2005, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a semiconductor device and its method of manufacture, and, more specifically, to a method for forming a barrier film in a device separating structure, etching the device separating structure at a predetermined depth to expose a semiconductor substrate, and growing a SEG film to form an active region having an increased area.

FIG. 1is a plane diagram illustrating a conventional semiconductor device.

Referring toFIG. 1, a recess gate20is formed perpendicular to an active region10in a semiconductor substrate having a device separating structure that defines the active region10.

When a trench for defining the active region is formed over the semiconductor substrate and then filled with an oxide film to form a device separating structure, the area of the active region is decreased due to recent decrease in the size of the semiconductor device.

In the above-described method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, after the device separating structure is formed, the semiconductor substrate of the active region is etched at a predetermined thickness to form a recess gate region and a gate pattern. However, the area of the active region is decreased as the design rule is decreased. As a result, the current driving power is degraded as much as the decreased area of the active region.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed at providing a semiconductor device and its method of manufacture, which includes forming a barrier film in a device separating structure, etching the device separating structure at a predetermined depth to expose a semiconductor substrate, and growing a SEG film to form an active region whose area is increased.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device comprises a first device separating structure that defines a first active region, a second device separating structure extended to the side surface of the first active region so as to define a second active region overlapped with the first device separating structure, a line-type barrier film extended along the major axis of the active regions and formed in a device separating region between the active regions, and a recess gate perpendicular to the active region and having a recess formed in the active region.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprises the steps of: forming a first device separating structure that defines a first active region over a semiconductor substrate; forming a trench in a predetermined region of the first device separating structure; forming a barrier film for filling the trench; etching the first device separating structure at a predetermined depth to expose the sidewall of the first active region; growing the first active region to form a SEG film between the first active region and the barrier film, thereby forming a second active region extended from the first active region to the side; and, forming a second device separating structure between the second active region.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT

FIG. 2is a plane diagram illustrating a conventional semiconductor device.

Referring toFIG. 2, a first device separating structure that defines a first active region and a second device separating structure extended to the side surface of the first active region so as to define a second active region overlapped with the first device separating structure are formed over a semiconductor substrate.

The second active region is formed from a SEG film over the first device separating structure.

A line-type barrier film120is extended along a major axis direction of an active region127and formed in the device separating region between the active regions127.

The barrier film120is formed deeper than the second device separating structure, and obtained by filling a line-type trench formed in the device separating region between the active regions127.

The trench has a line-width ranging from about 10 to about 100 nm, and a depth ranging from about 300 to about 2000 Å.

The second active region extended to the side surface of the first active region is formed between the first active region and the barrier film120. The second active region is obtained by growing a SEG film with a silicon layer of the first active region as a seed layer. The SEG film is formed to have the same height as that of the second device separating structure by a planarization process.

A recess gate175is formed perpendicular to the active region127, and has a recess in the active region127.

FIGS. 3athrough3iare cross-sectional diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention,FIGS. 3athrough3fshow cross-sectional diagrams according to a-a′ ofFIG. 2.

Referring toFIG. 3a,a trench for separating a device (not shown) is formed by etching a semiconductor substrate at a predetermined thickness. An oxide film for filling the trench for separating a device (not shown) is formed to obtain a first device separating structure105that defines a first active region100.

Referring toFIG. 3b,after a photoresist film (not shown) is formed over the resulting structure, an exposure and developing process is performed with an exposure mask where a local barrier film is defined, thereby obtaining a photoresist pattern110.

The exposure mask is extended along the major axis direction of the first active region100so that a line-type space pattern is defined in the device separating region between the first active region100.

Referring toFIG. 3c,the first device separating structure105is etched with the photoresist pattern110as a mask to form a trench (not shown). Then, a barrier film120for filling the trench (not shown) is formed over the resulting structure.

The barrier film120is planarized to fill the trench (not shown).

The trench (not shown) has a line-width ranging from about 10 to about 100 nm, and a depth ranging from about 300 to about 2000 Å.

The barrier film120is formed from a nitride film, and has a thickness ranging from about 30 to about 500 Å over the first active region100.

Referring toFIG. 3d,the first device separating structure105is etched at a predetermined thickness with the barrier film120and the first active region100as a mask to expose the sidewall of the first active region100.

The above etching process is a wet-etching process with a HF or a BOE solution using a etching selectivity between the oxide film, which is the first device separating structure105, and the nitride film, which is the barrier film120. The first device separating structure105is etched at a depth ranging from about 100 to about 1500 Å so that the barrier film120remains ranging from about 33 to 75%.

Referring toFIG. 3e,the SEG film is grown with the silicon layer of the first active region100as a seed layer so that the SEG film is extended from the first active region100to the side surface to form a second active region125overlapped with the first device separating structure105.

Since the barrier film120is formed at both sides of the exposed active region100, the SEG film is grown into the region having the barrier film120so as to have a thickness ranging from about 100 to about 2000 Å thereover.

Referring toFIG. 3f,a second device separating structure130is formed between the second active regions125.

The second device separating structure130is formed to have a thickness ranging from about 100 to 2000 Å. Since the second device film130is deposited with the first device separating structure105, it is formed from an oxide film, which is the first device separating structure105.

Referring toFIG. 3g,a planarization process is performed to expose the first active region100or the barrier film120.

Referring to (ii) ofFIG. 3g,the second device separating structure130is deposited over the first device separating structure105, and etched at a predetermined thickness inFIG. 3dso that it is used as a device separating structure.

Referring toFIG. 3h,the first active region100and the second active region125are etched at a predetermined thickness to form a recess gate region140.

FIG. 3i,(i), (ii) and (iii) show cross-sections taken along a-a′, b-b′ and c-c′ ofFIG. 2. A gate oxide film (not shown) is formed over the semiconductor substrate including the recess gate region140. Then, a deposition structure including a polysilicon layer150, a gate metal layer160and a gate hard mask layer170is formed.

Next, the deposition structure is patterned to form a gate pattern175. Then, a spacer190is formed at the sidewall of the gate pattern175.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a barrier film is formed in a device separating structure, and the device separating structure is etched at a predetermined thickness to expose a semiconductor substrate. Then, a SEG film is grown to form an active region whose area is increased. As a result, a current driving power of a transistor located at a cell region and peripheral circuit regions is improved.

The above embodiments of the present invention are illustrative and not limitative. Various alternatives and equivalents are possible. The invention is not limited by the lithography steps described herein. Nor is the invention limited to any specific type of semiconductor device. For example, the present invention may be implemented in a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device or nonvolatile memory device. Other additions, subtractions, or modifications are obvious in view of the present disclosure and are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.