Patent Publication Number: US-7897474-B2

Title: Method of forming semiconductor device including capacitor and semiconductor device including capacitor

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to a method of forming a semiconductor device and a semiconductor device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of forming a semiconductor device including a capacitor such as a crown capacitor and a semiconductor device including a capacitor such as a crown capacitor. 
     Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-315050, filed Dec. 5, 2007, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Dynamic random access memories (DRAMs) have an memory cell array that include memory cells. Each memory cell includes a switching transistor and a capacitor. There has been risen the problem with decreasing the capacitance due to shrinkage of the memory cell that can be realized by the advanced micro-processing technique. 
     For example. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publications, Nos. 11-317504, 2005-229097, 2006-135261, and 2006-245364 each address a semiconductor device including a crown capacitor and a method of forming the semiconductor device. The crown capacitor would be suitable to ensure the adequate capacitance with allowing shrinkage of the memory cell. Particularly, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication, No. 2005-229097 discloses as follows. A cylinder hole is formed in a dummy oxide film. A bottom electrode is formed on the inside wall of the cylinder hole of the dummy oxide film. The bottom electrode has a bottom-closed cylinder shape. The dummy oxide film is removed, while the bottom electrode resides. It is necessary to prevent the bottom electrode from being collapsed. A supporter is provided to support the bottom electrode and to prevent the bottom electrode from being collapsed. In general, the dummy oxide film is removed by a wet etching process. The wet etching process is carried out using chemicals. The chemicals have a surface-tension that causes the formation of a short circuit between two adjacent bottom electrodes, thereby causing the defects of bit-pairs or bit-groups of the memory. The supporter is effective to prevent the formation of a short circuit between two adjacent bottom electrodes. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one embodiment a method of forming a semiconductor device may include, but is not limited to, the following processes. A second insulating film may be formed over a first insulating film. At least one through-hole may be formed, which penetrates the first and second insulating films. At least one first electrode may be formed, which extends at least along the side wall of the at least one through-hole. The first inter-layer insulator may be removed, while using the second insulating film as a temporary supporter that supports the at least one first electrode. At least one permanent supporter may be formed, which supports the at least one first electrode. The second insulating film as the temporary supporter may be removed, while leaving the at least one permanent supporter to support the at least one first electrode. 
     In another embodiment, a semiconductor device may include, but is not limited to, a plurality of first electrodes, and a first permanent supporter. The plurality of first electrodes may extend vertically. The first permanent supporter may extend horizontally and connects the plurality of first electrodes to each other, so that the first permanent supporter supports the plurality of first electrodes. 
     In still another embodiment, a semiconductor device may include, but is not limited to, a first electrode, a permanent supporter, a capacitive insulating film, and a second electrode. The first electrode may extend vertically. The permanent supporter may extend horizontally and may support the first electrode. The capacitive insulating film may cover both faces of the first, electrode and may further cover the permanent supporter. The second electrode may be disposed on the capacitive insulating film. The second electrode may be separated by the capacitive insulating film from the first electrode. A stack of the capacitive insulating film and the second electrode may together cover the both faces of the first electrode and the permanent supporter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description of certain preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrating a semiconductor device in a step involved in a method of forming the semiconductor device in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrating a semiconductor device in a step subsequent to the step of  FIG. 1 , involved in the method of forming the semiconductor device in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrating a semiconductor device in a step subsequent to the step of  FIG. 2 , involved in the method of forming the semiconductor device in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrating a semiconductor device in a step subsequent to the step of  FIG. 3 , involved in the method of forming the semiconductor device in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a fragmentary plan view illustrating a semiconductor device in a step subsequent to the step of  FIG. 4 , involved in the method of forming the semiconductor device in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the semiconductor device, taken along an A-A′ line of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrating a semiconductor device in a step subsequent to the step of  FIGS. 5 and 6 , involved in the method of forming the semiconductor device in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a fragmentary plan view illustrating a semiconductor device in a step subsequent to the step of  FIG. 7 , involved in the method of forming the semiconductor device in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrating the semiconductor device, taken along a B-B′ line of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrating a semiconductor device in a step subsequent to the step of  FIG. 9 , involved in the method of forming the semiconductor device in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrating a semiconductor device in a step subsequent to the step of  FIG. 10 , involved in the method of forming the semiconductor device in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view Illustrating a dynamic random access memory including the device of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation of the semiconductor device in a step for processing a boundary region between a memory cell area and a peripheral circuit, area in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 14  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrating a semiconductor device in a step involved in a method of forming the semiconductor device in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 15  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrating a semiconductor device in a step subsequent to the step of  FIG. 14 , involved in the method of forming the semiconductor device in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 16  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrating a semiconductor device in a step subsequent to the step of  FIG. 15 , involved in the method of forming the semiconductor device in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 17  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrating a semiconductor device in a step subsequent to the step of  FIG. 16 , involved in the method of forming the semiconductor device in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 18  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrating a semiconductor device in a step subsequent to the step of  FIG. 17 , involved in the method of forming the semiconductor device in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 19  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrating a semiconductor device in a step subsequent to the step of  FIG. 18 , involved in the method of forming the semiconductor device in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 20  is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrating a semiconductor device in a step subsequent to the step of  FIG. 19 , involved in the method of forming the semiconductor device in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Before describing the present invention, some embodiments of the related art will be described, in order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention. 
     The crown capacitor would be suitable to ensure the adequate capacitance with allowing shrinkage of the memory cell. The process for forming the crown capacitor include a process for forming a bottom electrode on an inside wall of a cylinder hole of a dummy insulating film. The dummy insulating film is then removed, while the bottom electrode for crown capacitor resides. A supporter is effective to prevent collapsing of the bottom electrode after the dummy insulating film is removed. 
     The supporter that prevents collapsing of the bottom electrode can be made of an insulating material such as silicon nitride which has a lower etching rate than that of the material of the dummy oxide film. The supporter of silicon nitride can be formed by a low pressure chemical vapor deposition process. The supporter of silicon nitride can prevent the formation of a short circuit between two adjacent bottom electrodes. Silicon nitride is hard to be etched by a hydrofluoric acid as an etchant for the wet etching process as compared to other materials used in the semiconductor processes. 
     The bottom electrode is formed on the inside wall of the cylinder hole of the dummy oxide film. Thus, the height of the bottom electrode is defined by the depth of the cylinder hole of the dummy oxide film. The depth of the cylinder hole of the dummy oxide film is defined by the thickness of the dummy oxide film. Thus, the height of the bottom electrode is defined by the thickness of the dummy oxide film. The increase in height of the bottom electrode needs increasing the thickness of the dummy oxide film. For example, the thickness of the dummy oxide film needs to be equal to or greater than 2 micrometers. In contrast, the supporter can generally be formed by a silicon nitride film that is much thinner than the dummy oxide film. For example, the silicon nitride film for the supporter is often thinner by a few times or several tens times than the dummy oxide film. In this case, the silicon nitride film for the supporter is substantially etched thereby greatly reducing the thickness of the silicon nitride film, while the dummy oxide film is completely etched by the wet etching process. The very thin silicon nitride supporter has a greatly reduced strength for mechanical support. 
     The etching rate of silicon nitride to silicon oxide is about 1:100. For example, the silicon nitride film for the supporter is etched by about 20 nm, while the dummy silicon oxide film of 2000 nm thickness is completely etched. As a result, the supporter has reduced strength for mechanical support. The adhesiveness of the supporter with the bottom electrode is reduced, thereby causing the bottom electrode to be removable from the supporter. 
     In one aspect, but not essentially, it would be desirable to ensure the adequacy of mechanical strength of the supporter for supporting the bottom electrode as well as ensure the adequacy of adhesiveness between the supporter and the bottom electrode. 
     The invention will be now described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many alternative embodiments can be accomplished using the teaching of the present invention and that the invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated for explanatory purpose. 
     First Embodiment 
     A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with, reference to  FIGS. 1-13 . 
     [Process for Forming Semiconductor Device] 
     A process for forming a semiconductor device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in details with reference to  FIGS. 1-11 . The process for forming the semiconductor device may include, but is not limited to, a stacking process, a through-hole formation process, a bottom electrode formation process, a temporary supporter formation process, an insulating film etching process, a permanent supporter formation process, a temporary supporter removal process, and a capacitor formation process. 
     The stacking process may include, but is not limited to, a process for sequentially stacking an inter-layer insulator for bottom electrode and an insulating film for temporary supporter. 
     The through-hole formation process may include, but is not limited to, a process for forming holes that penetrate the inter-layer insulator and the insulating film for temporary supporter. 
     The bottom electrode formation process may include, but is not limited to, a process for forming bottom electrodes on the side walls of the holes, wherein each bottom electrode has a bottom-closed cylinder shape. 
     The temporary supporter formation process may include, but is not limited to, a process for forming openings in the insulating film, thereby forming the temporary supporter. 
     The insulating film etching process may include, but is not limited to, a wet etching process for selectively removing the inter-layer insulator through the openings, wherein the temporary supporter is used as a mask. 
     The permanent supporter formation process may include, but is not limited to, a process for miming permanent supporters that support the bottom electrodes. 
     The temporary supporter removal process may include, but is not limited to, a process for removing the temporary supporter. 
     The capacitor formation process may include, but is not limited to, a process for forming a capacitive insulating film on the bottom electrode, and a process for forming a top electrode on the capacitive insulating film, thereby forming a crown capacitor. 
     (Stacking Process) 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , a first inter-layer insulator  101  having capacitive contact plugs  100  that are buried in the first inter-layer insulator  101  has been prepared, before the stacking process will be initiated. An etching stopper film  102  is formed over the first inter-layer insulator  101  and the capacitive contact plugs  100 . A second inter-layer insulator  103  for bottom electrode formation is formed over the etching stopper film  102 . An insulating film  204  for temporary supporter formation is formed over the second inter-layer insulator  103 . The insulating film  204  for temporary supporter formation is made of a material that is different from the material of the second inter-layer insulator  103 . 
     In more detail, a semiconductor substrate is prepared. The semiconductor substrate is not illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Semiconductor devices such as MOS transistors are formed over the semiconductor substrate. Bit lines are formed over the semiconductor substrate. The bit lines are connected to the MOS transistors. The MOS transistors and the bit lines are not illustrated in  FIG. 1 . A first inter-layer insulator  101  is formed which covers the MOS transistors and the bit lines over the semiconductor substrate. In some cases, the first inter-layer insulator  101  may be made of, but is not limited to, silicon oxide. Capacitive contact plugs  100  are formed in the first inter layer insulator  101 . The capacitive contact plugs  100  may be used to connect the MOS transistors over the semiconductor substrate and the bottom electrodes of the capacitors. In some cases, the capacitive contact plugs  100  may be made of, but is not limited, to, polysilicon or metals such as tungsten. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , an etching stopper film  102  may be formed over the first inter-layer insulator  101  and die capacitive contact plugs  100 . The etching stopper film  102  may cover the first inter-layer insulator  101  and the capacitive contact plugs  100 . In some cases, the etching stopper film  102  may be made of, but is not limited to, silicon nitride. A second inter-layer insulator  103  may be formed over the etching stopper film  102 . The second inter-layer insulator  103  may cover the etching stopper film  102 . In some cases, the second inter-layer insulator  103  may be made of, but is not limited to, silicon oxide. An insulating film  204  for temporary supporter formation may be formed over the second inter-layer insulator  103 . The insulating film  204  for temporary supporter formation may cover the second inter-layer insulator  103 . In some cases, the insulating film  204  for temporary supporter formation may be made of a material that is different from the material of the second inter-layer insulator  103 . In some cases, the insulating film  204  for temporary supporter formation may be made of but is not limited to polysilicon. 
     The etching stopper film  102  can be used to perform as an etching stopper when etching the second inter-layer insulator  103 . The second inter layer insulator  103  can be used to form through holes therein, the through holes performing as bases for a bottom electrode of a capacitor. The insulating film  204  can be used as a hard mask for forming the through holes in the second inter-layer insulator  103 . The insulating film  204  can also be used as a temporary supporter that temporary-support the bottom electrode of the capacitor. 
     When the capacitor is used as a capacitor of a memory cell in DRAM, the thickness of the second inter-layer insulator  103  may generally be, but is not limited to, in the range of 1 micrometer to 2 micrometers, and the thickness of the insulating film  204  performing as the hard mask and the temporary supporter may generally be, but is not limited to, in the range of about 40 micrometers to about 60 micrometers. The second inter-layer insulator  103  may preferably be made of a different material from the material of the insulating film  204  performing as the hard mask and the temporary supporter. The wet-etching rate of the insulating film  204  is lower than the wet-etching rate of the second inter-layer insulator  103 . In some cases, the second inter-layer insulator  103  can be made of silicon oxide, and the insulating film  204  can be made of polysilicon. 
     With reference to  FIG. 2 , a photo-resist film is formed over the insulating film  204  performing as the hard mask and the temporary supporter. A pattern of holes is formed in the photo-resist film, thereby forming a resist mask M. 
     (Through-Hole Formation Process) 
     Through holes  105  are formed which penetrate the insulating film  204  and the second inter-layer insulator  103  and reach the capacitive contact plugs  100 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the insulating film  204  can be selectively and anisotropically etched by using the resist mask M, thereby forming a hard mask  204 . In some cases, the etching process can be realized by, but not limited to, a plasma dry etching process using a chlorine gas. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the second inter-layer insulator  103  can be selectively and anisotropically etched by using the resist mask M and the hard mask  204 , thereby forming through holes  105 . The through holes  105  penetrate the insulating film  204  and the second inter-layer insulator  103  and reach the etching stopper film  102 . The etching process can be stopped by the etching stopper film  102 . In some cases, the etching process can be realized by, but not limited to, a plasma dry etching process using a fluorine gas. The resist mask M is removed. The etching stopper film  102  is partially shown through the through holes  105 . The etching stopper film  102  has exposed portions that are positioned directly under the through holes  105 . The etching stopper film  102  can be selectively and anisotropically etched so that the capacitive contact plugs  100  are shown through the through holes  105 . The capacitive contact plugs  100  have exposed surfaces  100   a  which are shown through the through holes  105 . The exposed surfaces  100   a  of the capacitive contact plugs  100  are positioned directly under the through holes  105   
     (Bottom Electrode Formation Process) 
     Bottom electrodes  106  may be formed in the through holes  105 . The bottom electrodes  106  may each have a bottom-closed cylindrical shape. The bottom electrodes  106  may each extend over the bottom and side walls of the through hole  105 . The bottom electrodes  106  may each extend along the side edge of the hard mask  204 . The bottom electrodes  106  can be formed as follows. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , a first conductive film, is formed, which covers the bottom and side walls of the through holes  105  and the top surface of the hard mask  204 . The first conductive film extends along the bottom and side walls of the through holes  105  and over the top surface of the hard mask  204 . In some cases, the first conductive film may be made of, but is not limited to, titanium nitride. The first conductive film may be selectively removed so mat the top surface of the hard mask  204  is exposed, while the first conductive film resides on the bottom and side walls of the through holes  105 , thereby forming bottom electrodes  106  in the through holes  105 . The bottom electrodes  106  in the through holes  105  are separate from each other. Each bottom electrode  106  extends over the bottom wall and along the side wall of the through hole  105 . Selective removal of the first conductive film from the top surface of the hard mask  204  can be realized by, but not limited to, an etching process or a chemical mechanical polishing process. The bottom wall of the through hole  105  is constituted by the exposed surface  100   a  of the capacitive contact plug  100 . The bottom electrode  106  contacts with the exposed surface  100   a  of the capacitive contact plug  100 . Thus, the bottom electrode  106  is connected to the capacitive contact plug  100 . 
     In some case, the bottom electrodes  106  may be made of, but not limited to, titanium nitride, tungsten, or noble metals such as ruthenium. A tungsten film has good coverage. When the first conductive film is made of titanium nitride, it may be preferable that a photo-resist fills up the through holes  105  so as to allow the photo-resist protects the first conductive film in the through holes  105 , while the first conductive film over the hard mask  204  is removed. The bottom electrodes  106  are protected by the photo-resist from suffering the damages. 
     The bottom electrodes  106  extend along the side edges  204   a  of the hard mask  204 . The bottom electrodes  106  are bonded to the side edges  204   a  of the hard mask  204 . The hard mask  204  can perform not only as the hard mask but as the temporary supporter. 
     (Temporary Supporter Formation Process) 
     Openings  204   b  are formed in the hard mask  204 , so as to partially expose the second inter-layer insulator  103 , whereby the hard mask  204  becomes the temporary supporter  204   c . Namely, the temporary supporter  204   c  has the openings  204   b  through which the second inter-layer insulator  103  are partially shown. The openings  204   b  and the temporary supporter  204   c  can be formed as follows. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , a lithography process and a dry etching process may be used to form the openings  204   b  in the hard mask  204 , thereby transforming the hard mask  204  into the temporary supporter  204   c . When the hard mask  204  is made of polysilicon, the temporary supporter  204   c  is made of polysilicon. There is removed the resist mask that has been used for forming the openings  204   b  in the hard mask  204  and transforming the hard mask  204  into the temporary supporter  204   c.    
     In some cases, the openings  204   b  may be realized by stripe-shape grooves which extend cross over the bottom electrodes  106  so that the openings  204   b  each bridge between the adjacent bottom electrodes  106 , and also the openings  204   b  each separate the hard mask  204  into a plurality of separate stripe-shaped temporary supporters  204   c . The plurality of separate stripe-shaped temporary supporters  204   c  may extend bridging the side portions of the openings  204   b . The openings  204   b  may extend in generally parallel to each other. The plurality of separate stripe-shaped temporary supporters  204   c  may also extend in generally parallel to each other and further generally parallel to the openings  204   b . A pair of the adjacent stripe-shaped temporary supporters  204   c  sandwiches the bottom electrode  106  at diametrically opposing ends thereof, wherein the diametrically opposing ends are diametrically distanced from, each other in a width direction of the stripe-shaped temporary supporters  204   c . The width direction of the stripe shaped temporary supporters  204   c  is parallel to the width direction of the openings  204   b . The bottom electrode  106  remains bonded to the side edge  204   a  of the stripe-shaped temporary supporters  204   c . The bottom electrode  106  is sandwiched at diametrically opposing ends thereof by the paired adjacent stripe-shaped temporary supporters  204   c . The paired adjacent stripe-shaped temporary supporters  204   c  can prevent the bottom electrode  106  from being collapsed, thereby preventing any formation of short circuit between the adjacent bottom electrodes  106 . 
     The extension direction in which the stripe-shaped temporary supporters  204   c  and the stripe-shaped openings  204   b  extend may be optional as long as the extension direction is horizontal or parallel to the surface of the substrate. The extension direction may be modified to a perpendicular or oblique direction to that shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     As modifications, the openings  204   b  of the temporary supporters  204   c  may be realized by island-shape holes which each cover a plurality of bottom electrodes  106 , so that the plurality of bottom electrodes  106  are supported by the temporary supporters  204   c . The peripheral edges of the island-shape hole are positioned near the plurality of bottom electrodes  106  so as to allow the plurality of bottom electrodes  106  to be supported by the temporary supporters  204   c . For example, the peripheral edges of each island-shape opening surrounds in plan view a group of bottom electrodes  106  that are disposed adjacently to each other so that the grouped bottom electrodes  106  that are disposed adjacently to each other are supported by the temporary supporters  204   c . The shape of the openings of the temporary supporters  204   c  may be optional as long as the peripheral edges of the openings run near the plurality of bottom electrodes  106  so as to allow the plurality of bottom electrodes  106  to be supported by the temporary supporters  204   c.    
     (Insulating Film Etching Process) 
     The second inter-layer insulator  103  may be removed, while the bottom electrodes  106  are mechanically supported by the temporary supporters  204   c  and are connected to each other via the temporary supporters  204   c . Removal of the second inter-layer insulator  103  can be realized by, but not limited to, a wet etching process which exposes the second inter-layer insulator  103  to an etchant through the stripe-shaped openings  204   b.    
     With reference to  FIG. 7 , the wet etching process can be carried out, but not limited to, exposing the second inter-layer insulator  103  through the stripe-shaped openings  204   b  to an etchant such as a concentrated hydrofluoric acid of about 50% concentration at the ordinary temperature, thereby removing the second inter-layer insulator  103  of silicon oxide. The etchant is flown through the stripe-shaped openings  204   b  into the second inter-layer insulator  103  of silicon oxide, thereby etching the second inter-layer insulator  103 . The etching stopper film  102  performs as the etching stopper to the wet etching process. The wet etching process is stopped by the etching stopper film  102 . After the second inter-layer insulator  103  of silicon oxide is removed, an array of the bottom electrodes  106  of the bottom-closed cylinder shape extends vertically to the surface of the first inter-layer insulator  101 , wherein the bottom electrodes  106  are mechanically connected to each other via the temporary supporters  204   c  and mechanically supported by the temporary supporters  204   c . The bottom electrode  106  remains bonded to the side edge  204   a  of the stripe-shaped temporary supporters  204   c , so that the bottom electrodes  106  are mechanically connected to each other via the temporary supporters  204   c  and mechanically supported by the temporary supporters  204   c . The wet etching process exposes the top surface  106   a  of the bottom electrodes  106 . 
     (Permanent Supporter Formation Process) 
     Permanent supporters  205  may be formed to permanently support the bottom electrodes  106 . The permanent supporters  205  mechanically support the bottom electrodes  106  in later processes until the manufacturing process for the semiconductor device is completed. The permanent supporters  205  will reside in the semiconductor device so that the permanent supporters  205  mechanically support the bottom electrodes  106  after the manufacturing process for the semiconductor device is completed. In some cases, the permanent supporters  205  may be made of, but is not limited to, a material that is different from the material of the temporary supporters  204   c.    
     The permanent supporters  205  may be formed over the temporary supporters  204   c  and the top surfaces  106   a  of the bottom electrodes  106 . The permanent supporters  205  may be made of an insulating material. The permanent supporters  205  can be formed by, but not limited to, a plasma chemical vapor deposition. The permanent supporters  205  may each have varying width in the thickness direction. The permanent supporters  205  may each increase in width as its position or level becomes higher. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , an insulating film is deposited over each set of the temporary supporters  204   c  and the top surfaces  106   a  of the bottom electrodes  106 , thereby forming a plurality of separate stripe-shaped permanent supporters  205  over the sets of the temporary supporters  204   c  and the top surfaces  106   a  of the bottom electrodes  106  as shown in  FIG. 9 . The stripe shaped permanent supporters  205  may each have a stripe shape in plan view. The stripe shaped permanent supporters  205  may be disposed to be generally parallel to each other. The two adjacent stripe-shaped permanent supporters  205  may be separated from each other by a stripe-shaped opening  205   a . Each stripe-shaped opening  205   a  extends between the two adjacent stripe-shaped permanent supporters  205 . Each stripe-shaped opening  204   a  separates the two adjacent stripe-shaped temporary supporters  204   c . Each stripe-shaped opening  205   a  separates the two adjacent stripe-shaped permanent supporters  205 . The stripe-shaped openings  205   a  communicate with the stripe-shaped openings  204   a . The stripe-shaped openings  205   a  are positioned directly over the stripe-shaped openings  204   a.    
     The stripe-shaped permanent supporters  205  each have a bottom face that is bonded to the top surface  106   a  of the bottom electrodes  106 , so that the bottom electrodes  106  are mechanically supported by a pair of the two adjacent stripe-shaped permanent supporters  205 . The bottom electrodes  106  are aligned in the direction parallel to the extension direction of the stripe-shaped permanent supporters  205 . The stripe-shaped permanent supporters  205  mechanically supporting the bottom electrodes  106  can prevent the bottom electrodes  106  from being collapsed, thereby preventing formation of short circuit between the adjacent bottom electrodes  106 . 
     The extension direction in which the stripe-shaped permanent supporters  205  and the stripe-shaped openings  205   a  extend may be optional as long as the extension direction is horizontal or parallel to the surface of the substrate. The extension direction may be modified to a perpendicular or oblique direction to that show in  FIG. 8 . The etching stopper film  102  is partially shown through the stripe-shaped openings  204   a  and  205   a.    
     The permanent supporters  205  may preferably be made of a different material from the material of the temporary supporter  204   c . In some cases, the permanent supporters  205  may be made of, but is not limited to, silicon nitride or silicon oxide, while the temporary supporter  204   c  is made of polysilicon. The silicon nitride film or the silicon oxide film has a lower etching rate to an etchant than the etching rate of the polysilicon film. When the permanent supporters  205  are made of silicon nitride or silicon oxide and the temporary supporter  204   c  is made of polysilicon, it is possible that the temporary supporter  204   c  will be etched by the wet etching process, while the permanent supporters  205  will not etched by the wet etching process. 
     The permanent supporters  205  of silicon oxide can be formed as follows. A plasma chemical vapor deposition process can be available to form the permanent supporters  205  of silicon oxide. Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) is used as a source gas. A high frequency power application can be carried out at two different frequencies and powers to the source gas to cause plasma. The higher frequency power may be, but not limited to, 650 W at 13.56 MHz. The lower frequency power may be, but not limited to, 500 W at 400 MHz. The silicon oxide film deposition process can be carried out at, but not limited to, 350° C. 
     The permanent supporters  205  of silicon nitride can be formed as follows. A plasma chemical vapor deposition process can be available to form the permanent supporters  205  of silicon nitride. Silane (SiH 4 ) and ammonium are used as source gases. A high frequency power application can be carried out at but not limited to, 700 W, 13.56 MHz and 350° C. 
     The plasma chemical vapor deposition process has such low step coverage as to cause almost no deposition on the inside and output faces of lower portions of the bottom electrodes  106 . The lower portions of the bottom electrodes  106  are portions that are not higher than a level having a depth of 30 nm from the top surfaces  106   a  of the bottom electrodes  106 . When the semiconductor device is applied to the DRAM device having a minimum dimension of 70 nm, the thickness of the permanent supporters  205  may be preferable, bat not limited to, in the range of about 70 nm to about 150 nm. Increase in thickness of the permanent supporters  205  will increase the mechanical strength, of the permanent supporters  205 . 
     As modifications, the shape of the permanent supporters  205  may be optional as long as the permanent supporters  205  extend near a plurality of bottom electrodes  106  so as to allow the plurality of bottom electrodes  106  to be supported by the permanent supporters  205 . The permanent supporter  205  may be realized by a permanent support layer that has a plurality of island-shape openings, provided that the permanent supporter  205  covers the plurality of bottom electrodes  106 , so that the plurality of bottom electrodes  106  are supported by the permanent supporter  205 . The peripheral edges of the island-shape opening are positioned near the plurality of bottom electrodes  106  so as to allow the permanent supporter  205  to connect and support the plurality of bottom electrodes  106 . 
     (Temporary Supporter Removal Process) 
     The temporary supporters  204   c  are removed, while the permanent supporters  205  remain to mechanically support the bottom electrodes  106 . Removal of the temporary supporters  204   c  can be realized by, but not limited to carrying out an etching process. 
     With reference to  FIG. 10 , the temporary supporters  204   c  can be removed a follows. A wet etching process may be carried out using an etchant. The temporary supporters  204   c  may be exposed to the etchant. The etchant is flown through the stripe-shaped openings  205   a  to the temporary supporters  204   c , thereby etching and removing the temporary supporters  204   c . In some cases, the etchant may be, but is not limited to, a mixture of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid, or diluted ammonium water. Removal of the temporary supporters  204   c  of polysilicon causes that the bottom electrodes  106  are eclectically isolated, as long as the permanent supporters  205  are made of an insulator such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride. 
     In some cases, the etchant is diluted ammonium, water. The permanent supporters  205  are made of silicon oxide or silicon nitride, and the temporary supporters  204   c  are made of polysilicon. In these cases, the diluted ammonium water to be used as an etchant may preferably have a concentration of about 0.5%. In this case, the etchant can etch the temporary supporters  204   c  of polysilicon at high etching rate, while the etchant almost will not etch the bottom electrodes  106  and the permanent supporters  205 . The concentration of about 0.5% is the ordinal concentration of diluted ammonium water to be used in the semiconductor cleaning process. 
     In some cases, the etchant is a mixture of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid. The permanent supporters  205  are made of silicon oxide or silicon nitride, and the temporary supporters  204   c  are made of polysilicon. In these cases, the mixture of &gt; hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid to be used as an etchant may preferably have a mixing ratio of nitric acid to 50%-concentrated hydrofluoric acid being about 200:1. 
     When the etchant is diluted ammonium water, a pre-cleaning process may preferably and optionally be carried out to remove the oxide film from the polysilicon surface of the temporary supporters  204   c . If the oxide film resides on the polysilicon surface of the temporary supporters  204   c , it is difficult to etch the temporary supporters  204   c  of polysilicon completely. The pre-cleaning process may be carried out using an etchant of, but not limited to, about 1%-diluted hydrofluoric acid. The pre-cleaning process may be effective to permit the wet etching process for a short, time period such as in the range of about 20 seconds to about 30 seconds to remove the temporary supporters  204   c  of polysilicon completely. The pre-cleaning process may be effective to remove a thin, insulating film having a few nanometers thickness from the inside and outside faces of the above-described lower portion of the bottom electrode  106 . The lower portions of the bottom electrodes  106  are portions that are not higher than a level having a depth of 30 nm from the top surfaces  106   a  of the bottom electrodes  106 . 
     In other cases, the etching process for etching the temporary supporters  204   c  can be carried out using an etchant of a mixture of the above-described 0.5%-concentrated ammonium water with the about 1%-diluted hydrofluoric acid. The use of the etchant of a mixture of the above-described 0.5%-concentrated ammonium water with the about 1%-diluted hydrofluoric acid may be effective to permit the wet etching process for a short time period such as in the range of about 20 seconds to about 30 seconds to remove not only the temporary supporters  204   c  of polysilicon completely but also a thin insulating film having a few nanometers thickness from the inside and outside faces of the above-described lower portion of the bottom electrode  106 . The lower portions of the bottom electrodes  106  are portions that are not higher than a level having a depth of 30 nm from, the top surfaces  106   a  of the bottom electrodes  106 . 
     Removal of the temporary supporters  204   c  results in that the permanent supporters  205  are disposed in parallel to each other and distanced from each other by the stripe-shaped openings  205   a . The permanent supporters  205  have bottom faces that are bonded to the top surfaces  106   a  of the bottom electrodes  106 . A plurality of the aligned bottom electrodes  106  is mechanically supported by the pair of two adjacent stripe-shaped permanent supporters  205 . The aligned bottom electrodes  106  are mechanically connected to each other by the pair of two adjacent stripe-shaped permanent supporters  205 . The aligned bottom electrodes  106  are electrically isolated from each other as long as the permanent supporters  205  are made of an insulator. 
     (Capacitor Formation Process) 
     Capacitors  220  are formed in the through holes  105 . A capacitive insulating film  206  is formed on the exposed surfaces of the bottom electrodes  106 . A top electrode  207  is formed on the capacitive insulating film  206 . The top electrode  207  is &gt; separated from the bottom electrodes  106  by the capacitive insulating film  206 . The capacitors  220  each include the bottom electrodes  106 , the capacitive insulating film  206 , and the top electrode  207 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 11 , a capacitive insulating film  206  is formed on the surfaces of the permanent supporters  205  and on the entirety of the exposed surfaces of the bottom electrodes  106  of bottom-closed cylinder shape. The capacitive insulating film  206  covers the surfaces of the permanent supporters  205  and the entirety of the exposed surfaces of the bottom electrodes  106  of bottom-closed cylinder shape. The top electrode  207  is formed on the capacitive insulating film  206 . The stack of the capacitive insulating film  206  and the top electrode  207  is formed on the surfaces of the &gt; permanent supporters  205  and on the entirety of the exposed surfaces of the bottom electrodes  106  of bottom-closed cylinder shape. The stack of the capacitive insulating film  206  and the top electrode  207  covers the surfaces of the permanent supporters  205  and the entirety of the exposed surfaces of the bottom electrodes  106  of bottom-closed cylinder shape. 
     The bottom electrodes  106  and the permanent supporters  205  are together covered by the stack of the capacitive insulating film  206  and the top electrode  207 , thereby ensuring that the bottom electrodes  205  are bonded to the permanent supporters  205 . 
     The stack of the capacitive insulating film  206  and the top electrode  207  extend both the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder shaped bottom electrode  106 . The inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  106  can be used to form the capacitor. Use of the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  106  is larger in capacitance by about two times than use of the inside face only of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode as long as the capacitors have substantially the same dimensions. Use of the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  106  is effective to ensure increased capacitance without increasing the dimensions of the capacitor. 
     A common electrode  208  is formed over the top electrode  207 . 
     In some cases, the capacitive insulating film  206  may be realized by, but not limited to, a single-layered structure of insulator or multi-layered structure of insulator. Typical examples of the single-layered structure of insulator for the capacitive insulating film  206  may include, but are not limited to, an aluminum oxide film, a hafnium oxide film, a zirconium oxide film, and a tantalum oxide film. Typical examples of the multi-layered structure of insulator may include, but are not limited to, any stack of two or more films such as an aluminum oxide film, a hafnium oxide film, a zirconium oxide film, and a tantalum oxide film. The capacitive insulating film  206  may be formed by, but not limited to, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) method. The top electrode  207  may preferably be made of a conductive material having good coverage. The common electrode  208  may preferably be made of a different conductive material having a lower resistance than the conductive material of the top electrode  207 . In some cases, the top electrode  207  may be made of, but not limited to, titanium nitride, and the common electrode  208  may be made of, but not limited to, tungsten. The crown capacitors  220  are formed, which each include the bottom electrodes  106 , the capacitive insulating film  206 , and the top electrode  207 . The common electrode  208  is disposed over the capacitors  220 . 
     The crown capacitors  220  utilize the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  106 . Namely, the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  106  can, be used to form the capacitor. Use of the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  106  is larger in capacitance by about two times than use of the inside face only of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode as long as the capacitors have substantially the same dimensions. Use of the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  106  is effective to ensure increased capacitance without increasing the dimensions of the capacitor. 
     [Semiconductor Device] 
     The crown capacitors  220  that have been formed in the processes described above with reference to  FIGS. 1-11  can be applied to any types of semiconductor device such as DRAMs. A semiconductor device such as a DRAM including the crown capacitors  220  of  FIG. 11  will be described with reference to  FIG. 12 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 12 , a semiconductor device H is disposed over a semiconductor substrate  209 . In some cases, the semiconductor device H may be, but is not limited to, a DRAM. In some cases, the semiconductor substrate  209  may be, but is not limited to, a silicon substrate. The semiconductor device H may typically include, but is not limited to, transistors Tr and the capacitors  220  that have been described with reference to  FIGS. 1-11 . The capacitors  220  are electrically connected to the transistors Tr. The transistors Tr may be disposed over the semiconductor substrate  209 . The capacitors  220  may be disposed over the transistors Tr. 
     The transistors Tr may each include, but is not limited to, source and drain diffusion layers  210  and  211 , gate insulating films  212   a , and gate electrodes  212   b . The source and drain diffusion layers  210  and  211  are disposed in shallower regions of the semiconductor substrate  209 . The gate insulating films  212   a  are disposed over the surface of the semiconductor substrate  209 . The gate electrodes  212   b  are disposed over the gate insulating films  212   a . The gate electrodes  212   b  perform gate electrodes and gate-lines. Contact plugs  213  are disposed directly over the source and drain diffusion layers  210  and  211 . The contact plugs  213  contact with the source and drain diffusion layers  210  and  211 . The contact plugs  213  are each disposed between two adjacent gate electrodes  212   b.    
     An inter-layer insulator  214  may be disposed over the transistors Tr and the semiconductor substrate  209 . The inter-layer insulator  214  may have contact holes in which bit-line contact plugs  215  are disposed. The bit line contact plugs  215  are also disposed directly over the contact plugs  213 . The bit-line contact plugs  215  are electrically connected through the contact plugs  213  to the drain diffusion layers  211  of the transistors Tr. 
     Bit lines  216  are disposed over the inter-layer insulator  214 . The bit lines  216  contact with the bit-line contact plugs  215 . The bit lines  216  are electrically connected through the bit-line contact plugs  215  and the contact plugs  213  to the drain diffusion layers  211  of the transistors Tr. 
     An inter-layer insulator  217  may be disposed over the bit lines  216  and the inter-layer insulator  214 . An inter-layer insulator  101  may be disposed over the inter-layer insulator  217 . Capacitive contact plugs  100  may be disposed which penetrate the stack of the inter-layer insulators  214 ,  217  and  101 . The capacitive contact plugs  100  contact the contact plugs  213 . The capacitive contact plugs  100  are electrically connected through the contact plugs  213  to the source diffusion layers  212  of the transistors Tr. 
     The crown capacitors  220  may be disposed over the inter-layer insulator  101 . The crown capacitors  220  are electrically connected through the capacitive contact plugs  100  and the contact plugs  213  to the source diffusion layers  212  of the transistors Tr. 
     The crown capacitors  220  can be formed in accordance with the series of processes described above with reference to  FIGS. 1-11 . The crown capacitors  220  may each include the bottom electrode  106 , the capacitive insulating film  206 , and the top electrode  207 . 
     The first inter-layer insulator  101  has capacitive contact plugs  100 . The capacitive contact plugs  100  are buried in the first inter-layer insulator  101 . The bottom electrodes  106  may be disposed over the capacitive contact plugs  100  that are buried in the first inter-layer insulator  101 . The bottom electrodes  106  contact the capacitive contact plugs  100 . The bottom electrodes  106  may each have a bottom-closed cylinder shape. 
     The permanent supporters  205  are disposed over the top surfaces  106   a  of the bottom electrodes  106 . The permanent supporters  205  are bonded to the top surfaces  106   a  of the bottom electrodes  106 . The permanent supporters  205  mechanically  3  connect the bottom electrodes  106  that are aligned in the direction parallel to the extension direction along which the permanent supporters  205  extend. 
     The capacitive insulating film  206  may be disposed on the surfaces of the permanent supporters  205  and on the entirety of the exposed surfaces of the bottom electrodes  106  of bottom-closed cylinder shape. The capacitive insulating film  206  may cover the surfaces of the permanent supporters  205  and the entirety of the exposed surfaces of the bottom electrodes  106  of bottom-closed cylinder shape. The top electrode  207  may be disposed on tire capacitive insulating film  206 . The stack of the capacitive insulating film  206  and the top electrode  207  may be disposed on the surfaces of the permanent supporters  205  and on the entirety of the exposed surfaces of the bottom electrodes  106  of bottom-closed cylinder shape. The slack of the capacitive insulating film  206  and the top electrode  207  may cover the surfaces of the permanent supporters  205  and the entirety of the exposed surfaces of the bottom electrodes  106  of bottom-closed cylinder shape. The bottom electrodes  106  and the permanent supporters  205  may be together covered by the stack of the capacitive insulating film  206  and the top electrode  207 , thereby ensuring that the bottom electrodes  205  are bonded to the permanent supporters  205 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 12 , the semiconductor device H may include a memory cell array area MA and a peripheral circuit area PC. The inter-layer insulator  103  resides in the peripheral circuit area PC, while the inter-layer insulator  103  is removed in the memory cell array area MA. In the peripheral circuit area PC, the inter-layer insulator  103  performs as an inter-layer insulator. In the memory cell array area MA, the inter-layer insulator  103  is absent. The inter-layer insulator  103  is selectively removed, so that the inter-layer insulator  103  resides in the peripheral circuit area PC, while the inter-layer insulator  103  is removed in the memory cell array area MA. Selective removal of the inter-layer insulator  103  can be realized by using a hard mask  204  of polysilicon. The hard mask  204  of polysilicon resides in the peripheral, circuit area PC. Namely, the inter-layer insulator  103  and the hard mask  204  of polysilicon reside in the peripheral circuit area PC. 
     With reference to  FIG. 13 , a photo-resist pattern  219  is formed before the through holes  105  are formed in the memory cell array area MA. The photo-resist pattern  219  has a dummy groove  105   a  that extends in the memory cell array area MA. Namely, the peripheral circuit area PC is covered by the photo-resist pattern  219 , while the memory cell array area MA is not covered by the photo-resist pattern  219 . The etching process is carried out using the photo-resist pattern  219  as a mask, thereby selectively etching the inter layer insulator  103  in the memory cell array area MA as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 13 , while leaving the inter-layer insulator  103  in the peripheral circuit area PC as shown in  FIG. 13 . 
     If the hard mask  204  should be removed from the peripheral circuit area PC, it is possible to remove the hard mask  204  from the peripheral circuit area PC. Removal of the hard mask  204  from the peripheral circuit area PC can be carried out by an etching process using an inversion pattern to the photo-resist pattern  219 . 
     In accordance with the above-described processes for forming the semiconductor device, the temporary supporters  204   c  of polysilicon are formed to mechanically support the bottom electrodes  106 . Then, the inter-layer insulator  103  is selectively etched in the memory cell array area MA as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 13 , while the temporary supporters  204   c  of polysilicon mechanically support the bottom electrodes  106 . After the selective etching process for etching the inter-layer insulator  103  is completed, the permanent supporters  205  are formed. It is not possible that the permanent supporters  205  are etched in part or whole by the etching process for selectively removing the inter-layer insulator  103 . The permanent supporters  205  are not reduced in mechanical strength. The permanent supporters  205  are not reduced in bonding strength to the bottom electrodes  106 . 
     The temporary supporters  204   c  of polysilicon are removed after the permanent supporters  205  are formed. The permanent supporters  205  are exposed to the etchant that is intended to be used to etch the temporary supporters  204   c  of polysilicon. The temporary supporters  204   c  of polysilicon have a thickness of several tends nanometers. The temporary supporters  204   c  of polysilicon is very thin so that the temporary supporters  204   c  of polysilicon can be removed, while the permanent supporters  205  are almost not etched, by carrying out the wet etching process for a short time. The permanent supporters  205  are almost not reduced in mechanical strength. The permanent supporters  205  are almost not reduced in bonding strength to the bottom electrodes  106 . 
     The permanent supporters  205  are formed which cover the top surfaces  106   a  of the bottom electrodes  106  and the temporary supporters  204   c , while the temporary supporters  204   c  mechanically support the bottom electrodes  106 . The temporary supporters  204   c  mechanically supporting the bottom electrodes  106  allows the permanent supporters  205  to have an increased thickness, thereby increasing the mechanical strength of the permanent supporters  205 . 
     The permanent supporters  205  are formed, which each cover a pair of the temporary supporter  204   c  and the top surface  106   a  of the bottom electrode  106 . The permanent supporters  205  have bottom faces that are securely bonded to the top surfaces  106   a  of the bottom electrodes  106 . The permanent supporters  205  are unlikely to be removed from the bottom electrodes  106 . The stripe-shaped permanent supporters  205  mechanically supporting the bottom electrodes  106  can prevent the bottom electrodes  106  from being collapsed, thereby preventing formation of short circuit between the adjacent bottom electrodes  106 . The stripe-shaped permanent supporters  205  can also prevent paired-bits or grouped bits from defect. The bottom electrodes  106  and the permanent supporters  205  are together covered by the stack of the capacitive insulating film  206  and the top electrode  207 , thereby further ensuring that the bottom electrodes  205  are bonded to the permanent supporters  205 . The stack of the capacitive insulating film  206  and the top electrode  207  in combination with the permanent supporters  205  can ensure preventing the bottom electrodes  106  from being collapsed, thereby preventing formation of short circuit between the adjacent bottom electrodes  106 . The stack of the capacitive insulating film  206  and the top electrode  207  in combination with the permanent supporters  205  can ensure preventing paired-bits or grouped bits from defect. 
     The materials for the inter-layer insulator  103  and the temporary supporter  204   c  are different from each other, so as to allow a wet etching process to be carried out using an etchant, so that the wet etching rate of the inter-layer insulator  103  is much greater than the wet etching rate of the temporary supporter  204   c . Namely, the inter-layer insulator  103  is etched, while the temporary supporter  204   c  is almost not etched. In some cases, the inter-layer insulator  103  may be made of silicon oxide, and the temporary supporter  204   c  may be made of polysilicon, so that the inter-layer insulator  103  is etched, while the temporary supporter  204   c  is almost not etched. Almost no etching of the temporary supporter  204   c  will result in almost no reduction of the mechanical strength of the temporary supporter  204   c.    
     The permanent supporters  205  may be made of a material that is different from the material for the temporary supporter  204   c , so as to allow a wet etching process to be carried out using an etchant, so that the wet etching rate of the temporary supporter  204   c  is much greater than the wet etching rate of the permanent supporters  205 . Namely, the temporary supporter  204   c  is etched, while the permanent supporter  205  is almost not etched. In some cases, the permanent supporter  205  may be made of silicon nitride, and the temporary supporter  204   c  may be made of polysilicon, so that the temporary supporter  204   c  is etched, while the permanent supporter  205  is almost not etched. Almost no etching of the permanent supporter  205  will result in almost no reduction of the mechanical strength of the permanent supporter  205 . 
     The permanent supporters  205  are formed which cover the top surfaces  106   a  of the bottom electrodes  106  and the temporary supporters  204   c , while the temporary supporters  204   c  mechanically support the bottom electrodes  106 . The temporary supporters  204   c  mechanically supporting the bottom, electrodes  106  allows the permanent supporters  205  to have an increased thickness, thereby increasing the mechanical strength of the permanent supporters  205 . 
     The permanent supporters  205  cover the top surfaces  106   a  of the bottom electrodes  106 . The permanent supporters  205  do not cover the inside and outside surfaces of the bottom electrodes  106 , so as to allow the stack of the capacitive insulating film  206  and the top electrode  207  to extend along the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion, of the bottom electrodes  106 . The inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  106  can be used to form the capacitor. Use of the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  106  is larger in capacitance by about two times than use of the inside face only of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode as long as the capacitors have substantially the same dimensions. Use of the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  106  is effective to ensure increased capacitance without increasing the dimensions of the capacitor. 
     Second Embodiment 
     A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 14-20 . 
     [Process for Forming Semiconductor Device] 
     A process for forming a semiconductor device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in details with reference to  FIGS. 14-20 . The process for forming the semiconductor device may include, but is not limited to, a stacking process, a through-hole formation process, a bottom electrode formation process, a temporary supporter formation process, an insulating film etching process, a permanent supporter formation process, a temporary supporter removal process, and a capacitor formation process. 
     In this second embodiment, the hard mask and the temporary supporter to be formed from the hard mask may be made of amorphous carbon instead of polysilicon. 
     (Stacking Process) 
     With reference to  FIG. 14 , a first inter-layer insulator  101  having capacitive contact plugs  100  that are buried in the first inter-layer insulator  101  has been prepared, before the stacking process will be initiated. An etching stopper film  102  is formed over the first, inter-layer insulator  101  and the capacitive contact plugs  100 . A second inter-layer insulator  103  for bottom electrode formation is formed over the etching stopper film  102 . An insulating film  304  for temporary supporter formation is formed over the second inter-layer insulator  103 . The insulating film  304  for temporary supporter formation is made of a material that is different from the material of the second inter-layer insulator  103 . 
     In more detail, a semiconductor substrate is prepared. The semiconductor substrate is not illustrated in  FIG. 14 . Semiconductor devices such as MOS transistors are formed over the semiconductor substrate. Bit lines are formed over the semiconductor substrate. The bit lines are connected to the MOS transistors. The MOS transistors and the bit lines are not illustrated in  FIG. 14 . A first inter-layer insulator  101  is formed which covers the MOS transistors and the bit lines over the semiconductor substrate. In some cases, the first inter-layer insulator  101  may be made of, but is not limited to, silicon oxide. Capacitive contact plugs  100  are formed in the first inter-layer insulator  101 . The capacitive contact plugs  100  may be used to connect the MOS transistors over the semiconductor substrate and the bottom electrodes of the capacitors. In some cases, the capacitive contact plugs  100  may be made of, but is not limited to, polysilicon or metals such as tungsten. 
     As shown in  FIG. 14 , an etching stopper film  102  may be formed over the first inter-layer insulator  101  and the capacitive contact plugs  100 . The etching stopper film  102  may cover the first inter-layer insulator  101  and the capacitive contact plugs  100 . In some cases, the etching stopper film  102  may be made of, but is not limited to, silicon nitride. A second inter-layer insulator  103  may be formed over the etching stopper film  102 . The second inter-layer insulator  103  may cover the etching stopper film  102 . In some cases, the second inter-layer insulator  103  may be made of, but is not limited to, silicon oxide. An insulating film  304  for temporary supporter formation may be formed over the second inter-layer insulator  103 . The insulating film  304  for temporary supporter formation may cover the second inter-layer insulator  103 . In some cases, the insulating film  304  for temporary supporter formation may be made of a material that is different from the material of the second inter-layer insulator  103 . In some cases, the insulating film  304  for temporary supporter formation may be made of but is not limited to, amorphous carbon. Further, a passivation silicon oxide film  305  may be formed over the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon. The passivation silicon oxide film  305  covers the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon. A passivation silicon film  306  may be formed over the passivation silicon oxide film  305 . The stack of the passivation silicon oxide film  305  and the passivation silicon oxide film  305  may cover the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon. 
     The etching stopper film  102  can be used to perform as an etching stopper when etching the second inter-layer insulator  103 . The second inter-layer insulator  103  can be used to form through holes therein, the through holes performing as bases for a bottom electrode of a capacitor. The insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon can be used as a hard mask for forming the through holes in the second inter-layer insulator  103 . The insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon can also be used as a temporary supporter that temporary-support the bottom electrode of the capacitor. The stack of the passivation silicon oxide film  305  and the passivation silicon film  306  may perform as a passivation for protecting the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon. 
     The insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon may be formed by any available method. Typical examples of the method that can be used for forming the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon, may include, but is not limited to, a plasma chemical vapor deposition using a hydrocarbon gas and a physical vapor deposition such as sputtering. The passivation silicon oxide film  305  and the passivation silicon film  306  may be formed by any available method. Typical examples of the method that can be used for forming the passivation silicon oxide film  305  or the passivation silicon film  306  may include, but is not limited to, a plasma chemical vapor deposition and a thermal chemical vapor deposition. 
     When the capacitor is used as a capacitor of a memory cell in DRAM, the thickness of the second inter-layer insulator  103  may generally be, but is not limited to, in the range of about 1 micrometer to about 2 micrometers, and the thickness of the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon performing as the hard mask and the temporary supporter may generally be, but is not limited to, about 100 nanometers. The thickness of the passivation silicon oxide film  305  may generally be, but is not limited to, about 50 nanometers. The thickness of the passivation silicon film  306  may generally be, but is not limited to about 100 nanometers. 
     (Through-Hole Formation Process) 
     Through holes  307  are formed which penetrate the passivation silicon film  306 , the passivation silicon oxide film  305 , the insulating film  304  and the second inter-layer insulator  103  and reach the capacitive contact plugs  100 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 14 , a resist film is applied on the passivation silicon film  306 . The resist film is then patterned to form a resist pattern. The passivation silicon film  306  may be selectively etched by using the resist film as a mask. This selective removal of the passivation silicon film  306  can be realized by, but not limited to, a plasma dry etching process using the plasma of chlorine gas. The resist mask as used is then removed while the passivation silicon oxide film  305  protects the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon. Removal of the resist mask can be realized by, but not limited to, oxygen-ashing. The passivation silicon oxide film  305 , the insulating film  304  and the second inter-layer insulator  103  are etched by a continuing set of etching processes by using the passivation silicon film  306  as a mask, thereby forming through holes  307  which penetrate the passivation silicon film  306 , the passivation silicon oxide film  305 , the insulating film  304  and the second inter-layer insulator  103  and reach the capacitive contact plugs  100 . In some cases, the passivation silicon oxide film  305  can selectively be etched by, but not limited to, a plasma etching process using a heavy fluorocarbon gas such as C 5 F 8 . In some cases, the insulating film  304  can selectively be etched by, but not limited to, a plasma etching process using an oxygen gas or an ammonium gas. In some cases, the second inter-layer insulator  103  can selectively be etched by, but not limited to, a plasma etching process using a heavy fluorocarbon gas such as C 5 F 8 . The insulating film  304  is selectively removed thereby forming a hard mask  304 . 
     As described above, the resist mask as used may be removed by oxygen-ashing, while the passivation silicon oxide film  305  protects the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon because the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon is not etched by the oxygen-ashing unless the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon is exposed to the oxygen-ashing. 
     The etching stopper film  102  is partially shown through the through holes  307 . The etching stopper film  102  has exposed portions that are positioned directly under the through, holes  307 . The etching stopper film  102  can be selectively and anisotropically etched so that the capacitive contact plugs  100  are shown, through the through holes  307 . The capacitive contact plugs  100  have exposed surfaces which are shown through the through holes  307 . The exposed surfaces of the capacitive contact plugs  100  are positioned directly under the through holes  307 . 
     (Bottom Electrode Formation Process) 
     Bottom electrodes  308  may be formed in the through holes  307 . The bottom electrodes  308  may each have a bottom-closed cylindrical shape. The bottom electrodes  308  may each extend over the bottom and side walls of the through hole  307 . The bottom electrodes  308  may each extend along the side edge of the hard mask  304 . The bottom electrodes  308  can be formed as follows. 
     As shown in  FIG. 14 , a first conductive film is formed, which covers the bottom and side walls of the through holes  307  and tire top surface of the hard mask  304 . The first conductive film extends along the bottom and side walls of the through holes  307  and over the top surface of the hard mask  304 . In some cases, the first conductive film may be made of, but is not limited to titanium nitride. The first conductive film may be selectively removed so that the top surface of the hard mask  304  is exposed, while the first conductive film resides on the bottom and side walls of the through holes  307  thereby forming bottom electrodes  308  in the through holes  307 . The bottom electrodes  308  in the through holes  307  are separate from each other. Each, bottom electrode  308  extends over the bottom wall and along the side wall of the through hole  307 . Selective removal of the first conductive film from the top surface of the hard mask  304  can be realized by, but not limited to, an etching process or a chemical mechanical polishing process. The bottom wall of the through hole  307  is constituted by the exposed surface of the capacitive contact plug  100 . The bottom electrode  308  contacts with the exposed surface of the capacitive contact plug  100 . Thus, the bottom electrode  308  is connected to the capacitive contact plug  100 . 
     In some case, the bottom electrodes  308  may be made of, but not limited to, titanium nitride, tungsten, or noble metals such as ruthenium. A tungsten film has good coverage. When the first conductive film is made of titanium nitride, it may be preferable that a photo-resist fills up the through holes  307  so as to allow the photo-resist protects the first conductive film in the through holes  307 , while the first conductive film over the hard mask  304  is removed. The bottom electrodes  308  are protected by the photo-resist from suffering the damages. 
     The bottom electrodes  308  extend along the side edges  304   a  of the hard mask  304 . The bottom electrodes  308  are bonded to the side edges  304   a  of the hard mask  304 . The hard mask  304  can perform not only as the hard mask but as the temporary supporter. 
     (Temporary Supporter Formation Process) 
     Openings  304   b  are formed in the hard mask  304 , so as to partially expose the second inter-layer insulator  103 , whereby the hard mask  304  becomes the temporary supporter  304   c . Namely, the temporary supporter  304   c  has the openings  304   b  through which the second inter-layer insulator  103  axe partially shown. The openings  304   b  and the temporary supporter  304   c  can be formed as follows. 
     With reference to  FIG. 15 , a lithography process and a dry etching process may be used to form openings  306   a  in the passivation silicon, film  306 . The resist mask as used for forming die openings  306   a  can be then removed by oxygen-ashing. The resist mask as used may be removed by oxygen-ashing, while the passivation silicon oxide film  305  protects the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon because the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon is etched by the oxygen-ashing if the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon is exposed to the oxygen-ashing. 
     With reference to  FIG. 16 , openings  304   b  are formed in the stack of the passivation silicon oxide film  305  and the hard mask  304 . The stack of the passivation silicon oxide film  305  and the hard mask  304  are selectively etched by using the passivation silicon film  306  having the openings  306   a  as a mask, thereby forming the openings  304   b , and also thereby transforming the hard mask  304  into the temporary supporter  304   c . When the hard mask  304  is made of amorphous carbon, the temporary supporter  304   c  is made of amorphous carbon. There is removed the resist mask that has been used for forming the openings  304   b  in the hard mask  304  and transforming the hard mask  304  into the temporary supporter  304   c.    
     In some cases, the openings  304   b  may be realized by stripe-shape grooves which extend cross over the bottom electrodes  308  so that the openings  304   b  each bridge between the adjacent bottom electrodes  308 , and also the openings  304   b  each separate the hard mask  304  into a plurality of separate stripe-shaped temporary supporters  304   c . The plurality of separate stripe-shaped temporary supporters  304   c  may extend bridging the side portions of the openings  304   b . The openings  304   b  may extend in generally parallel to each other. The plurality of separate stripe-shaped temporary supporters  304   c  may also extend in generally parallel to each other and further generally parallel to the openings  304   b . A pair of the adjacent stripe-shaped temporary supporters  304   c  sandwiches the bottom electrode  308  at diametrically opposing ends thereof, wherein the diametrically opposing ends are diametrically distanced from each other in a width direction of the stripe-shaped temporary supporters  304   c . The width direction of the stripe-shaped temporary supporters  304   c  is parallel to the width direction of the openings  304   b . The bottom electrode  308  remains bonded to the side edge  304   a  of the stripe-shaped temporary supporters  304   c . The bottom electrode  308  is sandwiched at diametrically opposing ends thereof by the paired adjacent stripe-shaped temporary supporters  304   c . The paired adjacent stripe-shaped temporary supporters  304   c  can prevent the bottom electrode  308  from being collapsed, thereby preventing any formation of short circuit between the adjacent bottom electrodes  308 . 
     The extension direction in which the stripe-shaped temporary supporters  304   c  and the stripe-shaped openings  304   b  extend may be optional as long as the extension direction is horizontal or parallel to the surface of the substrate. The extension direction may be modified. 
     As modifications, the openings  304   b  of the temporary supporters  304   c  may be realized by island-shape holes which each cover a plurality of bottom electrodes  308 , so that the plurality of bottom electrodes  308  are supported by the temporary supporters  304   c . The peripheral edges of the island-shape hole are positioned near the plurality of bottom electrodes  308  so as to allow the plurality of bottom electrodes  308  to be supported by the temporary supporters  304   c . For example, the peripheral edges of each island-shape opening surrounds in plan view a group of bottom electrodes  308  that are disposed adjacently to each other so that the grouped bottom electrodes  308  that are disposed adjacently to each other are supported by the temporary supporters  304   c . The shape of the openings of the temporary supporters  304   c  may be optional as long as the peripheral edges of the openings run near the plurality of bottom electrodes  308  so as to allow the plurality of bottom electrodes  308  to be supported by the temporary supporters  304   c.    
     (Insulating Film Etching Process) 
     The second inter-layer insulator  103  and the passivation silicon oxide film  305  may be removed, while the bottom electrodes  308  are mechanically supported by the temporary supporters  304   c  and are connected to each other via the temporary supporters  304   c . Removal of the second inter-layer insulator  103  can be realized by, but not limited to a wet etching process which exposes the second inter-layer insulator  103  to an etchant through the stripe-shaped openings  304   b.    
     With reference to  FIG. 17 , the wet etching process can be carried out, but not limited to, exposing the second inter-layer insulator  103  and the passivation silicon oxide film  305  through the stripe-shaped openings  304   b  to an etchant such as a concentrated hydrofluoric acid of about 50% concentration at the ordinary temperature, thereby removing the second inter-layer insulator  103  of silicon oxide and the passivation silicon oxide film  305 . The stripe-shaped temporary supporters  304   c  of amorphous carbon are not etched by the etchant. The etchant is flown through the stripe-shaped openings  304   b  into the second inter-layer insulator  103  of silicon oxide and the passivation silicon oxide film  305 , thereby etching the second, inter-layer insulator  103  and the passivation silicon oxide film  305 . The etching stopper film  102  performs as the etching stopper to the wet etching process. The wet etching process is stopped by the etching stopper film  102 . After the second inter-layer insulator  103  of silicon oxide and the passivation silicon oxide film  305  are removed, an array of the bottom electrodes  308  of the bottom-closed cylinder shape extends vertically to the surface of the first inter-layer, insulator  101 , wherein the bottom electrodes  308  are mechanically connected to each other via the temporary supporters  304   c  and mechanically supported by the temporary supporters  304   c . The bottom electrode  308  remains bonded to the side edge  304   a  of the stripe-shaped temporary supporters  304   c , so that the bottom electrodes  308  are mechanically connected to each other via the temporary supporters  304   c  and mechanically supported by the temporary supporters  304   c . The wet etching process causes that the upper portion  308   b  of the bottom electrodes  308  project upwardly from the temporary supporters  304   c . The upper portion  308   b  of the bottom, electrodes  308  is higher in level than the temporary supporters  304   c.    
     (Permanent Supporter Formation Process) 
     Permanent supporters  309  may be formed to permanently support the bottom electrodes  308 . The permanent supporters  309  mechanically support the bottom electrodes  308  in later processes until, the manufacturing process for the semiconductor device is completed. The permanent supporters  309  will reside in the semiconductor device so that the permanent supporters  309  mechanically support the bottom electrodes  308  after the manufacturing process for the semiconductor device is completed. In some cases, the permanent supporters  309  may be made of, but is not limited to, a material that is different from the material of the temporary supporters  304   c.    
     The permanent supporters  309  may be formed over the temporary supporters  304   c  and the top surfaces  308   a  of the bottom electrodes  308  as well as on the outside face of the upper portion  308   b  of the bottom electrodes  308 . The permanent supporters  309  may cover the upper surface of the temporary supporters  304   c  and the top surfaces  308   a  of the bottom electrodes  308  as well as the outside face of the upper portion  308   b  of the bottom electrodes  308 . The permanent supporters  309  may be made of an insulating material. The permanent supporters  309  can be formed by, but not limited to, a plasma chemical vapor deposition. The permanent supporters  309  may each have varying width in the thickness direction. The permanent supporters  309  may each increase in width as its position or level becomes higher. 
     With reference to  FIG. 18 , an insulating film is deposited over the temporary supporters  304   c  and the top surfaces  308   a  of the bottom electrodes  308  as well as on the outside face of the upper portion  308   b  of the bottom electrodes  308 , thereby forming a plurality of separate stripe-shaped permanent supporters  309  over the sets of the temporary supporters  304   c  and the top surfaces  308   a  of the bottom electrodes  308  as shown in  FIG. 18 . The stripe-shaped permanent supporters  309  may each have a stripe shape in plan view. The stripe-shaped permanent supporters  309  may be disposed to be generally parallel to each other. The two adjacent stripe-shaped permanent supporters  309  may be separated from each other by a stripe-shaped opening. Each stripe-shaped opening extends between the two adjacent stripe-shaped permanent supporters  309 . Each stripe-shaped opening separates the two adjacent stripe-shaped temporary supporters  304   c . Each stripe-shaped opening separates the two adjacent stripe-shaped permanent supporters  309 . The stripe-shaped openings separating the two adjacent stripe-shaped temporary supporters  304   c  communicate with the stripe-shaped openings separating the two adjacent stripe-shaped permanent supporters  309 . The stripe-shaped openings separating the two adjacent stripe-shaped permanent supporters  309  are positioned directly over the stripe-shaped openings separating the two adjacent stripe-shaped temporary supporters  304   c.    
     The stripe-shaped permanent supporters  309  each have a lower face that is bonded to the top surface  308   a  of the bottom electrodes  308  as well as to the outside face of the upper portion,  308   b  of the bottom electrodes  308 , so that the bottom electrodes  308  are mechanically supported by a pair of the two adjacent stripe-shaped permanent supporters  309 . The bottom electrodes  308  are aligned in tire direction parallel to the extension direction of the stripe shaped permanent supporters  309 . The stripe-shaped permanent supporters  309  mechanically supporting the bottom electrodes  308  can prevent tire bottom electrodes  308  from being collapsed, thereby preventing formation of short circuit between the adjacent bottom electrodes  308 . 
     The extension direction in which the stripe-shaped permanent supporters  309  and the stripe-shaped openings extend may be optional as long as the extension direction is horizontal or parallel to the surface of the substrate. 
     The permanent supporters  309  may preferably be made of a different material, from the material of the temporary supporter  304   c . In some cases, the permanent supporters  309  may be made of, but is not limited to, silicon oxide or silicon nitride, while the temporary supporter  304   c  is made of amorphous carbon. The silicon oxide film or the silicon nitride film has a lower etching rate to an etchant than the etching rate of the amorphous carbon film. When the permanent supporters  309  are made of silicon oxide or silicon nitride and the temporary supporter  304   c  is made of amorphous carbon, it is possible that the temporary supporter  304   c  will be etched by the wet etching process, while the permanent supporters  309  will not etched by the wet etching process. 
     The permanent supporters  309  of silicon oxide can be formed in the same processes as described in the first embodiment. The permanent supporters  309  of silicon nitride can also be formed in the same processes as described in the first embodiment. 
     As modifications, the shape of the permanent supporters  309  may be optional as long as the permanent supporters  309  extend near a plurality of bottom electrodes  308  so as to allow the plurality of bottom electrodes  308  to be supported by the permanent supporters  309 . The permanent supporter  309  may be realized by a permanent support layer that has a plurality of island-shape openings, provided that the permanent supporter  309  covers the plurality of bottom electrodes  308 , so that the plurality of bottom electrodes  308  are supported by the permanent supporter  309 . The peripheral edges of the island-shape opening are positioned near the plurality of bottom electrodes  308  so as to allow the permanent supporter  309  to connect and support the plurality of bottom electrodes  308 . 
     (Temporary Supporter Removal Process) 
     The temporary supporters  304   c  are removed, while the permanent supporters  309  remain to mechanically support the bottom electrodes  308 . Removal of the temporary supporters  304   c  can be realized by, but not limited to, carrying out an etching process. 
     With reference to  FIG. 19 , the temporary supporters  304   c  can be removed a follows. A wet etching process may be carried out using an etchant. The temporary supporters  304   c  may be exposed to the etchant. The etchant is flown through the above-described stripe-shaped openings between the permanent supporters  309  to the temporary supporters  304   c , thereby etching and removing the temporary supporters  304   c . In some cases, the etchant may be, but is not limited to oxygen plasma or hydrogen-containing plasma such as ammonium. Removal of the temporary supporters  304   c  of amorphous carbon causes that the bottom electrodes  308  are eclectically isolated, as long as the permanent supporters  309  are made of an insulator such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride. 
     In some cases, the etchant may be oxygen plasma or hydrogen-containing plasma such as ammonium. The permanent supporters  309  are made of silicon oxide or silicon nitride, and the temporary supporters  304   c  are made of amorphous carbon. In this case, the etchant can etch the temporary supporters  304   c  of amorphous carbon at high etching rate, while the etchant will almost not etch the bottom electrodes  308  and the permanent supporters  309 . 
     Removal of the temporary supporters  304   c  results in that the permanent supporters  309  are disposed in parallel to each other and distanced from each other by the stripe-shaped openings. The permanent supporters  309  have faces that are bonded to the top surfaces  308   a  of the bottom electrodes  308  and to the outside face of the upper portion  308   b  of the bottom electrodes  308 . A plurality of the aligned bottom electrodes  308  is mechanically supported by the pair of two adjacent stripe-shaped permanent supporters  309 . The aligned bottom electrodes  308  are mechanically connected to each other by the pair of two adjacent stripe-shaped permanent supporters  309 . The aligned bottom electrodes  308  are electrically isolated from each other as long as the permanent supporters  309  are made of an insulator. 
     (Capacitor Formation Process) 
     Capacitors  313  are formed in the through holes  307 . A capacitive insulating film  310  is formed on the exposed surfaces of the bottom electrodes  308 . A top electrode  311  is formed on the capacitive insulating film  310 . The top electrode  311  is separated from the bottom electrodes  309  by the capacitive insulating film  310 . The capacitors  313  each include the bottom electrodes  308 , the capacitive insulating film  310 , and the top electrode  311 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 20 , a capacitive insulating film  310  is formed on the surfaces of the permanent supporters  309  and on the entirety of the exposed surfaces of the bottom electrodes  308  of bottom-closed cylinder shape. The capacitive insulating film  310  covers the surfaces of the permanent supporters  309  and the entirety of the exposed surfaces of the bottom electrodes  308  of bottom-closed cylinder shape. The top electrode  311  is formed on the capacitive insulating film  310 . The stack of the capacitive insulating film  310  and the top electrode  311  is formed on the surfaces of the permanent supporters  309  and on the entirety of the exposed surfaces of the bottom electrodes  308  of bottom-closed cylinder shape. The stack of the capacitive insulating film  310  and the top electrode  311  covers the surfaces of the permanent supporters  309  and the entirety of the exposed surfaces of the bottom electrodes  308  of bottom-closed cylinder shape. 
     The bottom electrodes  308  and the permanent supporters  310  are together covered by the stack of the capacitive insulating film  310  and the top electrode  311 , thereby ensuring that the bottom electrodes  308  are bonded to the permanent supporters  309 . 
     The stack of the capacitive insulating film  310  and the top electrode  311  extend both the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  308 . The inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  308  can be used to form the capacitor. Use of the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  308  is larger in capacitance by about two times than, use of the inside face only of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode as long as the capacitors have substantially the same dimensions. Use of the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  308  is effective to ensure increased capacitance without increasing the dimensions of the capacitor. 
     A common electrode  312  is formed over the top electrode  311 . 
     In some cases, the capacitive insulating film  310  may be realized by, but not limited to, a single-layered structure of insulator or multi-layered structure of insulator. Typical examples of the single-layered structure of insulator for the capacitive insulating film  310  may include, but are not limited to, an aluminum oxide film, a hafnium oxide film, a zirconium oxide film, and a tantalum oxide film. Typical examples of the multi-layered structure of insulator may include, but are not limited to, any stack of two or more films such as an aluminum oxide film, a hafnium oxide film, a zirconium oxide film, and a tantalum oxide film. The capacitive insulating film  310  may be formed by, but not limited to, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) method. The top electrode  311  may preferably be made of a conductive material having good coverage. The common electrode  312  may preferably be made of a different conductive material having a lower resistance than the conductive material of the top electrode  311 . In some cases, the top electrode  311  may be made of, but not limited to, titanium nitride, and the common electrode  312  may be made of, but not limited to, tungsten. The crown capacitors  313  are formed, which each include the bottom electrodes  308 , the capacitive insulating film  310 , and the top electrode  311 . The common electrode  312  is disposed over the capacitors  313 . 
     The crown capacitors  313  utilize the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  308 . Namely, the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  308  can be used to form the capacitor. Use of the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  308  is larger in capacitance by about two times than use of the inside face only of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode as long as the capacitors have substantially the same dimensions. Use of the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  308  is effective to ensure increased capacitance without increasing the dimensions of the capacitor. 
     The capacitor  313  may include the bottom electrode  308 , the capacitive insulating film  310 , and the top electrode  311 . The bottom electrodes  308  are formed in the through holes  307  in the inter-layer insulator  103 . The inter-layer insulator  103  extends over the first inter-layer insulator  101 . The first inter-layer insulator  101  has the capacitive contact plugs  100 . The bottom electrodes  308  contact the capacitive contact plugs  100 . The bottom electrode  308  has the bottom-closed cylinder-shape. The permanent supporters  309  are formed over the top surfaces  308   a  of the bottom electrodes  308  and adjacent to the outside face of the upper portion  308   b  of the bottom electrodes  308 . The permanent supporters  309  have faces that are bonded to the top surfaces  308   a  of the bottom electrodes  308  and to the outside face of the upper portion  308   b  of the bottom electrodes  308 . The stack of the capacitive insulating film  310  and the top electrode  311  extend both, the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  308 . 
     The materials for the inter-layer insulator  103  and the temporary supporter  304   c  are different from each other, so as to allow a wet etching process to be carried out using an etchant so that the wet etching rate of the inter-layer insulator  103  is much greater than the wet etching rate of the temporary supporter  304   c . Namely, the inter-layer insulator  103  is etched, while the temporary supporter  304   c  is almost not etched. In some cases, the inter-layer insulator  103  may be made of silicon oxide, and the temporary supporter  304   c  may be made of amorphous carbon, so that the inter-layer insulator  103  is etched, while the temporary supporter  304   c  is almost not etched. Almost no etching of the temporary supporter  304   c  will result in almost no reduction of the mechanical strength of the temporary supporter  304   c.    
     The permanent supporters  309  may be made of a material that is different from the material for the temporary support  304   c , so as to allow an ashing process to be carried out using oxygen, plasma or hydrogen plasma, so that the wet etching rate of the temporary support  304   c  is much greater than the wet etching rate of the permanent supporters  309 . Namely, the temporary support  304   c  is etched, while the permanent supporter  309  is almost not etched. In some cases, the permanent supporter  309  may be made of silicon nitride, and the temporary support  304   c  may be made of polysilicon, so that the temporary support  304   c  is etched, while the permanent supporter  309  is almost not etched. Almost no etching of the permanent supporter  309  will result in almost no reduction of the mechanical strength of the permanent supporter  309 . 
     As described above, the resist mask as used to form the through-holes  307  and the openings  305  may be removed by oxygen-ashing, while the passivation silicon oxide film  305  protects the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon because the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon is not etched by the oxygen-ashing unless the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon is exposed to the oxygen-ashing. The passivation silicon oxide film  305  protecting the insulating film  304  of amorphous carbon will prevent any reduction in mechanical strength of the temporary supporter  304   c.    
     The permanent supporters  309  have faces that are bonded not only to the top surfaces  308   a  of the bottom electrodes  308  but also to the outside face of the upper portion  308   b  of the bottom electrodes  308 . Namely, the permanent supporters  309  are bonded with an increased bonding area to the bottom electrodes  308 , thereby increasing the bonding strength between the permanent supporters  309  and the bottom electrodes  308 . The increased bonding area between the permanent supporters  309  and the bottom electrodes  308  can ensure preventing the bottom electrodes  308  from being released from the permanent supporters  309 . 
     The permanent supporters  309  are formed which cover the top surfaces  308   a  of the bottom electrodes  308  and the temporary supporters  304   c , while the temporary supporters  304   c  mechanically support the bottom electrodes  308 . The temporary supporters  304   c  mechanically supporting the bottom electrodes  308  allows the permanent supporters  309  to have an increased thickness, thereby increasing the mechanical strength of the permanent supporters  309 . 
     The permanent supporters  309  cover the top surfaces  308   a  of the bottom electrodes  308 . The permanent supporters  309  do not cover the inside and outside surfaces of the bottom electrodes  308 , so as to allow the stack of the capacitive insulating film  310  and the top electrode  311  to extend along the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom electrodes  308 . The inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  308  can be used to form the capacitor. Use of the inside, and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  308  is larger in capacitance by about two times than use of the inside face only of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode as long as the capacitors have substantially the same dimensions. Use of the inside and outside faces of the side wall portion of the bottom-closed cylinder-shaped bottom electrode  308  is effective to ensure increased capacitance without increasing the dimensions of the capacitor. 
     The permanent supporters  309  are formed, which each cover a pair of the temporary supporter  304   c  and the top surface  308   a  of the bottom electrode  308 . The permanent supporters  309  have bottom faces that are securely bonded to the top surfaces  308   a  of the bottom electrodes  308 . The permanent supporters  309  are unlikely to be removed from the bottom electrodes  308 . The stripe-shaped permanent supporters  309  mechanically supporting the bottom electrodes  308  can prevent the bottom electrodes  308  from being collapsed, thereby preventing formation of short circuit between the adjacent bottom electrodes  308 . The stripe-shaped permanent supporters  309  can also prevent paired-bits or grouped bits from defect. The bottom electrodes  308  and the permanent supporters  309  are together covered by the stack of the capacitive insulating film  310  and the top electrode  311 , thereby further ensuring that the bottom electrodes  308  are bonded to the permanent supporters  309 . The stack of the capacitive insulating film  310  and the top electrode  311  in combination with the permanent supporters  309  can ensure preventing the bottom electrodes  308  from being collapsed, thereby preventing formation of short circuit between the adjacent bottom electrodes  308 . The stack of the capacitive insulating film  310  and the top electrode  311  in combination with the permanent supporters  309  can ensure preventing paired-bits or grouped bits from defect. 
     As used herein, the following directional terms “forward, rearward, above, downward, vertical, horizontal, below, and transverse” as well as any other similar directional terms refer to those directions of an apparatus equipped with the present invention. Accordingly, these terms, as utilized to describe the present invention should be interpreted relative to an apparatus equipped with the present invention. 
     The terms of degree such as “substantially,” “about,” and “approximately” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed. For example, these terms can be construed as including a deviation of at least ±5 percents of the modified term if this deviation would not negate the meaning of the word it modifies. 
     It is apparent that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but may be modified and changed without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.