Patent Abstract:
A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes a substrate, a nonvolatile memory device formed in a memory cell region of the substrate, and a semiconductor device formed in a device region of the substrate. The nonvolatile memory device has a multilayer gate electrode structure including a tunnel insulating film and a floating gate electrode formed thereon. The floating gate electrode has sidewall surfaces covered with a protection insulating film. The semiconductor device has a gate insulating film and a gate electrode formed thereon. A bird&#39;s beak structure is formed of a thermal oxide film at an interface of the tunnel insulating film and the floating gate electrode, the bird&#39;s beak structure penetrating into the floating gate electrode along the interface from the sidewall faces of the floating gate electrode, and the gate insulating film is interposed between the substrate and the gate electrode to have a substantially uniform thickness.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is based on Japanese priority application No. 2001-205188 filed on Jul. 5, 2001, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to semiconductor integrated circuit devices and methods of producing the same, and more particularly to a semiconductor integrated circuit device including a nonvolatile semiconductor storage device and using a plurality of supply voltages, and a method of producing such a semiconductor integrated circuit device. 
     A flash memory device is a nonvolatile semiconductor storage device that stores information in the form of electric charges in floating gate electrodes. The flash memory device, which has a simple device configuration, is suitable for forming a large-scale integrated circuit device. 
     In the flash memory device, information is written or erased by injecting hot carriers into and extracting hot carriers by the Fowler-Nordheim-type tunnel effect from the floating gate electrodes through a tunnel insulating film. Since a high voltage is required to generate such hot carriers, the flash memory device has a voltage rise control circuit that raises a supply voltage provided in its peripheral circuits cooperating with memory cells. Therefore, transistors used in such peripheral circuits have to operate at a high voltage. 
     On the other hand, it has been practiced of late to form such a flash memory device and a high-speed logic circuit on a common semiconductor substrate as a semiconductor integrated circuit device. In such a high-speed logic circuit, a transistor employed therein is required to operate at a low voltage. Therefore, such a semiconductor integrated circuit device is required to use a plurality of supply voltages. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
       FIGS. 1A through 1Q  are diagrams showing a production process of the conventional semiconductor integrated circuit device including such a flash memory and using a plurality of supply voltages. 
     In  FIG. 1A , a flash memory cell region A, a low-voltage operation transistor region B, and a high-voltage operation transistor region C are formed in partitions on a silicon (Si) substrate  11  on which a field oxide film or an isolation structure (not shown in the drawing) such as a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure is formed. In the step of  FIG. 1A , a tunnel oxide film  12 A of a thickness of 8 to 10 nm is formed on the above-described regions A through C by performing thermal oxidation on the surface of the Si substrate  11  at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1100° C. In the step of  FIG. 1B , an amorphous silicon film  13  doped with phosphorous (P) and having a thickness of 80 to 120 nm and an insulating film  14  having a so-called oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) structure are successively deposited on the tunnel oxide film  12 A. The ONO insulating film  14  is formed of a silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) film  14   c  of a thickness of 5 to 10 nm deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on the amorphous silicon film  13 , a silicon nitride (SiN) film  14   b  of a thickness of 5 to 10 nm deposited by CVD on the SiO 2  film  14   c,  and a thermal oxide film  14   a  of a thickness of 3 to 10 nm formed on the surface of the SiN film  14   b.  The ONO insulating film  14  has a good leakage-current characteristic. 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 1C , a resist pattern  15 A is formed on the flash memory cell region A, and the ONO insulating film  14 , the amorphous silicon film  13 , and the tunnel oxide film  12 A are removed from the low-voltage operation transistor region B and the high-voltage operation transistor region C on the Si substrate  11  by using the resist pattern  15 A as a mask so that the surface of the Si substrate  11  is exposed in the regions B and C. In removing the tunnel oxide film  12 A, wet etching using hydrofluoric acid (HF) is performed so that the surface of the Si substrate  11  is exposed to the HF in the regions B and C. 
     In the step of  FIG. 1D , the resist pattern  15 A is removed, and a thermal oxide film  12 C of a thickness of 10 to 50 nm is formed in the regions B and C to cover the Si substrate  11  by performing thermal oxidation at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1100° C. The thermal oxide film  12 C may be replaced by a thermal nitride oxide film. 
     In the step of  FIG. 1E , another resist pattern  15 B is formed in the flash memory cell region A to cover the ONO insulating film  14  and in the high-voltage operation transistor region C to cover the thermal oxide film  12 C, and the thermal oxide film  12 C is removed from the low-voltage operation transistor region B by HF processing by using the resist pattern  15 B as a mask so that the surface of the Si substrate  11  is exposed in the region B. By the step of  FIG. 1E , the surface of the Si substrate  11  is subjected to the second HF processing in the region B. 
     In the step of  FIG. 1F , the resist pattern  15 B is removed, and a thermal oxide film  12 B of a thickness of 3 to 10 nm is formed on the exposed Si substrate  11  in the region B by performing thermal oxidation at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1100° C. The thermal oxide film  12 B may be replaced by a thermal nitride oxide film. Further, in the step of  FIG. 1F , as a result of the thermal oxidation for forming the thermal oxide film  12 B, the thickness of the thermal oxide film  12 C formed in the high-voltage operation transistor region C increases. 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 1G , an amorphous silicon film  16  doped with P and having a thickness of 100 to 250 nm is deposited on the structure of  FIG. 1F  by plasma CVD. The amorphous silicon film  16  may be replaced by a polysilicon film. Further, the amorphous silicon film  16  may be doped with P in a later step. In the step of  FIG. 1H , a resist pattern  17 A is formed on the amorphous silicon film  16 , and by using the resist pattern  17 A as a mask, patterning is performed successively on the amorphous silicon film  16 , the ONO insulating film  14 , and the amorphous silicon film  13  in the flash memory cell region A so that a multilayer gate electrode structure  16 F of the flash memory which structure is formed of an amorphous silicon pattern  13 A, an ONO pattern  14 A, and an amorphous silicon pattern  16 A and includes the amorphous silicon pattern  13 A as a floating gate electrode is formed in the region A. In the step of  FIG. 1G , it is possible to form a silicide film of, for instance, tungsten silicide (WSi) or cobalt silicide (CoSi) on the amorphous silicon film  16  as required. Further, it is also possible to form a non-doped polysilicon film and then form an n-type gate electrode of P or arsenic (As) or a p-type gate electrode of boron (B) or difluoroboron (BF 2 ) in a later step of ion implantation. 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 1I , the resist pattern  17 A is removed, and a new resist pattern  17 B is formed to cover the flash memory cell region A. By using the resist pattern  17 B as a mask, patterning is performed on the amorphous silicon film  16  in the low-voltage operation transistor region B and the high-voltage operation transistor region C so that a gate electrode  16 B of a low-voltage operation transistor and a gate electrode  16 C of a high-voltage operation transistor are formed in the regions B and C, respectively. 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 1J , the resist pattern  17 B is removed, and a protection oxide film (also referred to as a protection insulating film or a thermal oxide film)  18  is formed, by performing thermal oxidation at temperatures ranging from 800 to 900° C., to cover each of the multilayer gate electrode structure  16 F in the flash memory cell region A, the gate electrode  16 B in the low-voltage operation transistor region B, and the gate electrode  16 C in the high-voltage operation transistor region C. 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 1K , a resist pattern  19 A is formed on the structure of  FIG. 1J  so as to cover the low-voltage operation transistor region B, the high-voltage operation transistor region C, and a part of the flash memory cell region A. By using the resist pattern  19 A and the multilayer gate electrode structure  16 F as masks, ion implantation of P +  is performed typically with a dose of 1×10 14  to 3×10 14  cm −2  at accelerating voltages ranging from 30 to 80 keV so that an n-type diffusion region  11   a  is formed next to the multilayer gate electrode structure  16 F in the Si substrate  11 . P +  may be replaced by As + . 
     In the step of  FIG. 1K , by using the resist pattern  19 A as a mask, ion implantation of As +  is performed typically with a dose of 1×10 15  to 6×10 15  cm −2  at accelerating voltages ranging from 30 to 50 keV so that another n-type diffusion region  11   b  is formed inside the n-type diffusion region  11   a.  In the step of  FIG. 1K , no ion implantation is performed in the low-voltage operation transistor region B and the high-voltage operation transistor region C since the regions B and C are covered with the resist pattern  19 A. 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 1L , the resist pattern  19 A is removed, and a new resist pattern  19 B is formed to cover the regions B and C and leave the region A exposed. Further, in the step of  FIG. 1L , by using the resist pattern  19 B as a mask, ion implantation of As +  is performed with a dose of 5×10 14  to 5×10 15  cm −2  at accelerating voltages ranging from 30 to 50 keV. As +  may be replaced by P + . As a result, an impurity concentration is increased in the n-type diffusion region  11   b  and at the same time, a yet another n-type diffusion region  11   c  is formed in the flash memory cell region A by using the multilayer gate electrode structure  16 F as a self-alignment mask. At this point, the step of  FIG. 1K  may be deleted. 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 1M , the resist pattern  19 B is removed, and a resist pattern  19 C is formed on the Si substrate  11  so as to leave only the low-voltage operation transistor region B exposed. Further, in the step of  FIG. 1M , ion implantation of a p-type or n-type impurity is performed by using the resist pattern  19 C as a mask so that a pair of lightly doped drain (LDD) diffusion regions  11   d  are formed on both sides of the gate electrode  16 B in the Si substrate  11  in the region B with the gate electrode  16 B serving as a self-alignment mask. 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 1N , the resist pattern  19 C is removed, and a resist pattern  19 D is formed on the Si substrate  11  so as to leave only the high-voltage operation transistor region C exposed. Further, in the step of  FIG. 1N , ion implantation of a p-type or n-type impurity element is performed by using the resist pattern  19 D as a mask so that a pair of LDD diffusion regions  11   e  are formed on both sides of the gate electrode  16 C in the Si substrate  11  in the region C. The diffusion regions  11   d  and  11   e  may be formed in the same step. 
     Further, in the step of  FIG. 10 , sidewall insulating films  16   s  are formed on both sides of each of the multilayer gate electrode structure  16 F, the gate electrode  16 B, and the gate electrode  16 C by depositing and performing etchback on a CVD oxide film. In the step of  FIG. 1P , a resist pattern  19 E is formed to cover the flash memory cell region A and leave the low-voltage operation transistor region B and the high-voltage operation transistor region C exposed. Further, by performing ion implantation of a p-type or n-type impurity element with the resist pattern  19 E and the gate electrodes B and C serving as a mask, p-type or n-type diffusion regions  11   f  are formed on both sides of the gate electrode  16 B in the Si substrate  11  in the region B, and similarly, p-type or n-type diffusion regions  11   g  are formed on both sides of the gate electrode  16 C in the Si substrate  11  in the region C. A low-resistance silicide film of, for instance, WSi or CoSi may be formed as required on the surface of each of the diffusion regions  11   f  and  11   g  by silicide processing. 
     In the step of  FIG. 1Q , an interlayer insulating film  20  is formed on the Si substrate  11  so as to continuously cover the regions A through C. Further, in the region A, contact holes are formed in the interlayer insulating film  20  so that the diffusion regions  11   b  and  11   c  are exposed, and W plugs  20 A are formed in the contact holes. Likewise, in the region B, contact holes are formed in the interlayer insulating film  20  so that the diffusion regions  11   f  are exposed, and W plugs  20 B are formed in the contact holes. In the region C, contact holes are formed in the interlayer insulating film  20  so that the diffusion regions  11   g  are exposed, and W plugs  20 C are formed in the contact holes. 
     In the production process of the semiconductor integrated circuit device including the flash memory device having the multilayer gate electrode structure  16 F, in the step of  FIG. 1J , the protection oxide film  18  of a thickness of 5 to 10 nm is formed on the sidewall faces of the multilayer gate electrode structure  16 F by thermal oxidation performed at temperatures ranging from 800 to 900° C. As a result of the thermal oxidation, the protection oxide film  18  is formed not only on the multilayer gate electrode structure  16 F but also on the sidewall faces of each of the gate electrode  16 B formed in the low-voltage operation transistor region B and the gate electrode  16 C formed in the high-voltage operation transistor region C as shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . 
     At this point, the protection oxide film  18  forms bird&#39;s beaks that penetrate under the gate electrode  16 B in the region B as shown circled by broken lines in  FIG. 2B . Therefore, especially in a low-voltage operation transistor whose gate length is short, that is, whose gate oxide film  12 B is thin, a substantial change in the thickness of the gate oxide film  12 B is effected right under the gate electrode  16 B, thus causing a problem that a threshold characteristic shifts from a desired value. 
     Indeed, such a problem is prevented from occurring if the protection oxide film  18  is not formed. However, without formation of the protection oxide film  18 , electrons retained in the amorphous silicon pattern  13 A (hereinafter, also referred to as a floating gate electrode pattern  13 A) are dissipated to the sidewall insulating films  16   s  formed by CVD and etchback in the step of  FIG. 10  as shown in  FIG. 3B  so that information stored in the flash memory device is lost in a short period of time. On the other hand, with the protection oxide film  18  that is a high-quality thermal oxide film hardly allowing a leakage current being formed on the sidewalls of the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A, the electrons injected into the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A are stably retained therein as shown in  FIG. 3A . 
     Therefore, it is essential to form the protection oxide film  18  in the semiconductor integrated circuit device including the flash memory device. However, formation of such a protection oxide film inevitably causes the problem of a change in the threshold characteristic of a MOS transistor forming a peripheral or logic circuit. Such a problem of a change in the threshold characteristic of the MOS transistor is noticeable when the MOS transistor is a high-speed transistor having a short gate length. 
       FIG. 4  is a plan view of a configuration of a flash memory cell (flash memory device) having a single-layer gate electrode structure by related art. In  FIG. 4 , the same element as those of the previous drawings are referred to by the same numerals, and a description thereof will be omitted. 
     According to  FIG. 4 , a device region  11 A is formed on the Si substrate  11  by a field oxide film  11 F. One end of the above-described floating gate electrode pattern  13 A is formed on the Si substrate  11  to cross the device region  11 A. In the device region  11 A, by using the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A as a self-alignment mask, the n − -type source region  11   a  and the n + -type source line region  11   b  are formed on one side, and the n + -type drain region  11   c  is formed on the other side. 
     On the Si substrate  11 , another device region  11 B is formed next to the device region  11 A. An n + -type diffusion region  11 C is formed in the device region  11 B. The other end of the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A is formed as a coupling part  13 Ac covering the diffusion region  11 C. 
       FIG. 5A  is a sectional view of the flash memory cell of  FIG. 4  taken along the line X-X′. 
     According to  FIG. 5A , the tunnel oxide film  12 A is formed between the source line region  11   b  and the drain region  11   c  on the Si substrate  11 , and the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A is formed on the tunnel oxide film  12 A. Further, the n − -type source region  11   a  is formed outside the n + -type source line region  11   b  in the Si substrate  11 . The sidewall insulating films  16   s  are formed on the sidewalls of the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A. 
       FIG. 5B  is a sectional view of the flash memory cell of  FIG. 4  taken along the line Y-Y′. 
     According to  FIG. 5B , the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A continuously extends from the device region  11 A to the adjacent device region  11 B on the field oxide film  11 F formed on the Si substrate  11 . The coupling part  13 Ac of the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A is capacitive-coupled via an oxide film  12 Ac to the high-density diffusion region  11 C. 
     At the time of a write (program) operation, by providing the source line region  11   b,  applying a drain voltage of +5 V to the drain region  11   c,  and applying a write voltage of +10 V to the high-density diffusion region  11 C as shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , the potential of the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A rises so that hot electrons are injected into the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A via the tunnel oxide film  12 A in the device region  11 A. 
     On the other hand, at the time of an erase operation, an erase voltage of +15 V is applied to the source line region  11   b  with the drain region  11   c  and the high-density diffusion region  11 C being grounded as shown in  FIGS. 6C and 6D . As a result, the electrons in the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A tunnel through the tunnel oxide film  12 A to the source region  11   a  to be absorbed into a source power supply through the source line region  11   b.    
     Thus, in the flash memory cell of  FIG. 4 , the high-density diffusion region  11 C serves as a control gate electrode, and unlike the conventional flash memory cell of a multilayer gate structure, it is unnecessary to form the above-described ONO insulating film  14  between the polysilicon floating gate electrode and the polysilicon control gate electrode. In the flash memory cell of  FIGS. 5A and 5B , the oxide film  12 Ac serves as the ONO insulating film  14 . Since the oxide film  12 Ac is formed on the Si substrate  11  by thermal oxidation, the oxide film  12 Ac has high quality. 
       FIGS. 7A through 7M  are diagrams showing a production process of a semiconductor integrated circuit device including the flash memory cell of  FIG. 4  in addition to the low-voltage operation transistor B and the high-voltage operation transistor C. In the drawings, the same elements as those previously described are referred to by the same numerals, and a description thereof will be omitted. 
     According to  FIG. 7A , the thermal oxide film  12 C of a thickness of 5 to 50 nm is formed on the Si substrate  11  by performing thermal oxidation at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1100° C. in each of the flash memory cell region A, the low-voltage operation transistor region B, and the high-voltage operation transistor region C. In the step of  FIG. 15B , the thermal oxide film  12 C is removed from the flash memory cell region A by a patterning process using a resist pattern  15   1 . 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 7C , the resist pattern  15   1  is removed, and the tunnel oxide film  12 A of a thickness of 5 to 15 nm is formed on the surface of the Si substrate  11  in the region A by performing thermal oxidation at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1100° C. In the step of  FIG. 7C , as a result of the thermal oxidation for forming the tunnel oxide film  12 A, the thermal oxide film  12 C is developed in each of the regions B and C. 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 7D , the thermal oxide film  12 C is removed from the low-voltage operation transistor region B by a patterning process using a resist pattern  15   2 . Then, in the step of  FIG. 7E , after the resist pattern  15   2  is removed, the thermal oxide film  12 B of a thickness of 3 to 10 nm is formed on the exposed Si substrate  11  in the region B by performing thermal oxidation at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1100° C. In the step of  FIG. 7E , as a result of the thermal oxidation for forming the thermal oxide film  12 B, the tunnel oxide film  12 A is developed in the region A and the thermal oxide film  12 C is developed in the region C. 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 7F , the amorphous silicon film  13  uniformly doped with P and having a thickness of 150 to 200 nm is formed on the Si substrate  11 . In the step of  FIG. 7G , patterning is performed on the amorphous silicon film  13  with a resist pattern  17   1  serving as a mask, so that the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A is formed in the flash memory cell region A, a gate electrode pattern  13 B is formed in the low-voltage operation transistor region B, and a gate electrode pattern  13 C is formed in the high-voltage operation transistor region C. 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 7H , the surfaces of the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A and the gate electrode patterns  13 B and  13 C are covered with the protection oxide film  18  of a thickness of 5 to 10 nm by thermal oxidation at temperatures ranging from 800 to 900° C. Then, in the step of  FIG. 7I , with a resist pattern  17   2  serving as a mask, the source region  11   a  is formed by performing ion implantation of P +  or As +  with a dose of 1×10 14  to 5×10 14  cm −2  at accelerating voltages ranging from 30 to 80 keV. 
     Further, in the step of  FIG. 7J , with the regions B and C being covered with a resist pattern  17   3 , ion implantation of As +  is performed with a dose of 5×10 14  to 3×10 15  cm −2  at accelerating voltages ranging from 30 to 50 keV in the region A by using the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A as a self-alignment mask. Thereby, the n + -type source line region  11   b  is formed inside the source region  11   a  and the n + -type drain region  11   c  is formed on the opposite side of a channel region from the source region  11   a.    
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 7K , a resist pattern  17   3  covering the flash memory cell region A is formed, and the LDD regions  11   d  and  11   e  are formed in the regions B and C, respectively, by ion implantation of a p-type or n-type impurity element. 
     Further, in the step of  FIG. 7L , the sidewall oxide films  16   s  are formed on both sidewalls of each of the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A and the gate electrode patterns  13 B and  13 C. In the step of  FIG. 7M , with the flash memory region A being covered with a resist pattern  17   4 , the diffusion regions  11   f  and  11   g  are formed in the regions B and C, respectively, by ion implantation of a p-type or n-type impurity element. 
     Also in the production of the semiconductor integrated circuit device including the flash memory device of such a single-layer gate structure, when the thermal oxide film  18  is formed as a protection insulating film to cover the single-layer gate electrode structure (the floating gate electrode pattern)  13 A in the flash memory cell region A as shown in detail in  FIG. 8A  in the step of  FIG. 7H , the same thermal oxide film  18  is also formed in the low-voltage transistor region B so as to cover the gate electrode  13 B as shown in  FIG. 8B . As a result, bird&#39;s beaks that penetrate right under the gate electrode  13 B are formed as shown circled in  FIG. 8B . Therefore, the low-voltage operation transistor formed in the region B is prevented from having a desired threshold characteristic. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a general object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor integrated circuit device and a method of producing the same in which the above-described disadvantage is eliminated. 
     A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor integrated circuit device in which formation of bird&#39;s beak right under the gate electrode of a semiconductor device formed together with a flash memory device on a substrate is effectively prevented. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method of producing such a semiconductor integrated circuit device. 
     The above objects of the present invention are achieved by a semiconductor integrated circuit device including a substrate, a nonvolatile memory device formed in a memory cell region of the substrate and having a multilayer gate electrode structure including a tunnel insulating film covering the substrate and a floating gate electrode formed on the tunnel insulating film and having sidewall surfaces covered with a protection insulating film formed of a thermal oxide film, and a semiconductor device formed in a device region of the substrate, the semiconductor device including a gate insulating film covering the substrate and a gate electrode formed on the gate insulating film, wherein a bird&#39;s beak structure is formed of a thermal oxide film at an interface of the tunnel insulating film and the floating gate electrode, the bird&#39;s beak structure penetrating into the floating gate electrode along the interface from the sidewall faces of the floating gate electrode, and the gate insulating film is interposed between the substrate and the gate electrode to have a substantially uniform thickness. 
     The above objects of the present invention are also achieved by a semiconductor integrated circuit device including: a substrate; a nonvolatile memory device formed in a memory cell region of the substrate, the nonvolatile memory device including a first active region covered with a tunnel insulating film, a second active region formed next to the first active region and covered with an insulating film, a control gate formed of an embedded diffusion region formed in the second active region, a first gate electrode extending on the tunnel insulating film in the first active region and forming a bridge between the first and second active regions to be capacitive-coupled via the insulating film to the embedded diffusion region in the second active region, the first gate electrode having sidewall faces thereof covered with a protection insulating film formed of a thermal oxide film, and a diffusion region formed on each of sides of the first gate electrode in the first active region; and a semiconductor device formed in a device region of the substrate, the semiconductor device including a gate insulating film covering the substrate and a second gate electrode formed on the gate insulating film, wherein a bird&#39;s beak structure is formed of a thermal oxide film at an interface of the tunnel insulating film and the first gate electrode, the bird&#39;s beak structure penetrating into the first gate electrode along the interface from the sidewall faces of the first gate electrode, and the gate insulating film is interposed between the substrate and the second gate electrode to have a substantially uniform thickness. 
     According to the above-described semiconductor integrated circuit devices, no bird&#39;s beak structure is formed to penetrate into the second gate electrode. Therefore, the problem of a change in the threshold characteristic of the semiconductor device can be avoided. 
     The above objects of the present invention are also achieved by a method of producing a semiconductor integrated circuit device, including the steps of (a) forming a semiconductor structure including a tunnel insulating film covering a memory cell region of a substrate, a first silicon film covering the tunnel insulating film, an insulating film covering the first silicon film, and a gate insulating film covering a logic device region of the substrate, (b) depositing a second silicon film on the semiconductor structure formed in the step (a) so that the second silicon film covers the insulating film in the memory cell region and the gate insulating film in the logic device region, (c) forming a multilayer gate electrode structure in the memory cell region by successively patterning the second silicon film to serve as a control gate electrode, the insulating film, and the first silicon film in the memory cell region with the second silicon film being left in the logic device region, (d) forming a protection oxide film so that the protection oxide film covers the multilayer gate electrode structure in the memory cell region and the second silicon film in the logic device region, (e) forming diffusion regions in both sides of the multilayer gate electrode structure in the memory cell region by performing ion implantation of an impurity element into the substrate with the multilayer gate electrode structure and the second silicon film being employed as masks, (f) forming a gate electrode in the logic device region by patterning the second silicon film, and (g) forming diffusion regions in the logic device region by performing ion implantation with the gate electrode being employed as a mask, whereby a nonvolatile memory device is formed in the memory cell region and a semiconductor device is formed in the logic device region. 
     The above objects of the present invention are further achieved by a method of producing a semiconductor integrated circuit device, including the steps of (a) forming a semiconductor structure including a tunnel insulating film covering a memory cell region of a substrate and a gate insulating film covering a logic device region of the substrate, (b) depositing a silicon film on the semiconductor structure formed in the step (a) so that the silicon film covers the tunnel insulating film in the memory cell region and the gate insulating film in the logic device region, (c) forming a first gate electrode in the memory cell region by selectively patterning the silicon film with the silicon film being left in the logic device region, (d) forming a protection oxide film so that the protection oxide film covers the first gate electrode in the memory cell region and the silicon film in the logic device region, (e) forming diffusion regions on both sides of the first gate electrode in the memory cell region by performing ion implantation of an impurity element into the substrate with the first gate electrode and the silicon film being employed as masks, (f) forming a second gate electrode in the logic device region by patterning the silicon film, and (g) forming diffusion regions in the logic device region by performing ion implantation with the second gate electrode being employed as a mask, whereby a nonvolatile memory device is formed in the memory cell region and a semiconductor device is formed in the logic device region. 
     According to the above-described methods, the protection oxide film is formed to cover the multilayer gate electrode structure or the gate electrode in the memory cell region before the gate electrode is patterned in the logic device region. The protection oxide film prevents the bird&#39; beak structure from being formed as a penetration into the gate electrode in the logic device region. Therefore, the problem of a change in the threshold characteristic of the semiconductor device in the device region can be avoided. Further, when the diffusion regions are formed in the memory cell region by ion implantation, the device region is covered with the silicon film. By using the silicon film as a mask, a resist process may be omitted, thus simplifying the production process of the semiconductor integrated circuit device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIGS. 1A through 1Q  are diagrams showing a production process of a conventional semiconductor integrated circuit device including a flash memory device of a multilayer gate structure; 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  are diagrams for illustrating a disadvantage of the conventional semiconductor integrated circuit device including the flash memory device of the multilayer gate structure; 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are diagrams for illustrating a role of a protection oxide film employed in the flash memory device of the multilayer gate structure employed in the conventional semiconductor integrated circuit device; 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view of a flash memory cell of a single-layer gate structure according to related art; 
         FIGS. 5A and 5B  are sectional views of the flash memory cell of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIGS. 6A through 6D  are diagrams for illustrating write and erase operations of the flash memory cell of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIGS. 7A through 7M  are diagrams showing a production process of a semiconductor integrated circuit device including the flash memory cell of  FIG. 4   
         FIGS. 8A and 8B  are diagrams for illustrating a disadvantage of the semiconductor integrated circuit device including the flash memory cell of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIGS. 9A through 9I  are diagrams showing a production process of a semiconductor integrated circuit device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 10A and 10B  are diagrams for illustrating an effect of the first embodiment; 
         FIGS. 11A and 11B  are diagrams for illustrating another effect of the first embodiment; 
         FIGS. 12A through 12I  are diagrams showing a production process of a semiconductor integrated circuit device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIGS. 13A and 13B  are diagrams for illustrating effects of the second embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A description will now be given, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of embodiments of the present invention. 
     First Embodiment 
       FIGS. 9A through 9I  are diagrams showing a production process of a semiconductor integrated circuit device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, the same elements as those previously described are referred to by the same numerals, and a description thereof will be omitted. 
     In this embodiment, the steps of  FIGS. 1A through 1G  are first performed, so that a structure corresponding to  FIG. 1G  is obtained in the step of  FIG. 9A . At this point, a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate may replace the Si substrate  11 . Further, a tunnel nitride film may replace the tunnel oxide film  12 A. 
     Further, in the step of  FIG. 9B , the multilayer gate electrode structure  16 F is formed in the flash memory cell region A by performing patterning using the resist pattern  17 A described in the step of  FIG. 1H . In the step of  FIG. 9B , no patterning is performed on the low-voltage operation transistor region B and the high-voltage operation transistor region C that are covered with the resist pattern  17 A. 
     In this embodiment, next, in the step of  FIG. 9C , the resist pattern  17 A is removed, and the protection insulating film  18  is formed of a thermal oxide film to cover the multilayer gate electrode structure  16 F by performing thermal oxidation at temperatures ranging from 800 to 900° C. The same thermal oxide film  18  is also formed on the surface of the amorphous silicon film  16  in each of the regions B and C. 
     Further, in the step of  FIG. 9C , with the multilayer gate electrode structure  16 F serving as a self-alignment mask, the diffusion region  11   c  is formed in the flash memory cell region A by performing ion implantation of As +  (or P + ) under the same conditions as in the above-described step of  FIG. 1L . The impurity concentration may be the same on the side of the diffusion regions  11   a  and  11   b  and the side of the diffusion region  11   c.  At this point, no ion is injected into the Si substrate  11  in the regions B and C that are covered with the amorphous silicon film  16 . A resist pattern that has an opening on the flash memory cell region A may be employed. 
     In the step of  FIG. 9D , by using the resist pattern  17 B previously described in the step of  FIG. 1I  as a mask, patterning is performed on the amorphous silicon film  16  in the regions B and C so that the gate electrodes  16 B and  16 C are formed in the low-voltage operation transistor region B and the high-voltage operation transistor region C, respectively. 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 9E , with the resist pattern  19 C previously described in the step of  FIG. 1M  being employed as a mask, the LDD diffusion regions  11   d  are formed in the Si substrate  11  in the region B by performing ion implantation of an n-type or p-type impurity element therein. 
     In the step of  FIG. 9F , with the resist pattern  19 D previously described in the step of  FIG. 1N  being employed as a mask, the LDD diffusion regions  11   e  are formed in the Si substrate  11  in the region C by performing ion implantation of an n-type or p-type impurity element therein. In the steps of  FIGS. 9E and 9F , the diffusion regions  11   d  and  11   e  may be formed under the same ion implantation conditions in the same step. 
     In the step of  FIG. 9G , which corresponds to the above-described step of  FIG. 10 , the sidewall insulating films  16   s  are formed on each of the multilayer gate electrode structure  16 F and the gate electrodes  16 B and  16 C. In the step of  FIG. 9H , which corresponds to the above-described step of  FIG. 1P , the flash memory cell region A is covered with the resist pattern  19 E. Further, with the gate electrodes  16 B and  16 C and the sidewall insulating films  16   s  being used as self-alignment masks, the diffusion regions  11   f  and  11   g  are formed in the Si substrate  11  in the regions B and C, respectively, by performing ion implantation of an n-type or p-type impurity element therein. 
     Further, by performing the same step as previously described in  FIG. 1Q , a semiconductor integrated circuit device of the structure of  FIG. 9I  corresponding to  FIG. 1Q  can be obtained. 
     In this embodiment, when the protection insulating film  18  is formed by thermal oxidation in the step of  FIG. 9C , no patterning has been performed on the amorphous silicon film  16  in the regions B and C. As a result, in the regions B and C, the thermal oxide film  18  is formed on the surface of the amorphous silicon film  16 , but is prevented from being formed at an interface between the amorphous silicon film  16  and the gate oxide film  12 B. Further, no such thermal oxidation is performed in any step after the patterning step of the gate electrodes  16 B and  16 C of  FIG. 9D . Therefore, although the protection insulating film  18  is formed to cover the multilayer gate electrode structure  16 F as shown in  FIG. 10A , no thermal oxide film other than the gate oxide film  12 B is developed on the bottom of the gate electrode  16 B. Therefore, the problem of a change in the threshold characteristic of the low-voltage operation transistor can be avoided. 
     As shown circled in  FIG. 10A , in the step of  FIG. 9C , bird&#39;s beaks are formed under the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A with the formation of the protection insulating film  18 . On the other hand, with respect to the MOS transistors of the regions B and C, bird&#39;s beaks, if ever formed, are far smaller in thickness and penetration distance than those formed under the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A. 
     Further in this embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 11A and 11B , in the ion implantation step of  FIG. 9C , no resist pattern is required to be provided in the low-voltage operation transistor region B and the high-voltage operation transistor region C since the regions B and C are covered with the amorphous silicon film  16 . Consequently, this simplifies the production process of the semiconductor integrated circuit device. 
     Second Embodiment 
       FIGS. 12A through 12I  are diagrams showing a production method of a semiconductor integrated circuit device including a flash memory device of a single-layer gate electrode structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, the same elements as those previously described are referred to by the same numerals, and a description thereof will be omitted. 
     In this embodiment, steps corresponding to those of  FIGS. 7A through 7D  are first performed, so that a structure corresponding to that of  FIG. 7E  is obtained in the step of  FIG. 12A . In this embodiment, an SOI substrate may also replace the Si substrate  11 . Further, a thermal nitride oxide film may replace the tunnel oxide film  12 A or the thermal oxide films  12 B and  12 C. 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 12B , which corresponds to the step of  FIG. 7F , the amorphous silicon film  13  of a thickness of 100 to 300 nm is deposited on the structure of  FIG. 12A . The amorphous silicon film  13  may be replaced by a polysilicon film. Further, the amorphous silicon film  13  may be doped with P + . In the step of  FIG. 12C , patterning is performed on the amorphous silicon film  13  by using a resist pattern  27   1  as a mask so that the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A is formed. The resist pattern  27   1  covers the low-voltage operation transistor region B and the high-voltage operation transistor region C. Consequently, no patterning is performed on the amorphous silicon film  13  in the regions B and C in the step of  FIG. 12C . 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 12D , the resist pattern  27   1  is removed, and the protection insulating film  18  of a thickness of 5 to 10 nm is formed of a thermal oxide film so as to cover the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A in the region A by performing thermal oxidation at temperatures ranging from 800 to 900° C. As a result of the thermal oxidation, the thermal oxide film  18  is also formed on the surface of the amorphous silicon film  13  in the regions B and C. 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 12E , a resist pattern  27   2  corresponding to the resist pattern  17   2  in  FIG. 7I  is formed on the structure of  FIG. 12D . With the resist pattern  27   2  being employed as a mask, ion implantation of P +  (or As + ) is performed with a dose of 1×10 14  to 5×10 14  cm −2  at accelerating voltages ranging from 30 to 80 keV so that the diffusion region  11   a  is formed next to the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A in the flash memory cell region A. Further in the step of  FIG. 12E , after the ion implantation of P + , ion implantation of As +  is performed with a dose of 1×10 15  to 6×10 15  cm −2  at accelerating voltages ranging from 30 to 80 keV so that the resistance of the diffusion region  11   a  is reduced. 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 12F , the resist pattern  27   2  is removed, and with the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A being employed as a mask, ion implantation of As +  is performed with a dose of 5×10 14  to 3×10 15  cm −2  at accelerating voltages ranging from 20 to 60 keV in the region A so that the diffusion regions  11   b  and  11   c  are formed in the Si substrate  11  in the region A. At this point, the step of  FIG. 12E  is omittable. Further, a resist pattern having an opening only on the flash memory cell region A may be formed alternatively. 
     Next, in the step of  FIG. 12G , a resist pattern  27   3  is formed on the structure of  FIG. 12F . The flash memory cell region A is covered with the resist pattern  27   3 . Then, patterning is performed on the amorphous silicon film  13  with the resist pattern  27   3  being employed as a mask in the regions B and C so that the gate electrodes  13 B and  13 C are formed therein. 
     In the step of  FIG. 12H , the resist pattern  27   3  is removed and a resist pattern  27   4  covering the flash memory cell region A is formed. With the resist pattern  27   4  being employed as a mask, an n-type or p-type impurity element is introduced into the Si substrate  11  by ion implantation so that the LDD diffusion regions  11   d  and  11   e  are formed in the regions B and C, respectively. 
     Further, in the step of  FIG. 12I , the resist pattern  27   4  is removed, and a CVD oxide film  16 S is deposited. Further, with the CVD oxide film  16 S being protected by a resist pattern  27   5  in the flash memory cell region A, etchback is performed in the regions B and C so that the sidewall oxide films  16   s  are formed on the sidewalls of each of the gate electrodes  13 B and  13 C. 
     Furthermore, by performing the same ion implantation as in the step of  FIG. 7M  on the structure of  FIG. 12I , the diffusion regions  11   f  and  11   g  in the Si substrate  11 . A p-type or n-type gate electrode is also formable. A low-resistance silicide film of, for instance, WSi or CoSi may be formed as required on the surface of each of the gate electrodes  13 B and  13 C and the diffusion regions  11   f  and  11   g  by silicide processing. 
       FIGS. 13A and 13B  are diagrams showing detailed configurations of the flash memory device and the low-voltage operation transistor formed according to this embodiment. 
     As shown in  FIG. 13A , the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A has not only its sidewall faces but also its top surface uniformly covered with the protection insulating film  18  in this embodiment. Therefore, electrons accumulated in the floating gate electrode pattern  13 A are stably retained even if the flash memory device is left in a hot environment for a long time. 
     Further in this embodiment, the amorphous silicon film  13  is not patterned in the regions B and C when the thermal oxidation step of  FIG. 12D  is performed. Therefore, as shown in  FIGS. 13B , no bird&#39; beaks of the thermal oxide film penetrate under the gate electrodes  13 B and  13 C. This stabilizes the threshold characteristic and the operation characteristic of each MOS transistor formed on the Si substrate  11  on which the flash memory device is formed as well. The improvements in the threshold characteristic and the operation characteristic are remarkable in a low-voltage operation transistor having a short gate length and a thin gate oxide film. 
     In this embodiment, no resist pattern is required to be formed in the ion implantation step of  FIG. 12F , thus simplifying the production process. 
     In the flash memory device of a multilayer-gate type according to the previous embodiment, the multilayer gate electrode structure  16 F may also have its sidewall faces and top surface covered continuously with the protection insulating film  18  in the configuration of  FIG. 9I  as in that of  FIG. 12I . 
     According to the present invention, a protection oxide film is formed to cover a multilayer gate electrode structure or a floating gate electrode pattern in a flash memory cell region before a gate electrode is patterned in a first or second device region. The protection oxide film prevents a bird&#39; beak structure from being formed to penetrate into the gate electrode in the device region. Therefore, the problem of a change in the threshold characteristic of a semiconductor device in the device region can be avoided. Further, according to the present invention, when diffusion regions are formed in the flash memory cell region by ion implantation, the device region is covered with an amorphous silicon film. By using the amorphous silicon film as a mask, a resist process may be omitted, thus simplifying the production process. 
     The present invention is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiments, but variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7