Patent ID: 6859023

Claim:
A method for evaluating an insulating film, comprising: a first step of forming an insulating film on a semiconductor substrate including at an upper portion thereof a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type; a second step of selectively forming an electrode pattern on the insulating film; a third step of introducing an impurity of a second conductivity type into the semiconductor substrate using the electrode pattern as a mask so as to form a second semiconductor region of the second conductivity type in an upper portion of the first semiconductor region, thereby forming a p-n junction at an interface between the first semiconductor region and the second semiconductor region; a fourth step of forming a measurement electrode on the insulating film so as to be electrically insulated from the electrode pattern; and a fifth step of applying a measurement voltage between the measurement electrode and the semiconductor substrate via the insulating film and measuring a leakage current leaking through the p-n junction so as to evaluate a damage to the insulating film or the semiconductor substrate.