Patent ID: 7300843

Claim:
A method of fabricating a flash memory device, comprising the steps of: (a) forming a pad insulating film and a hard mask film on a semiconductor substrate; (b) selectively removing the hard mask film, the pad insulating film and the semiconductor substrate to form trenches; (c) forming element isolation films within the trenches; (d) removing the hard mask film and the pad insulating film by means of an isotropic etch process; (e) forming floating gates between the element isolation films with tunnel insulating films therebetween; (f) removing the element isolation films to a predetermined thickness by means of an isotropic etch process; (g) forming electrode spacers on the sides of the floating gates, which are exposed through the removal of the element isolation films; and (h) forming a control gate on the entire surface with the interlayer dielectric film therebetween.