Patent ID: 7645711

Claim:
A semiconductor device fabrication method comprising: forming a first insulating film on a semiconductor substrate; forming a conductive layer on the first insulating film; exposing a portion of the first insulating film by removing a portion of the conductive layer; forming a second insulating film on the exposed surface of the first insulating film in a first processing chamber isolated from an outside atmosphere; performing an oxygen radical process using oxygen radical generated by changing a gas containing oxygen into a plasma, a nitrogen radical process using nitrogen radical generated by changing a gas containing nitrogen into a plasma, or an oxygen radical and nitrogen radical process using oxygen radical and nitrogen radical generated by changing a gas containing oxygen and nitrogen into a plasma as a modification process on the second insulating film in the first processing chamber to prevent the second insulating film from absorbing water when the semiconductor substrate is exposed to the outside atmosphere, and then unloading the semiconductor substrate from the first processing chamber to the outside atmosphere; and annealing the second insulating film in a second processing chamber.