Patent ID: 7341937

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: forming at least a light absorbing sacrificial film, which has an etching rate different from that of a photoresist and is removable by use of a stripping solution, on a semiconductor substrate so as to embed said film in a trench pattern in such a manner that the overall surface of said film will be flat, wherein the semiconductor substrate has been obtained by forming at least a first interlayer film, an etching stopper film, a second interlayer film, a first hard mask and a second hard mask on a substrate in the order mentioned, the second hard mask being formed to have the trench pattern, which exposes the first hard mask; forming the photoresist on the light absorbing sacrificial film, said photoresist having an aperture pattern, which is disposed over the area of the trench pattern, having an opening width less than that of said trench pattern; and selectively etching, one after the other, at least the light absorbing sacrificial film, the first hard mask and the second interlayer film using the photoresist as an etching mask.