Patent ID: 7642604

Claim:
A semiconductor device comprising: a semiconductor substrate having a surface with an n-type diffusion layer and a p-type diffusion layer being formed therein; a first metal wire overlying the n-type diffusion layer with a dielectric layer being interposed therebetween; a second metal wire overlying the p-type diffusion layer with the dielectric layer interposed therebetween; a first contact electrode extending through a first opening of the dielectric layer for electrical connection between the n-type diffusion layer and the first metal wire; and a second contact electrode extending through a second opening of the dielectric layer for electrical connection between the p-type diffusion layer and the second metal wire, wherein the first contact electrode includes a first contacting portion in contact with the n-type diffusion layer, and the second contact electrode includes a second contacting portion in contact with the p-type diffusion layer, and each of said first and second contacting portions is formed of a first conductive material region and a second conductive material region wherein the first conductive material region contains a metal semiconductor compound, and said second conductive material region contains a rare earth metal semiconductor compound different from the metal semiconductor compound of the first conductive material region; and wherein the first second conductive material regions of the first contacting portion are both in direct contact with the n-type diffusion layer, and the first and second conductive material regions of the second contacting portion are both in direct contact with the p-type diffusion layer; and the first conductive material region of each of said first and second contacting portions, formed directly under the second conductive material region, has particles, and each of the n-type diffusion layer and the p-type diffusion layer has the first and second conductive material regions formed therein.