| 摘要 |
To provide a method of improving the characteristics and reliability of thin film transistors (TFT) which have been formed with a highest process temperature of not more than 700 DEG C. Crystalline silicon films are thermally oxidized and TFT gate insulating films, for example, are formed with the oxide so obtained. At this time, the thermal oxidation is carried out at a temperature of 500-700 DEG C. in such a way that no thermal damage is done to the substrate, for example, and a reactive gas which contains thermally excited or decomposed oxygen or nitrogen oxide (NOX, where 0.5</=x</=2.5) is used for the oxidizing gas. The oxidation reaction may be promoted by heating in an atmosphere of oxides of nitrogen at a high pressure of 2-10 atmospheres. Deterioration due to the implantation of hot electrons, for example, can be prevented and element reliability can be increased by using the thermal oxide films obtained in this way as gate insulating films.
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