1. Field
Exemplary implementations of the present invention relate to a semiconductor device and a method for fabricating the same, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device including an isolation layer and a method for fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, with high integration of semiconductor devices, a unit area has been significantly reduced, and the critical dimension (CD) of a pattern and a pitch between patterns have been remarkably reduced.
Although the unit area is reduced, an electrical characteristic required by a device must be continuously maintained. Therefore, the importance of an isolation layer having a small width and an excellent isolation characteristic is gradually increasing.
In general, a shallow trench isolation (STI) process is used to form an isolation layer. The STI process may be performed as follows: a trench is formed and gap-filled with an insulator to form an isolation layer. However, when the CD of the trench decreases, it is not easy to bury the insulator. In particular, when the insulator is buried, a seam or void may occur. When the seam or void occurs, a conductive material may flow into the seam or void during a subsequent process. Accordingly, a bridge or the like may be formed between adjacent patterns, thereby degrading an electrical characteristic.