Semiconductor device and method for fabricating the same

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a gate insulating film formed on a semiconductor region of a first conductivity type;

a gate electrode formed on the gate insulating film;

an offset spacer formed on a side surface of the gate electrode;

an inner sidewall formed on the side surface of the gate electrode with the offset spacer interposed between the inner sidewall and the side surface of the gate electrode, and having an L-shaped cross section; and

an insulating film formed to cover the gate electrode, the offset spacer, the inner sidewall, and a part of the semiconductor region located laterally outward from the inner sidewall,

wherein the offset spacer includes an inner offset spacer formed on and in contact with the side surface of the gate electrode and having a rectangular cross section, and an outer offset spacer formed to cover the side surface of the gate electrode and the inner offset spacer,

the outer offset spacer is in contact with a top end surface and an outer side surface of the inner offset spacer, and

the inner offset spacer is formed as a single layer.

2. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the insulating film is in contact with a surface of the inner sidewall.

3. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein

the inner offset spacer is made of a silicon nitride film, and

the outer offset spacer is made of a silicon oxide film.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 1 further comprising a first metal silicide film formed on the gate electrode.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 1 further comprising source/drain regions of a second conductivity type formed in the part of the semiconductor region located laterally outward from the inner sidewall.

6. The semiconductor device of claim 5 further comprising:

second metal silicide films formed on the source/drain regions;

an interlayer insulating film formed on the insulating film; and

a contact plug passing through the interlayer insulating film and the insulating film and connected with an associated one of the second metal silicide films.

7. The semiconductor device of claim 5 , wherein the insulating film is a stressor film inducing, along the gate length, a stress in a channel region of the semiconductor region located under the gate electrode.

8. The semiconductor device of claim 7 , wherein

the first conductivity type is p,

the second conductivity type is n, and

the stress is a tensile stress.

9. The semiconductor device of claim 7 , wherein

the first conductivity type is n,

the second conductivity type is p, and

the stress is a compressive stress.

10. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the insulating film is made of a silicon nitride film.

11. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the gate insulating film includes an underlying gate insulating film made of an underlying insulating film formed on the semiconductor region and a high-dielectric-constant gate insulating film made of a high-dielectric-constant insulating film formed on the underlying gate insulating film.

12. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the gate electrode includes a first conductive film made of a metal film formed on the gate insulating film and a second conductive film made of a silicon film formed on the first conductive film.