The present invention relates generally to semiconductors, and more
specifically to semiconductor memory device structures and an improved
fabrication process for making the same. The improved fabrication process
allows the self-aligned contacts and local interconnects to the processed
simultaneously. The process allows the minimal distance requirement
between the self-aligned contacts and the local interconnects to be
widened, which makes the patterning of self-aligned contacts and local
interconnects easier. The widened minimal distance requirement also
allows further memory cell shrinkage. The improved structures of
self-aligned contacts and local interconnects also have excellent
isolation characteristic.