To provide a semiconductor device and its fabricating method in which a contact can be made easily in a diffusion layer located between gate electrodes of relatively narrow interval without short-circuiting the gate electrode even when a salicide process is employed.

The method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprises a step for forming a first silicon oxide film 11 on the entire surface including a silicide film 8, a step for planarizing the silicon oxide film by CMP, a step for forming an etching mask film 13a having an opening pattern corresponding to the pattern of a diffusion layer located between gate electrodes on the first silicon oxide film, a step for forming a second silicon oxide film 14 on the entire surface including the etching mask film, a step for forming a resist film 16 on the second silicon oxide film, and a step for making a contact hole 14a above a diffusion layer 7 by etching the first and second silicon oxide films using the resist film and the etching mask film as a mask.