forming a gate insulation film on a semiconductor substrate;

forming a gate electrode on the gate insulation film;

forming a sidewall spacer on a sidewall of the gate electrode;

forming a low concentration diffusion layer in a surface of the semiconductor substrate adjacent the gate electrode;

forming a high concentration diffusion layer in the surface of the semiconductor substrate away from the sidewall spacer;

forming, after the formation of the low and high concentration diffusion layers, a silicide block layer on the surface of the semiconductor substrate and a surface of the gate electrode so that the silicide block layer is in contact with the low concentration diffusion layer and the sidewall spacer;

patterning the silicide block layer so as to expose a portion of the gate electrode and so as to form an opening contained within an lateral area of a top surface of the high concentration diffusion layer to expose a portion of the high concentration diffusion layer, the opening being defined only by a patterned edge of the silicide block layer and being smaller than the lateral area of the top surface of the high concentration diffusion layer;

depositing a metal layer on the surface of the semiconductor substrate and the surface of the gate electrode;

heating the semiconductor substrate so that the metal layer in contact with the exposed portions of the gate electrode and the high concentration diffusion layer becomes a metal silicide; and

removing the metal layer to expose the silicide block layer.