# US 11,908,751 B2 · Transistor isolation regions and methods of forming the same

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- Number: US 11,908,751 B2
- Document ID: US11908751B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/385,561
- Filed: 2021-07-26
- Published: 2022-11-10
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2021-05-05
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Szu-Ying Chen; Sen-Hong Syue; Huicheng Chang; Yee-Chia Yeo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11908751B2

## CPC

- H10D 84/038: {using silicon technology, e.g. SiGe}
- H10D 84/0151: {Manufacturing their isolation regions}
- H10D 84/0158: {the components including FinFETs}
- H10D 84/0188: {Manufacturing their isolation regions}
- H10D 84/0193: {the components including FinFETs}
- H10D 84/853: {comprising FinFETs}
- H10P 14/6336: {in the presence of a plasma [PECVD]}
- H10P 14/6339: {deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE or pulsed CVD}
- H10P 14/6682: {the compound being a silane, e.g. disilane, methylsilane or chlorosilane}
- H10P 14/6687: {the compound comprising silicon and nitrogen}
- H10P 14/69215: {the material being a silicon oxide, e.g. SiO2}
- H10P 14/6922: {the material containing Si, O and at least one of H, N, C, F or other non-metal elements, e.g. SiOC, SiOC:H or SiONC}
- H10P 14/69433: {the material being a silicon nitride not containing oxygen, e.g. SixNy or SixByNz}
- H10W 10/014: {using trench refilling with dielectric materials, e.g. shallow trench isolations}
- H10W 10/17: formed using trench refilling with dielectric materials, e.g. shallow trench isolations
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

In an embodiment, a method includes: etching a trench in a substrate; depositing a liner material in the trench with an atomic layer deposition process; depositing a flowable material on the liner material and in the trench with a contouring flowable chemical vapor deposition process; converting the liner material and the flowable material to a solid insulation material, a portion of the trench remaining unfilled by the solid insulation material; and forming a hybrid fin in the portion of the trench unfilled by the solid insulation material.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
etching a trench in a substrate;
depositing a liner material in the trench with an atomic layer deposition process;
depositing a flowable material on the liner material and in the trench with a contouring flowable chemical vapor deposition process;
converting the liner material and the flowable material to a solid insulation material, a portion of the trench remaining unfilled by the solid insulation material;
forming a hybrid fin in the portion of the trench unfilled by the solid insulation materials; and
recessing the solid insulation material so that the hybrid fin protrudes above the solid insulation material.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the contouring flowable chemical vapor deposition process has a first deposition rate along vertical surfaces of the trench, the contouring flowable chemical vapor deposition process has a second deposition rate along horizontal surfaces of the trench, and the first deposition rate is substantially equal to the second deposition rate.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the flowable material is formed of silicon oxynitride, and the contouring flowable chemical vapor deposition process comprises:
exposing the liner material to trisilylamine, oxygen gas, and ammonia simultaneously.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the liner material is formed of silicon nitride, and the atomic layer deposition process comprises:
performing an atomic layer deposition cycle by exposing the substrate to silane and ammonia cyclically; and
repeating the atomic layer deposition cycle a number of times.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein exposing the liner material to trisilylamine, oxygen gas, and ammonia comprises:
placing the substrate in a deposition chamber;
dispensing trisilylamine in the deposition chamber at a first flow rate in a range of 900 sccm to 1410 sccm;
dispensing oxygen gas in the deposition chamber at a second flow rate in a range of 10 sccm to 100 sccm; and
dispensing ammonia in the deposition chamber at a third flow rate in a range of 20 sccm to 100 sccm,
wherein a ratio of the first flow rate to the third flow rate is at least 10.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein exposing the liner material to trisilylamine, oxygen gas, and ammonia further comprises:
generating a plasma in the deposition chamber,
wherein the deposition chamber is maintained at a pressure of less than 600 Torr, and
wherein the deposition chamber is maintained at a temperature in a range of 10° C. to 135° C.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the solid insulation material is silicon oxide, and wherein converting the liner material and the flowable material to the solid insulation material comprises:
annealing the liner material and the flowable material while exposing the liner material and the flowable material to steam.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein annealing the liner material and the flowable material comprises annealing the liner material and the flowable material at a temperature in a range of 400° C. to 700° C. and for a duration in a range of 1 hour to 6 hours.

### Claim 9

A method comprising:
etching a first trench and a second trench in a substrate, the first trench having a first width, the second trench having a second width, the second width greater than the first width;
depositing a flowable material in the first trench and the second trench;
converting the flowable material to a solid insulation material, the solid insulation material filling the first trench, the solid insulation material lining the second trench;
forming a hybrid fin on the solid insulation material in the second trench, the hybrid fin filling portions of the second trench that are unfilled by the solid insulation material; and
recessing the solid insulation material to form a first isolation region in the first trench and to form a second isolation region in the second trench, the hybrid fin protruding above the second isolation region.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the portions of the second trench that are unfilled by the solid insulation material have a third width in a range of 50 nm to 100 nm.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the flowable material is deposited to a first thickness in the second trench, the first thickness being substantially uniform along sidewalls and a bottom surface of the second trench.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the first width is in a range of 5 nm to 12 nm, the second width is in a range of 15 nm to 40 nm, the first thickness is in a range of 10 nm to 15 nm, and a ratio of the first thickness to the second width is in a range of 20% to 100%.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the first trench has a first depth, the second trench has a second depth, and the second depth is greater than the first depth.

### Claim 14

A method comprising:
etching a first trench and a second trench in a substrate, the first trench having a first width, the second trench having a second width, the second width greater than the first width;
depositing a liner material in the first trench and the second trench with an atomic layer deposition process;
depositing a flowable material on the liner material and in the first trench and the second trench with a contouring flowable chemical vapor deposition process;
converting the liner material and the flowable material to a solid insulation material, the solid insulation material filling the first trench, the solid insulation material lining the second trench, a portion of the second trench remaining unfilled by the solid insulation material;
forming a hybrid fin in the portion of the second trench unfilled by the solid insulation material; and
recessing the solid insulation material to form a first isolation region in the first trench and to form a second isolation region in the second trench, the hybrid fin protruding above the second isolation region.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the contouring flowable chemical vapor deposition process has a first deposition rate along vertical surfaces, the contouring flowable chemical vapor deposition process has a second deposition rate along horizontal surfaces, and the first deposition rate is substantially equal to the second deposition rate.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the flowable material is formed of silicon oxynitride, and the contouring flowable chemical vapor deposition process comprises:
exposing the liner material to trisilylamine, oxygen gas, and ammonia simultaneously.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the solid insulation material is silicon oxide, and wherein converting the liner material and the flowable material to the solid insulation material comprises:
annealing the liner material and the flowable material while exposing the liner material and the flowable material to steam.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the first trench has a first depth, the second trench has a second depth, and the second depth is greater than the first depth.

### Claim 19 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, the hybrid fin having a first curved bottom surface with a first arc length, the second isolation region having a second curved bottom surface with a second arc length, the second arc length less than the first arc length.

### Claim 20 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, further comprising:
forming a gate structure on the hybrid fin.