Hybrid Gap-fill Approach for STI Formation
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsNeng-Kuo Chen, Chih-Hsiang Chang, Kuo-Hwa Tzeng, Cheng-Yuan Tsai
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Abstract
A method of forming a shallow trench isolation region is provided. The method includes providing a semiconductor substrate comprising a top surface; forming an opening extending from the top surface into the semiconductor substrate; performing a conformal deposition method to fill a dielectric material into the opening; performing a first treatment on the dielectric material, wherein the first treatment provides an energy high enough for breaking bonds in the dielectric material; and performing a steam anneal on the dielectric material.
Claims15
An integrated circuit structure comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate comprising a top surface;
- an opening extending from the top surface into the semiconductor substrate;
- a liner oxide lining a bottom and sidewalls of the opening;
- a first dielectric material filling a bottom portion of the opening, wherein the first dielectric material has a first etching rate;
- and
- a second dielectric material filling a top portion of the opening, wherein the second dielectric material has a second etching rate smaller than the first etching rate, and wherein the first dielectric material is substantially a same dielectric material as the second dielectric material.
An integrated circuit structure comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate comprising a top surface;
- an opening extending from the top surface into the semiconductor substrate;
- a liner oxide lining a bottom and sidewalls of the opening;
- a first oxide filling a bottom portion of the opening, wherein the first oxide has a first density;
- and
- a second oxide filling a top portion of the opening, wherein the second oxide has a second density greater than the first density, and wherein the first and the second oxides are formed of substantially a same oxide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.