Planarization of silicon semiconductor devices
AssigneeHoneywell Inc.
InventorEddie C. Lee
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A substantially planar surface is provided over a silicon semiconductor device by depositing a silicate glass, heating the silicate glass so it reflows, bias sputtering a dielectric layer over the reflowed glass, depositing a photoresist over the dielectric layer and etching away the photoresist and enough of the dielectric to provide a substantially planar surface of the dielectric material. Quartz is the preferred dielectric material.
Claims5
A method of providing a substantially planar surface over a semiconductor device, wherein said device is formed, at least in part, in a silicon substrate, said silicon substrate having a principal surface and wherein some device features extend from or are formed upon said principal surface, the method comprising the steps of:
- depositing a layer of silicate glass selected from the group consisting of borophosphosilicate glass, borosilicate glass, phosphosilicate glass and arsenic doped silicate glass, over said device features and at least that portion of said principal surface adjacent said features;
- heating said silicate glass layer sufficiently to cause said silicate glass to reflow and form a layer with a smoothly contoured upper surface;
- depositing a layer of dielectric material over said smoothly contoured upper surface by bias sputtering;
- depositing a photoresist on top of said dielectric layer;
- and
- etching away all of said photoresist and a sufficient portion of said dielectric layer by an etching process which etches said dielectric and said photoresist at substantially the same rate, to provide a substantially planar surface of said dielectric layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.