# US 8,541,273 B2 · Dielectric stack

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- Number: US 8,541,273 B2
- Document ID: US8541273B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/888,434
- Filed: 2010-09-23
- Published: 2012-03-29
- Granted: 2013-09-24
- Earliest claimed: 2010-09-23
- Assignees: Globalfoundries Singapore Pte. Ltd.
- Applicants: Sung Mun Jung; Swee Tuck Woo; Sanford Chu; Liang Choo Hsia
- Inventors: Sung Mun Jung; Swee Tuck Woo; Sanford Chu; Liang Choo Hsia
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8541273B2

## CPC

- H10D 64/681: {having a compositional variation, e.g. multilayered}
- H10D 30/69: IGFETs having charge trapping gate insulators, e.g. MNOS transistors
- H10D 64/037: {comprising charge-trapping insulators}
- H10P 14/6522: {introduced into a nitride material, e.g. changing SiN to SiON}
- H10P 74/203: {Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects}
- H10P 74/23: {characterised by multiple measurements, corrections, marking or sorting processes}
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A method of forming a device is disclosed. The method includes providing a substrate and forming a device layer on the substrate having a formed thickness TFD. A capping layer is formed on the substrate having a formed thickness TFC. Forming the capping layer consumes a desired amount of the device layer to cause the thickness of the device layer to be about the target thickness TTD. The thickness of the capping layer is adjusted from TFC to about a target thickness TTC.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of forming a device comprising:
providing a substrate;
forming a device layer on the substrate having a formed thickness TFD;
forming a capping layer on the substrate having a formed thickness TFC, wherein forming the capping layer consumes a desired amount of the device layer to cause the thickness of the device layer to be about the target thickness TTD and wherein the amount of consumption of the device layer depends on the amount of growth of the capping layer; and
adjusting the thickness of the capping layer from TFC to about a target thickness TTC.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprises thermally forming a dielectric layer prior to forming the device layer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprises measuring the TFD to obtain a measured thickness of the device layer TMD.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3 wherein the TFC is determined or calculated from the TMD.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting the TFC to about the TTC comprises etching.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the device layer comprises a charge storage layer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the device layer comprises a nitride material and the capping layer comprises a thermally grown oxide material.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the capping layer is formed by thermal oxidation.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein forming the capping layer comprises selecting a recipe which determines the TFC and an amount of consumption of the device layer.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting the TFC to about the TTC comprises wet etch or wet clean.

### Claim 11

A method of forming a device comprising:
forming a base dielectric layer on a substrate having a base target thickness TTB;
forming a storage dielectric layer over the base dielectric layer, the storage dielectric layer having a storage formed thickness TFS;
forming an upper dielectric layer over the storage dielectric layer having a upper formed thickness TFU, wherein forming the upper dielectric layer consumes a desired amount of the storage dielectric layer to produce a storage dielectric layer with a storage target thickness TTS; and
adjusting TFU of the upper dielectric layer to about an upper target thickness TTU.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 wherein adjusting TFU comprises etching the upper dielectric layer.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 wherein the base, storage and upper dielectric layers form a dielectric stack of a non-volatile memory.

### Claim 14

A method of forming a device comprising:
providing a substrate;
forming a dielectric device layer on the substrate having a formed thickness TFD; and
forming a dielectric capping layer on the substrate having a formed thickness TFC, wherein forming the capping layer consumes a desired amount of the device layer to cause the thickness of the device layer to be about the target thickness TTD.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14 further comprises adjusting the thickness of the capping layer from TFC to about a target thickness TTC.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15 further comprises forming a base layer in between the substrate and the device layer.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14 further comprises measuring the TFD to obtain a measured thickness of the device layer TMD.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17 wherein forming the capping layer comprises selecting a recipe which determines the TFC and an amount of consumption of the device layer.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 wherein the selected recipe depends on the measured TMD.

### Claim 20 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14 wherein the amount of consumption of the device layer depends on the amount of growth of the capping layer.