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CA1196428A Expired / Lapsed CA ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Low temperature melting binary glasses for leveling surfaces of integrated circuits containing isolation grooves

Assignee: Fairchild Semiconductor Corp
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Filing: 1982-03-15
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Granted: 1985-11-05
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Expires: 2002-03-15
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Abstract

Abstract LOW TEMPERATURE MELTING BINARY GLASSES FOR LEVELING SURFACES OF INTEGRATED CIRCUITS CONTAINING ISOLATION GROOVES William I. Lehrer John M. Pierce ABSTRACT An integrated circuit structure comprises a plurality of islands of semiconductor material (16-1 through 16-5) each island being separated from adjacent islands by a groove formed in annular shape around said island to laterally define the dimensions of each such island, an oxide (12, 14) formed over the surface of said grooves (13-1 through 13-6) and a selected glass (15) deposited on said oxide (14) in the grooves and over the top surface of said device, said glass having the property that it melts and flows at a temperature beneath the temperature at which dopants in the islands of semicon-ductor material substantially redistribute, said selected glass (15) having a substantially flat top surface thereby to give said structure a substantially flat top surface.

Inventors

  • 👤 William I. Lehrer
  • 👤 John M. Pierce

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction CA
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-05 17:17
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/60; H10P14/69; H10P14/692; H10P14/6921; H10P14/6922; H10P14/63; H10P14/6326; H10P14/6328; H10P14/6334; H10P95/00; H10W; H10W10/00; H10W10/01; H10W10/011; H10W10/014; H10W10/10; H10W10/17; H10W74/00; H10W74/10; H10W74/131; H10W74/134; H10P14/6923; H10P14/694; H10P14/6943; H10P14/69433

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim 214 words
The method of forming an isolated semiconductor structure comprising: forming active devices or selected components in to-be-formed islands of semidonductor material, each island being separated from adjacent islands by an annular shaped band of semiconductor material in which are formed no active devices or selected components, said active devices or selected components being formed by placing selected dopants in said to-be-formed islands to form selectively doped regions in said islands; etching grooves in the surface of the semiconductor material so as to remove a portion of each annular shaped band in which no active devices were formed, thereby to create a plurality of islands of semiconductor material, each island containing active devices or selected components; oxidizing the semiconductor material exposed by said grooves to form an oxide layer of selected thickness over the surface of said grooves; depositing a binary glass comprising a mixture of oxide of germanium and an oxide of silicon over the top surface of said device, said glass being substantially water insoluble and having the property that it melts and flows at a temperature beneath that temperature at which said dopants in the islands of semiconductor material substantially redistribute; and heating the resulting structure to flow said glass to form a substantially flat surface over the top of said device.
Claim 2
Independent Claim 214 words
The method of forming an isolated semiconductor structure comprising: forming active devices or selected components in to-be-formed islands of semidonductor material, each island being separated from adjacent islands by an annular shaped band of semiconductor material in which are formed no active devices or selected components, said active devices or selected components being formed by placing selected dopants in said to-be-formed islands to form selectively doped regions in said islands; etching grooves in the surface of the semiconductor material so as to remove a portion of each annular shaped band in which no active devices were formed, thereby to create a plurality of islands of semiconductor material, each island containing active devices or selected components; oxidizing the semiconductor material exposed by said grooves to form an oxide layer of selected thickness over the surface of said grooves; depositing a binary glass comprising a mixture of oxide of germanium and an oxide of silicon over the top surface of said device, said glass being substantially water insoluble and having the property that it melts and flows at a temperature beneath that temperature at which said dopants in the islands of semiconductor material substantially redistribute; and heating the resulting structure to flow said glass to form a substantially flat surface over the top of said device.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 41 words
The method of Claim 1 wherein said step of depositing said binary glass comprises depositing a binary GeO2/SiO2 glass using chemical vapor deposition at a temperature in the range of 350°C to 500°C from a silant/germane source in an oxygen environment.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 19 words
The method of Claim 2 wherein said binary glass is formed to a selected thickness between approximately 1-3 microns.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 33 words
4, The method of Claim 3 wherein said step of heating the resulting structure to flow said glass comprises heating said resulting structure to a temperature in the range of 650°C to 1000°C.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 44 words
The method of Claim 4 wherein said step of heating the resulting structure comprises the step of heating said resulting structure to a temperature of less than 950°C to flow said glass to form a substantially flat surface over the top of said device.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 14 words
The method of Claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said semiconductor material comprises silicon.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 65 words
The method of Claim 1 wherein said step of etching grooves in the surface of the semiconductor material comprises etching grooves using a mixture of hydrofluoric, acetic and nitric acid thereby to remove a portion of each annular shaped band in which no active device is formed, thereby to create a plurality of islands of semiconductor material, each island containing active devices or selected components.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 65 words
The method of Claim 1 comprising the additional step of forming on the substantially flat surface over the top of said device a plurality of openings through the selected glass and through said underlying oxide material and forming a selected interconnect pattern of conductive material over the top surface of said device so as to interconnect selected ones of said active devices or selected components.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 13 words
The method of Claim 7 or 8 wherein said semiconductor material comprises silicon.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 178 words
An integrated circuit structure comprising: a plurality of islands of semiconductor material, each island being separated from adjacent islands of semiconductor material by a groove formed in an annular shape around said island, each island containing active devices or selected components of the to-be-formed circuit formed by placing selected dopants in regions of each island; grooves formed in the surface of the semiconductor material in annular shape around each such island, thereby to laterally define the dimensions of each such island; an oxide formed over the surface of said grooves and said islands of semiconductor material; a binary glass comprising a mixture of oxide of germanium and an oxide of silicon deposited on said oxide in the grooves and over the top surface of said device, said glass being substantially water insoluble and having the property that it melts and flows at a temperature beneath the temperature at which the dopants in the islands of semiconductor materiel substantially redistribute, said selected glass having a substantially flat top surface thereby to give said structure a substantially flat top surface.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 178 words
An integrated circuit structure comprising: a plurality of islands of semiconductor material, each island being separated from adjacent islands of semiconductor material by a groove formed in an annular shape around said island, each island containing active devices or selected components of the to-be-formed circuit formed by placing selected dopants in regions of each island; grooves formed in the surface of the semiconductor material in annular shape around each such island, thereby to laterally define the dimensions of each such island; an oxide formed over the surface of said grooves and said islands of semiconductor material; a binary glass comprising a mixture of oxide of germanium and an oxide of silicon deposited on said oxide in the grooves and over the top surface of said device, said glass being substantially water insoluble and having the property that it melts and flows at a temperature beneath the temperature at which the dopants in the islands of semiconductor materiel substantially redistribute, said selected glass having a substantially flat top surface thereby to give said structure a substantially flat top surface.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 79 words
Structure as in Claim 10 wherein said structure includes vias formed through said glass and said oxide to contact selected ones of said active devices and components formed in said islands of semiconductor material and conductive interconnect material formed in a selected pattern on the top surface of said glass to contact selected ones of said active regions or selected components through said vias, thereby to interconnect selected ones of said active devices or selected components into a circuit.
Claim 14
Independent Claim 209 words
The method of forming an isolated semiconductor structure comprising: forming active devices or selected components in to-be-formed islands of semidonductor material, each island being separated from adjacent islands by an annular shaped band of semiconductor material in which are formed no active devices or selected components, said active devices or selected components being formed by placing selected dopants in said to-be-formed islands to form selectively doped regions in said islands; etching grooves in the surface of the semiconductor material so as to remove a portion of each annular shaped band in which no active devices were formed, thereby to create a plurality of islands of semiconductor material, each island containing active devices or selected components; oxidizing the semiconductor material exposed by said grooves to form an oxide layer of selected thickness over the surface of said grooves; depositing a binary glass comprising a mixture of oxide of germanium and an oxide of silicon over the top surface of said device, said glass having the property that it melts and flows at a temperature beneath that temperature at which said dopants in the islands of semiconductor material substantially redistribute; and heating the resulting structure to flow said glass to form a substantially flat surface over the top of said device.
Claim 15
Independent Claim 209 words
The method of forming an isolated semiconductor structure comprising: forming active devices or selected components in to-be-formed islands of semidonductor material, each island being separated from adjacent islands by an annular shaped band of semiconductor material in which are formed no active devices or selected components, said active devices or selected components being formed by placing selected dopants in said to-be-formed islands to form selectively doped regions in said islands; etching grooves in the surface of the semiconductor material so as to remove a portion of each annular shaped band in which no active devices were formed, thereby to create a plurality of islands of semiconductor material, each island containing active devices or selected components; oxidizing the semiconductor material exposed by said grooves to form an oxide layer of selected thickness over the surface of said grooves; depositing a binary glass comprising a mixture of oxide of germanium and an oxide of silicon over the top surface of said device, said glass having the property that it melts and flows at a temperature beneath that temperature at which said dopants in the islands of semiconductor material substantially redistribute; and heating the resulting structure to flow said glass to form a substantially flat surface over the top of said device.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 41 words
The method of Claim 12 wherein said step of depositing said binary glass comprises depositing a binary GeO2/SiO2 glass using chemical vapor deposition at a temperature in the range of 350°C to 500°C from a silant/germane source in an oxygen environment.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 19 words
The method of Claim 13 wherein said binary glass is formed to a selected thickness between approximately 1-3 microns.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 32 words
The method of Claim 14 wherein said step of heating the resulting structure to flow said glass comprises heating said resulting structure to a temperature in the range of 650°C to 1000°C.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 44 words
The method of Claim 15 wherein said step of heating the resulting structure comprises the step of heating said resulting structure to a temperature of less than 950°C to flow said glass to form a substantially flat surface over the top of said device.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim 14 words
The method of Claim 12, 13 or 14 wherein said semiconductor material comprises silicon.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim 65 words
The method of Claim 12 wherein said step of etching grooves in the surface of the semiconductor material comprises etching grooves using a mixture of hydrofluoric, acetic and nitric acid thereby to remove a portion of each annular shaped band in which no active device is formed, thereby to create a plurality of islands of semiconductor material, each island containing active devices or selected components.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim 65 words
The method of Claim 12 comprising the additional step of forming on the substantially flat surface over the top of said device a plurality of openings through the selected glass and through said underlying oxide material and forming a selected interconnect pattern of conductive material over the top surface of said device so as to interconnect selected ones of said active devices or selected components.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim 13 words
The method of Claim 18 or 19 wherein said semiconductor material comprises silicon
Claim 24
Dependent Claim 173 words
An integrated circuit structure comprising: a plurality of islands of semiconductor material, each island being separated from adjacent islands of semiconductor material by a groove formed in an annular shape around said island, each island containing active devices or selected components of the to-be-formed circuit formed by placing selected dopants in regions of each island; grooves formed in the surface of the semiconductor material in annular shape around each such island, thereby to laterally define the dimensions of each such island; an oxide formed over the surface of said grooves and said islands of semiconductor material; a binary glass comprising a mixture of oxide of germanium and an oxide of silicon deposited on said oxide in the grooves and over the top surface of said device, said glass having the property that it melts and flows at a temperature beneath the temperature at which the dopants in the islands of semiconductor material substantially redistribute, said selected glass having a substantially flat top surface thereby to give said structure a substantially flat top surface.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim 173 words
An integrated circuit structure comprising: a plurality of islands of semiconductor material, each island being separated from adjacent islands of semiconductor material by a groove formed in an annular shape around said island, each island containing active devices or selected components of the to-be-formed circuit formed by placing selected dopants in regions of each island; grooves formed in the surface of the semiconductor material in annular shape around each such island, thereby to laterally define the dimensions of each such island; an oxide formed over the surface of said grooves and said islands of semiconductor material; a binary glass comprising a mixture of oxide of germanium and an oxide of silicon deposited on said oxide in the grooves and over the top surface of said device, said glass having the property that it melts and flows at a temperature beneath the temperature at which the dopants in the islands of semiconductor material substantially redistribute, said selected glass having a substantially flat top surface thereby to give said structure a substantially flat top surface.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim 79 words
Structure as in Claim 21 wherein said structure includes vias formed through said glass and said oxide to contact selected ones of said active devices and components formed in said islands of semiconductor material and conductive interconnect material formed in a selected pattern on the top surface of said glass to contact selected ones of said active regions or selected components through said vias, thereby to interconnect selected ones of said active devices or selected components into a circuit.

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