US5817566A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Trench filling method employing oxygen densified gap filling silicon oxide layer formed with low ozone concentration
Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co TSMC Ltd
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Filing: 1997-03-03
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Granted: 1998-10-06
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Expires: 2017-03-03
Abstract
Abstract A method for filling a trench within a substrate. There is first providing a substrate having a trench formed within the substrate. There is then formed over the substrate and within the trench a gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer. The gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer is formed through an ozone assisted sub-atmospheric pressure thermal chemical vapor deposition (SACVD) method. The method employs an ozone oxidant and a tetra-ethyl-ortho-silicate (TEOS) silicon source material at an ozone: TEOS volume ratio of less than about 2:1. Finally, the substrate is annealed thermally within an oxygen containing atmosphere at a temperature of greater than about 1100 degrees centigrade to form from the gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer a densified gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer. Through the method there is formed a densified gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer with a limited surface sensitivity, a low etch rate and a limited shrinkage. Through an analogous method employing an ozone oxidant and a tetra-ethyl-orth-silicate (TEOS) silicon source material at an ozone: TEOS volume ratio of from about 10:1 to about 14:1 there may be formed a densified gap filling silicon oxide layer with exceedingly low shrinkage.
Inventors
- 👤 Syun-Ming Jang
- 👤 Ying-Ho Chen
- 👤 Chen-Hua Yu
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 06:44
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W10/00; H10W10/01; H10W10/011; H10W10/014; H10W10/10; H10W10/17
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
122 words
A method for filling a trench within a substrate comprising: providing a substrate, the substrate having a trench formed therein; forming over the substrate and within the trench a gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer, the gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer being formed through an ozone assisted sub-atmospheric pressure thermal chemical vapor deposition (SACVD) method, the method employing an ozone oxidant and a tetra-ethyl-ortho-silicate (TEOS) silicon source material at an ozone: TEOS volume ratio of less than about 2:1; and annealing thermally the substrate within an oxygen containing atmosphere at a temperature of greater than about 1100 degrees centigrade to form from the gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer a densified gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
122 words
A method for filling a trench within a substrate comprising: providing a substrate, the substrate having a trench formed therein; forming over the substrate and within the trench a gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer, the gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer being formed through an ozone assisted sub-atmospheric pressure thermal chemical vapor deposition (SACVD) method, the method employing an ozone oxidant and a tetra-ethyl-ortho-silicate (TEOS) silicon source material at an ozone: TEOS volume ratio of less than about 2:1; and annealing thermally the substrate within an oxygen containing atmosphere at a temperature of greater than about 1100 degrees centigrade to form from the gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer a densified gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
63 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer and the densified gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer are formed while avoiding a surface sensitivity when the gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer and the densified gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer are formed upon a thermally grown silicon oxide layer formed within the trench.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate is chosen from the group of substrates consisting of dielectric substrates, semiconductor substrates and conductor substrates.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate is a semiconductor substrate and the trench is an isolation trench.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the width of the trench is greater than about 0.3 microns and the depth of the trench is from about 3000 to about 5000 angstroms.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the ozone assisted sub-atmospheric pressure thermal chemical vapor deposition (SACVD) method also employs a reactor chamber pressure of from about 40 to about 80 torr.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: the thermal annealing is undertaken for a time period of greater than about 0.5 hours; and the oxygen containing atmosphere is provided by an oxygen flow rate of from about 8000 to about 12000 standard cubic centimeters per minute (sccm).
Claim 9
Independent Claim
162 words
A method for forming a planarized trench fill layer within a trench within a substrate comprising: providing a substrate, the substrate having a trench formed therein; forming over the substrate and within the trench a gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer, the gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer being formed through an ozone assisted sub-atmospheric pressure thermal chemical vapor deposition (SACVD) method, the method employing an ozone oxidant and a tetra-ethyl-ortho-silicate (TEOS) silicon source material at an ozone: TEOS volume ratio of less than about 2:1; annealing thermally the substrate within an oxygen containing atmosphere at a temperature of greater than about 1100 degrees centigrade to form from the gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer a densified gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer; and planarizing through a chemical mechanical polish (CMP) planarizing method the densified gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer to form a patterned planarized densified gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer within the trench.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
162 words
A method for forming a planarized trench fill layer within a trench within a substrate comprising: providing a substrate, the substrate having a trench formed therein; forming over the substrate and within the trench a gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer, the gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer being formed through an ozone assisted sub-atmospheric pressure thermal chemical vapor deposition (SACVD) method, the method employing an ozone oxidant and a tetra-ethyl-ortho-silicate (TEOS) silicon source material at an ozone: TEOS volume ratio of less than about 2:1; annealing thermally the substrate within an oxygen containing atmosphere at a temperature of greater than about 1100 degrees centigrade to form from the gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer a densified gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer; and planarizing through a chemical mechanical polish (CMP) planarizing method the densified gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer to form a patterned planarized densified gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer within the trench.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
63 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer and the densified gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer are formed while avoiding a surface sensitivity when the gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer and the densified gap filling silicon oxide trench fill layer are formed upon a thermally grown silicon oxide layer formed within the trench.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the substrate is chosen from the group of substrates consisting of dielectric substrates, semiconductor substrates and conductor substrates.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the substrate is a semiconductor substrate and the trench is an isolation trench.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the width of the trench is greater than about 0.3 microns and the depth of the trench is from about 3000 to about 5000 angstroms.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the ozone assisted sub-atmospheric pressure thermal chemical vapor deposition (SACVD) method also employs a reactor chamber pressure of from about 40 to about 80 torr.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 8 wherein: the thermal annealing is undertaken for a time period of greater than about 0.5 hours; and the oxygen containing atmosphere is provided by an oxygen flow rate of from about 8000 to about 12000 standard cubic centimeters per minute (scam).
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-10-05 | 2002-04-06 | 2002-10-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-10-05 | 2006-04-06 | 2006-10-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-10-05 | 2010-04-06 | 2010-10-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |