Patent US6300219B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6300219B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method of forming trench isolation regions
Assignee: Micron Technology Inc
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Filing: 1999-08-30
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Granted: 2001-10-09
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Expires: 2019-08-30
Abstract
Abstract In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a method of forming a trench isolation region includes forming a trench within a substrate. A silanol layer is formed to partially fill the trench and then converted, at least some of the silanol, to a compound including at least one of SiO n and RSiO n , where R includes an organic group. An electrically insulative material is formed over the converted silanol to fill the trench. In another aspect of the invention, a method of forming a trench isolation region includes forming a trench within a substrate. A first layer of at least one of Si(OH) x and (CH 3 ) y Si(OH) 4−y is formed to partially fill the trench. At least some of the Si(OH) x if present is converted to SiO 2 and at least some of (CH 3 ) y Si(OH) 4−y if present is converted to (CH 3 ) x SiO 2−x . Next, a layer of an electrically insulative material is formed to fill the trench.
Inventors
- 👤 Trung Tri Doan
- 👤 Gurtej S. Sandhu
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 20:06
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W10/00; H10W10/01; H10W10/011; H10W10/014; H10W10/10; H10W10/17
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 41
Claim 1
Independent Claim
48 words
A method of forming a trench isolation region comprising: forming a trench within a semiconductor substrate; partially filling the trench with a silanol aspect ratio lowering material; and after the partial filling, depositing an electrically insulative material within the trench, the electrically insulative material essentially filling the trench.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
48 words
A method of forming a trench isolation region comprising: forming a trench within a semiconductor substrate; partially filling the trench with a silanol aspect ratio lowering material; and after the partial filling, depositing an electrically insulative material within the trench, the electrically insulative material essentially filling the trench.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 1 wherein forming the trench comprises etching the semiconductor substrate to form the trench having sidewalls and a base that define a first depth and a first width and wherein a ratio of the first depth to the first width further define a first aspect ratio.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the partial filling comprises forming a layer of the aspect ratio lowering material within the trench, the layer lowering the first aspect ratio to a second aspect ratio.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 2 wherein forming the layer of aspect ratio lowering material reduces the first depth by at least about a third to define a second depth.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 2 wherein forming the layer of aspect ratio lowering material reduces the first depth by at least about a third to a second depth and reduces the first width by no more than about 400 Angstroms to a second width.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the silanol is selected from the group consisting of Si(OH) 4 , RSi(OH) 3 and mixtures thereof.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 6 , wherein RSi(OH) 3 is CH 3 (OH) 3 .
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 2 further comprising forming a layer of electrically insulative material adjacent the sidewalls and the base, the forming prior to the partial filling.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the electrically insulative material comprises silicon dioxide.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the forming comprises a thermal oxidation of the sidewalls and base to form a silicon oxide comprising layer.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 10 wherein the thermal oxidation is prior to the partial filling.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 10 wherein the thermal oxidation is after the partial filling.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 1 wherein depositing an electrically insulative material after the partial filling comprises a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 13 wherein the CVD process further comprises a plasma enhanced CVD process.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 1 wherein depositing an electrically insulative material after the partial filling comprises depositing a material comprising silicon oxide.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the partial filling comprises forming the layer of the aspect ratio lowering material comprising a silanol selected from the group consisting of Si(OH) 4 , RSi(OH) 3 and mixtures thereof, and further comprising, converting at least some of the silanol to its equivalent oxide.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 16 , wherein RSi(OH) 3 is CH 3 (OH) 3 .
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the converting comprises maintaining the layer of aspect ratio lowering material at a temperature and a pressure effective to drive water from the first layer.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 16 wherein forming the trench comprises forming the trench having sidewalls and a base that define a first depth and a first width and wherein a ratio of the first depth to the first width further define a first aspect ratio.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 19 wherein forming the layer of the aspect ratio lowering material within the trench lowers the first aspect ratio to a second aspect ratio.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 19 wherein forming the layer of the aspect ratio lowering material within the trench reduces the first depth by at least about a third to define a second depth.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 18 further comprising forming a silicon oxide comprising layer adjacent the sidewalls and the base, the forming prior to the partial filling.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 22 wherein the forming comprises a thermal oxidation of the sidewalls and base.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 23 wherein the thermal oxidation is prior to the partial filling.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 23 wherein the thermal oxidation is after the partial filling.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
95 words
A method of forming a trench isolation structure comprising: etching a trench into a semiconductor substrate, the trench having a first depth and a first width, wherein the ratio of the first depth to the first width defines an aspect ratio; forming a first layer of material within the trench, the first layer partially filling the trench and lowering the aspect ratio and having a first composition; converting the first composition to a second composition; and after the converting, forming a second layer material over the first layer, the second layer essentially filling the trench.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
95 words
A method of forming a trench isolation structure comprising: etching a trench into a semiconductor substrate, the trench having a first depth and a first width, wherein the ratio of the first depth to the first width defines an aspect ratio; forming a first layer of material within the trench, the first layer partially filling the trench and lowering the aspect ratio and having a first composition; converting the first composition to a second composition; and after the converting, forming a second layer material over the first layer, the second layer essentially filling the trench.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 26 wherein etching into a substrate comprises etching to form the trench having sidewalls and a base that define a first depth and a first width and wherein a ratio of the first depth to the first width further define a first aspect ratio.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 27 wherein forming the first layer comprises forming an aspect ratio lowering material within the trench, the first layer lowering the first aspect ratio to a second aspect ratio.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 27 wherein forming the first layer reduces the first depth by at least about a third to define a second depth.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 26 wherein forming the first layer having a first composition comprises forming a silanol comprising layer.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 30 wherein the silanol of the silanol comprising layer is selected from the group consisting of Si(OH) 4 , RSi(OH) 3 and mixtures thereof.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 31 , wherein RSi(OH) 3 is CH 3 (OH) 3 .
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 30 wherein converting the first composition to a second composition comprises converting at least some of the silanol of the silanol comprising layer to its equivalent oxide.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 33 wherein the converting comprises maintaining the first layer at a temperature and a pressure effective to drive water from the first layer.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 26 further comprising forming a layer of electrically insulative material adjacent the sidewalls and the base, the forming prior to forming the first layer.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 26 further comprising oxidizing the sidewalls and the base, the oxidizing subsequent to forming the first layer.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 26 further comprising forming a silicon oxide comprising layer adjacent the sidewalls and the base, the forming prior to forming the first layer.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 37 wherein the forming comprises a thermal oxidation of the sidewalls and base.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 37 wherein the thermal oxidation is prior to forming the first layer.
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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) | 2004-10-08 | 2005-04-09 | 2005-10-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-10-08 | 2009-04-09 | 2009-10-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-10-08 | 2013-04-09 | 2013-10-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |