Methods of fabricating isolation regions of semiconductor devices and structures thereof
First Claim
1. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- providing a workpiece, the workpiece having a top surface;
forming at least one trench in the workpiece, the at least one trench comprising sidewalls and a bottom surface;
forming a thin nitride liner over the sidewalls and the bottom surface of the at least one trench and over the top surface of the workpiece using atomic layer deposition (ALD);
depositing an insulating material over the top surface of the workpiece, filling the at least one trench with the insulating material; and
removing at least a portion of the insulating material from over the top surface of the workpiece, wherein after removing the at least a portion of insulating material from over the top surface of the workpiece, the thin nitride liner in the at least one trench is at least coplanar with the top surface of the workpiece, and wherein the thin nitride liner and the insulating material form an isolation region of the semiconductor device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods of fabricating isolation regions of semiconductor devices and structures thereof are disclosed. A preferred embodiment includes forming at least one trench in a workpiece, and forming a thin nitride liner over sidewalls and a bottom surface of the at least one trench and over a top surface of the workpiece using atomic layer deposition (ALD). An insulating material is deposited over the top surface of the workpiece, filling the at least one trench. At least a portion of the insulating material is removed from over the top surface of the workpiece. After removing the at least a portion of insulating material from over the top surface of the workpiece, the thin nitride liner in the at least one trench is at least coplanar with the top surface of the workpiece. The thin nitride liner and the insulating material form an isolation region of the semiconductor device.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
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providing a workpiece, the workpiece having a top surface;
forming at least one trench in the workpiece, the at least one trench comprising sidewalls and a bottom surface;
forming a thin nitride liner over the sidewalls and the bottom surface of the at least one trench and over the top surface of the workpiece using atomic layer deposition (ALD);
depositing an insulating material over the top surface of the workpiece, filling the at least one trench with the insulating material; and
removing at least a portion of the insulating material from over the top surface of the workpiece, wherein after removing the at least a portion of insulating material from over the top surface of the workpiece, the thin nitride liner in the at least one trench is at least coplanar with the top surface of the workpiece, and wherein the thin nitride liner and the insulating material form an isolation region of the semiconductor device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of forming an isolation region of a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
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providing a workpiece;
forming a pad oxide over the workpiece;
forming a pad nitride over the pad oxide;
forming at least one trench in the pad nitride, the pad oxide, and the workpiece;
forming an oxide liner over at least a portion of the at least one trench formed in the workpiece;
forming a thin nitride liner over the at least one trench and over the oxide liner using atomic layer deposition (ALD);
depositing an oxide material to fill the at least one trench with the oxide material, wherein a first portion of the oxide material resides above a bottom surface of the pad nitride, and wherein a second portion of the oxide material resides above a top surface of the workpiece;
removing the pad nitride;
removing the first portion of the oxide material from over the bottom surface of the pad nitride; and
removing at least a portion of the second portion of the oxide material from over the top surface of the workpiece, wherein after removing the at least a portion of the second portion of the oxide material from over the top surface of the workpiece, the thin nitride liner is at least coplanar with the top surface of the workpiece, and wherein the thin nitride liner, the oxide liner, and the insulating material form an isolation region of the semiconductor device. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of forming an isolation region of a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
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providing a workpiece, the workpiece having a top surface;
forming a sacrificial material layer over the workpiece;
forming at least one trench in the sacrificial material layer and the workpiece, the at least one trench comprising sidewalls and a bottom surface;
forming a first liner over at least the sidewalls and the bottom surface of the at least one trench in the workpiece;
forming a second liner over at least the first liner using atomic layer deposition (ALD);
filling the at least one trench with an insulating material, wherein a portion of the insulating material resides over the top surface of the workpiece;
removing at least a portion of the sacrificial material layer from over the workpiece; and
removing the portion of the insulating material from over the top surface of the workpiece, wherein after removing the portion of the insulating material from over the top surface of the workpiece, at least the second liner is at least coplanar with the top surface of the workpiece, and wherein the second liner, the first liner, and the insulating material form an isolation region of the semiconductor device. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A semiconductor device, comprising:
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a workpiece, the workpiece having a top surface;
at least one trench formed in the workpiece, the at least one trench comprising sidewalls and a bottom surface;
a thin nitride liner disposed over the sidewalls and the bottom surface of the at least one trench, the thin nitride liner being continuous and comprising a thickness of about 25 Angstroms or less; and
an insulating material disposed over the thin nitride liner within the trench, wherein the thin nitride liner is at least coplanar with the top surface of the workpiece, and wherein the thin nitride liner and the insulating material comprise an isolation region of the semiconductor device. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification