US20080160719A1 - Methods of forming shallow trench isolation structures in semiconductor devices - Google Patents
Methods of forming shallow trench isolation structures in semiconductor devices Download PDFInfo
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- US20080160719A1 US20080160719A1 US12/075,075 US7507508A US2008160719A1 US 20080160719 A1 US20080160719 A1 US 20080160719A1 US 7507508 A US7507508 A US 7507508A US 2008160719 A1 US2008160719 A1 US 2008160719A1
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- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 52
- 238000002955 isolation Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 35
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 24
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 28
- 150000004767 nitrides Chemical class 0.000 claims abstract description 27
- 238000005530 etching Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 14
- 229920002120 photoresistant polymer Polymers 0.000 claims description 16
- NBIIXXVUZAFLBC-UHFFFAOYSA-N Phosphoric acid Chemical compound OP(O)(O)=O NBIIXXVUZAFLBC-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 10
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 claims description 10
- 238000007517 polishing process Methods 0.000 claims description 8
- BOTDANWDWHJENH-UHFFFAOYSA-N Tetraethyl orthosilicate Chemical compound CCO[Si](OCC)(OCC)OCC BOTDANWDWHJENH-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000004518 low pressure chemical vapour deposition Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 229910000147 aluminium phosphate Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N atomic oxygen Chemical compound [O] QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000005229 chemical vapour deposition Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000001301 oxygen Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910052760 oxygen Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000000623 plasma-assisted chemical vapour deposition Methods 0.000 description 5
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000001312 dry etching Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000012535 impurity Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000007254 oxidation reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005498 polishing Methods 0.000 description 2
- BLRPTPMANUNPDV-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silane Chemical compound [SiH4] BLRPTPMANUNPDV-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000002253 acid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000012670 alkaline solution Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000010354 integration Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003647 oxidation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/70—Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components formed in or on a common substrate or of parts thereof; Manufacture of integrated circuit devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/71—Manufacture of specific parts of devices defined in group H01L21/70
- H01L21/76—Making of isolation regions between components
- H01L21/762—Dielectric regions, e.g. EPIC dielectric isolation, LOCOS; Trench refilling techniques, SOI technology, use of channel stoppers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
- H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
- H01L21/30—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26
- H01L21/31—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26 to form insulating layers thereon, e.g. for masking or by using photolithographic techniques; After treatment of these layers; Selection of materials for these layers
- H01L21/3105—After-treatment
- H01L21/31051—Planarisation of the insulating layers
- H01L21/31053—Planarisation of the insulating layers involving a dielectric removal step
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/70—Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components formed in or on a common substrate or of parts thereof; Manufacture of integrated circuit devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/71—Manufacture of specific parts of devices defined in group H01L21/70
- H01L21/76—Making of isolation regions between components
- H01L21/762—Dielectric regions, e.g. EPIC dielectric isolation, LOCOS; Trench refilling techniques, SOI technology, use of channel stoppers
- H01L21/76224—Dielectric regions, e.g. EPIC dielectric isolation, LOCOS; Trench refilling techniques, SOI technology, use of channel stoppers using trench refilling with dielectric materials
- H01L21/76229—Concurrent filling of a plurality of trenches having a different trench shape or dimension, e.g. rectangular and V-shaped trenches, wide and narrow trenches, shallow and deep trenches
Definitions
- the present disclosure relates generally to semiconductor fabrication, and, more particularly, to methods of forming shallow trench isolation structures in semiconductor devices.
- a shallow trench isolation (STI) process for forming an element isolation region is easier than a local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) process due to the miniaturization of semiconductor devices.
- LOC local oxidation of silicon
- the STI (Shallow Trench Isolation) process proceeds as follows. First, a trench is formed by dry-etching a semiconductor substrate. The damage caused by dry-etching is curied. Then an oxide layer is formed inside of the trench by thermal oxidization in order to improve surface properties, and to achieve a rounding profile of an edge between an active area and an isolation area.
- an oxide layer is thickly deposited on the entire surface of the substrate to fill up the trench (a lining oxide is formed in the trench in advance of this filling). Then, the semiconductor substrate is planarized by chemical mechanical polishing.
- an active area defined by the shallow trench isolation structure includes a narrow active area and a wide active area.
- the oxide is more thickly formed on the wide active area than on the narrow active area.
- FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an example shallow trench isolation structure in a semiconductor device fabricated by an example method performed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
- FIGS. 2 a , 2 b , and 2 c are cross-sectional views of an example shallow trench isolation structure in a semiconductor device, illustrating in sequential order an example method performed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
- FIGS. 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , and 3 d are cross-sectional views of another example shallow trench isolation structure in a semiconductor, illustrating in sequential order another example method performed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
- any part e.g., a layer, film, area, or plate
- any part is in any way positioned on (e.g., positioned on, located on, disposed on, or formed on, etc.) another part
- the referenced part is either in contact with the other part, or that the referenced part is above the other part with one or more intermediate part(s) located therebetween.
- Stating that any part is in contact with another part means that there is no intermediate part between the two parts.
- FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an example shallow trench isolation structure in a semiconductor device manufactured by an example method performed pursuant to the teachings of the present invention.
- a first oxide layer 102 is formed on a substrate 100 .
- an element isolation region defining an active region is formed in a predetermined area of the first oxide layer 102 and the substrate 100 .
- a third oxide layer 108 and a fourth oxide layer 110 are formed respectively.
- An active region defined by the element isolation region C is divided into first and second regions A and B, whose widths depend on the size of the element isolation region C. In the illustrated example, the first region A is wider than the second region B.
- FIGS. 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , and 2 d An example method of forming the element isolation region is described in detailed with reference to the enclosed FIGS. 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , and 2 d.
- a first oxide layer 102 , a nitride layer 104 , and a second oxide layer 106 are sequentially formed on a substrate 100 .
- a photoresist pattern PR is formed on the second oxide layer 106 .
- a trench T 1 is formed by etching the second oxide 106 , the nitride layer 104 , and the first oxide layer 102 until the substrate 100 is exposed.
- the photoresist pattern PR is formed to define first and second active regions A and B, and an element isolation region. The sizes of the active regions depend on the size of the semiconductor element to be formed thereon. In the illustrated example, the first active region A is wider than the second active region B.
- a second trench T 2 is formed by etching the exposed substrate 100 while using the second oxide layer 106 as a mask.
- a third oxide layer 108 is formed on the entire surface of the substrate 100 and inside of the second trench T 2 .
- the third oxide layer 108 is formed of a TEOS (Tetra Ethyl Ortho Silicate) layer by performing a LPCVD (Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition) method.
- the third oxide layer 108 is formed to have a thickness of about 10 ⁇ 200 ⁇ .
- the second trench T 2 is filled with a fourth oxide layer 110 by performing an HDPCVD (High Density Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition) method.
- HDPCVD High Density Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition
- a sacrificial oxide layer 112 is formed on the substrate 100 by a SOG (Spin On Glass) method.
- a heat treatment is then carried out.
- the heat treatment is performed in an oxygen atmosphere at a high temperature over about 1,000° C. so that impurities on the surfaces of the sacrificial oxide layer 112 and the fourth oxide layer 110 are oxidized and removed.
- the element isolation region adjacent the narrow active region B can be protected from damage because the narrow active region B is covered and the step between the narrow active region B and the wide active region A is minimized during a chemical mechanical polishing process.
- the reliability of the fabricated semiconductor device is improved because the heat treatment is performed after forming the sacrificial oxide layer for removal of the impurities.
- the sacrificial oxide layer 112 , the fourth oxide layer 110 , the third oxide layer 108 and the second oxide layer 106 are removed by blank etching so that the nitride layer 104 is exposed.
- the nitride layer 104 is chemically and mechanically polished until the first oxide layer 102 is exposed so that the substrate 100 is planarized. Residues of the nitride layer 104 can be removed with phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4 ).
- a semiconductor device manufactured by a second example method performed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention has generally the same resultant structure as a semiconductor device fabricated by the first example method described above. However, the second example method is different from the first example method. The second example method will now be described in detailed with reference to FIGS. 3 a , 3 b , 3 c and 3 d.
- FIGS. 3 a , 3 b , 3 c and 3 d are cross-sectional views of shallow trench isolation structures in a semiconductor device manufactured by the second example method.
- a first oxide layer 102 , a nitride layer 104 , and a second oxide layer 106 are sequentially formed on a substrate 100 .
- a photoresist pattern PR is formed on the second oxide layer 106 .
- the second oxide layer 106 , the nitride layer 104 , and the first oxide layer 102 are etched until the substrate 100 is exposed, so that a first trench T 1 is formed.
- the sizes of the active regions depend on the size of a semiconductor element to be formed thereon. In the illustrated example, a first active region A is defined to be broader than a second active region B.
- a second trench is formed by etching the exposed substrate 100 while using the second oxide layer 106 as a mask.
- This second trench represents a similar area as the trench T 2 of the first example shown in FIG. 2 b.
- a third oxide layer 108 is formed on the entire surface of the substrate 100 and inside the second trench.
- the third oxide layer 108 is formed of a TEOS (Tetra Ethyl Ortho Silicate) layer by performing a LPCVD (Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition) method.
- the third oxide layer 108 is formed to have a thickness of about 10 ⁇ 200 ⁇ .
- a fourth oxide layer 110 is formed by an HDPCVD (High Density Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition) method to fill up the inside of the second trench.
- a photoresist pattern (PR) is then formed on the fourth oxide layer 110 in an area corresponding to the first active region A.
- a sacrificial oxide layer 120 is formed over the entire surface of the substrate 100 performing a PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition) at a low temperature of about 180 ⁇ 220° C.
- the sacrificial oxide layer 120 is formed by injecting the gases of SiH 4 and O 2 , or the gases of TEOS and O 2 into the PECVD equipment.
- the sacrificial oxide layer 120 can be thinly formed on the photoresist pattern PR in comparison with the other area.
- the photoresist pattern PR is removed with an alkaline solution so that the sacrificial oxide layer 120 remains only on the second active area B to continue to protect the second active area B.
- the element isolation region adjacent to the narrow active region B is protected from damage and the step between the narrow active region B and the wide active region A is minimized during a subsequent chemical mechanical polishing process.
- the sacrificial oxide layer 120 , the fourth oxide layer 110 , the third oxide layer 108 and the second oxide layer 106 are removed so that the nitride layer 104 is exposed.
- the nitride layer 104 is chemically and mechanically polished until the first oxide layer 102 is exposed so that the entire structure is planarized.
- residues of the nitride layer 104 can be removed with phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4 ).
- a disclosed example method of forming a shallow trench isolation structure in a semiconductor device comprises: forming a first oxide layer, a nitride layer, and a second oxide layer on a substrate; forming a trench defining first and second active areas by etching the second oxide layer, the nitride layer, the first oxide layer, and the substrate in a predetermined area; forming a third oxide layer inside of the trench; forming a fourth oxide layer filling the trench; forming a sacrificial oxide layer on the fourth oxide layer; and removing the sacrificial oxide layer, the fourth oxide layer, the third oxide layer, the second oxide layer, and the nitride layer to form the shallow trench isolation structure.
- Another example method of forming a shallow trench isolation structure in a semiconductor device comprises: forming a first oxide layer, a nitride layer, and a second oxide layer on a substrate; forming a trench defining first and second active areas by etching the second oxide layer, the nitride layer, the first oxide layer, and the substrate in a predetermined area; forming a third oxide layer along an inside of the trench; forming a fourth oxide layer to fill up the trench; forming a photoresist pattern on the fourth oxide layer in an area corresponding with the first active area; forming a sacrificial oxide layer over an entire surface of the substrate and on the photoresist pattern; removing the photoresist pattern, the sacrificial oxide layer, the fourth oxide layer, the third oxide layer, the second oxide layer, and the nitride layer to form the shallow trench isolation.
- the sacrificial oxide is preferable formed by a SOG (Spin On Glass) method.
- a heat treatment is performed after the sacrificial oxide is formed.
- the heat treatment is performed in an oxygen atmosphere, and at a temperature over about 1,000° C.
- the sacrificial oxide is preferably formed by a PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition) method.
- the third oxide layer is preferably formed to have a thickness of about 10 ⁇ 100 ⁇ .
- the sacrificial oxide layer, the second oxide layer, the third oxide layer, and the fourth oxide layer are preferably removed by a blanket etching process.
- the nitride layer is preferably removed by a chemical mechanical polishing process.
- an etching process is performed using phosphohydric acid (H 3 PO 4 ) after the chemical mechanical polishing process.
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Abstract
Methods of forming a shallow trench isolation structures in semiconductor devices are disclosed. A disclosed method comprises forming a first oxide layer, a nitride layer, and a second oxide layer on a substrate; forming a trench defining first and second active areas by etching the second oxide layer, the nitride layer, the first oxide layer, and the substrate in a predetermined area; forming a third oxide layer along an inside of the trench; forming a fourth oxide layer to fill up the trench; forming a sacrificial oxide layer on the fourth oxide layer; and removing the sacrificial oxide layer, the fourth oxide layer, the third oxide layer, the second oxide layer, and the nitride layer so as to form the shallow trench isolation. Thus, it is possible to minimize the damage of a narrow active area when forming an element isolation area through an STI process.
Description
- This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/181,607, filed Jul. 13, 2005 (Attorney Docket No. OPP-GZ-2007-0230-US-00), and claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2004-54327, filed Jul. 13, 2004, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
- The present disclosure relates generally to semiconductor fabrication, and, more particularly, to methods of forming shallow trench isolation structures in semiconductor devices.
- A shallow trench isolation (STI) process for forming an element isolation region is easier than a local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) process due to the miniaturization of semiconductor devices.
- Conventionally, the STI (Shallow Trench Isolation) process proceeds as follows. First, a trench is formed by dry-etching a semiconductor substrate. The damage caused by dry-etching is curied. Then an oxide layer is formed inside of the trench by thermal oxidization in order to improve surface properties, and to achieve a rounding profile of an edge between an active area and an isolation area.
- Next, an oxide layer is thickly deposited on the entire surface of the substrate to fill up the trench (a lining oxide is formed in the trench in advance of this filling). Then, the semiconductor substrate is planarized by chemical mechanical polishing.
- Depending on the degree of integration of the semiconductor device being fabricated, an active area defined by the shallow trench isolation structure includes a narrow active area and a wide active area. The oxide is more thickly formed on the wide active area than on the narrow active area.
- Therefore, a further process is performed between forming the oxide layers on the narrow active area and the wide active area. If a chemical mechanical polishing process is performed with focus on the wide active area, peeling damage occurs in the narrow active area. This damage deteriorates the performance and reliability of the fabricated semiconductor device.
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FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an example shallow trench isolation structure in a semiconductor device fabricated by an example method performed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. -
FIGS. 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c are cross-sectional views of an example shallow trench isolation structure in a semiconductor device, illustrating in sequential order an example method performed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. -
FIGS. 3 a, 3 b, 3 c, and 3 d are cross-sectional views of another example shallow trench isolation structure in a semiconductor, illustrating in sequential order another example method performed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. - To clarify multiple layers and regions, the thickness of the layers are enlarged in the drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts. As used in this patent, stating that any part (e.g., a layer, film, area, or plate) is in any way positioned on (e.g., positioned on, located on, disposed on, or formed on, etc.) another part, means that the referenced part is either in contact with the other part, or that the referenced part is above the other part with one or more intermediate part(s) located therebetween. Stating that any part is in contact with another part means that there is no intermediate part between the two parts.
-
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an example shallow trench isolation structure in a semiconductor device manufactured by an example method performed pursuant to the teachings of the present invention. - In the example of
FIG. 1 , afirst oxide layer 102 is formed on asubstrate 100. In addition, an element isolation region defining an active region is formed in a predetermined area of thefirst oxide layer 102 and thesubstrate 100. In an element isolation region C, athird oxide layer 108 and afourth oxide layer 110 are formed respectively. An active region defined by the element isolation region C is divided into first and second regions A and B, whose widths depend on the size of the element isolation region C. In the illustrated example, the first region A is wider than the second region B. - An example method of forming the element isolation region is described in detailed with reference to the enclosed
FIGS. 2 a, 2 b, 2 c, and 2 d. - As shown in
FIG. 2 a, afirst oxide layer 102, anitride layer 104, and asecond oxide layer 106 are sequentially formed on asubstrate 100. A photoresist pattern PR is formed on thesecond oxide layer 106. While using the photoresist pattern PR as a mask, a trench T1 is formed by etching thesecond oxide 106, thenitride layer 104, and thefirst oxide layer 102 until thesubstrate 100 is exposed. In the illustrated example, the photoresist pattern PR is formed to define first and second active regions A and B, and an element isolation region. The sizes of the active regions depend on the size of the semiconductor element to be formed thereon. In the illustrated example, the first active region A is wider than the second active region B. - As shown in
FIG. 2 b, after the photoresist pattern PR is removed, a second trench T2 is formed by etching the exposedsubstrate 100 while using thesecond oxide layer 106 as a mask. - As shown in
FIG. 2 c, athird oxide layer 108 is formed on the entire surface of thesubstrate 100 and inside of the second trench T2. In the illustrated example, thethird oxide layer 108 is formed of a TEOS (Tetra Ethyl Ortho Silicate) layer by performing a LPCVD (Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition) method. In the illustrated example, thethird oxide layer 108 is formed to have a thickness of about 10˜200 Å. Next, the second trench T2 is filled with afourth oxide layer 110 by performing an HDPCVD (High Density Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition) method. - In order to form a sacrificial layer for a subsequent chemical mechanical polishing process, a
sacrificial oxide layer 112 is formed on thesubstrate 100 by a SOG (Spin On Glass) method. A heat treatment is then carried out. The heat treatment is performed in an oxygen atmosphere at a high temperature over about 1,000° C. so that impurities on the surfaces of thesacrificial oxide layer 112 and thefourth oxide layer 110 are oxidized and removed. - As a result of forming the
sacrificial oxide layer 112, the element isolation region adjacent the narrow active region B can be protected from damage because the narrow active region B is covered and the step between the narrow active region B and the wide active region A is minimized during a chemical mechanical polishing process. The reliability of the fabricated semiconductor device is improved because the heat treatment is performed after forming the sacrificial oxide layer for removal of the impurities. - Next, as shown in
FIG. 1 , thesacrificial oxide layer 112, thefourth oxide layer 110, thethird oxide layer 108 and thesecond oxide layer 106 are removed by blank etching so that thenitride layer 104 is exposed. Next, thenitride layer 104 is chemically and mechanically polished until thefirst oxide layer 102 is exposed so that thesubstrate 100 is planarized. Residues of thenitride layer 104 can be removed with phosphoric acid (H3PO4). - A semiconductor device manufactured by a second example method performed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention has generally the same resultant structure as a semiconductor device fabricated by the first example method described above. However, the second example method is different from the first example method. The second example method will now be described in detailed with reference to
FIGS. 3 a, 3 b, 3 c and 3 d. -
FIGS. 3 a, 3 b, 3 c and 3 d are cross-sectional views of shallow trench isolation structures in a semiconductor device manufactured by the second example method. As shown inFIG. 3 a, afirst oxide layer 102, anitride layer 104, and asecond oxide layer 106 are sequentially formed on asubstrate 100. A photoresist pattern PR is formed on thesecond oxide layer 106. While using the photoresist pattern PR as a mask, thesecond oxide layer 106, thenitride layer 104, and thefirst oxide layer 102 are etched until thesubstrate 100 is exposed, so that a first trench T1 is formed. The sizes of the active regions depend on the size of a semiconductor element to be formed thereon. In the illustrated example, a first active region A is defined to be broader than a second active region B. - In the example of
FIG. 3 b, after the photoresist pattern PR is removed, a second trench is formed by etching the exposedsubstrate 100 while using thesecond oxide layer 106 as a mask. This second trench represents a similar area as the trench T2 of the first example shown inFIG. 2 b. - A
third oxide layer 108 is formed on the entire surface of thesubstrate 100 and inside the second trench. Thethird oxide layer 108 is formed of a TEOS (Tetra Ethyl Ortho Silicate) layer by performing a LPCVD (Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition) method. Thethird oxide layer 108 is formed to have a thickness of about 10˜200 Å. In addition, afourth oxide layer 110 is formed by an HDPCVD (High Density Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition) method to fill up the inside of the second trench. A photoresist pattern (PR) is then formed on thefourth oxide layer 110 in an area corresponding to the first active region A. - Next, as shown in
FIG. 3 c, in order to form a sacrificial layer for a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process, asacrificial oxide layer 120 is formed over the entire surface of thesubstrate 100 performing a PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition) at a low temperature of about 180˜220° C. In the illustrated example, thesacrificial oxide layer 120 is formed by injecting the gases of SiH4 and O2, or the gases of TEOS and O2 into the PECVD equipment. In consideration of the surface properties, thesacrificial oxide layer 120 can be thinly formed on the photoresist pattern PR in comparison with the other area. - As shown is
FIG. 3 d, the photoresist pattern PR is removed with an alkaline solution so that thesacrificial oxide layer 120 remains only on the second active area B to continue to protect the second active area B. - As a result of further forming the
sacrificial oxide layer 120, the element isolation region adjacent to the narrow active region B is protected from damage and the step between the narrow active region B and the wide active region A is minimized during a subsequent chemical mechanical polishing process. - Next, as shown in
FIG. 1 , thesacrificial oxide layer 120, thefourth oxide layer 110, thethird oxide layer 108 and thesecond oxide layer 106 are removed so that thenitride layer 104 is exposed. Subsequently, thenitride layer 104 is chemically and mechanically polished until thefirst oxide layer 102 is exposed so that the entire structure is planarized. In addition, residues of thenitride layer 104 can be removed with phosphoric acid (H3PO4). - From the above description, persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that high quality semiconductor devices have been provided wherein an element isolation region formed around a narrow active area can be protected by further forming a sacrificial oxide layer.
- Persons of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate that methods of forming shallow trench isolation structures in semiconductor devices which are capable of minimizing the damage of a narrow active area when forming an element isolation area through an STI process have been provided.
- A disclosed example method of forming a shallow trench isolation structure in a semiconductor device comprises: forming a first oxide layer, a nitride layer, and a second oxide layer on a substrate; forming a trench defining first and second active areas by etching the second oxide layer, the nitride layer, the first oxide layer, and the substrate in a predetermined area; forming a third oxide layer inside of the trench; forming a fourth oxide layer filling the trench; forming a sacrificial oxide layer on the fourth oxide layer; and removing the sacrificial oxide layer, the fourth oxide layer, the third oxide layer, the second oxide layer, and the nitride layer to form the shallow trench isolation structure.
- Another example method of forming a shallow trench isolation structure in a semiconductor device comprises: forming a first oxide layer, a nitride layer, and a second oxide layer on a substrate; forming a trench defining first and second active areas by etching the second oxide layer, the nitride layer, the first oxide layer, and the substrate in a predetermined area; forming a third oxide layer along an inside of the trench; forming a fourth oxide layer to fill up the trench; forming a photoresist pattern on the fourth oxide layer in an area corresponding with the first active area; forming a sacrificial oxide layer over an entire surface of the substrate and on the photoresist pattern; removing the photoresist pattern, the sacrificial oxide layer, the fourth oxide layer, the third oxide layer, the second oxide layer, and the nitride layer to form the shallow trench isolation.
- The sacrificial oxide is preferable formed by a SOG (Spin On Glass) method. In an illustrated example, a heat treatment is performed after the sacrificial oxide is formed. The heat treatment is performed in an oxygen atmosphere, and at a temperature over about 1,000° C.
- In addition, the sacrificial oxide is preferably formed by a PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition) method.
- In addition, the third oxide layer is preferably formed to have a thickness of about 10˜100 Å.
- In addition, the sacrificial oxide layer, the second oxide layer, the third oxide layer, and the fourth oxide layer are preferably removed by a blanket etching process.
- In addition, the nitride layer is preferably removed by a chemical mechanical polishing process.
- In an illustrated example, an etching process is performed using phosphohydric acid (H3PO4) after the chemical mechanical polishing process.
- Although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.
Claims (14)
1. A method of forming a shallow trench isolation structure in a semiconductor device comprising:
forming a first oxide layer, a nitride layer, and a second oxide layer above a substrate;
forming a second oxide layer pattern, a nitride layer pattern, and a first oxide layer pattern to expose a shallow trench isolation region in the substrate by etching the second oxide layer, the nitride layer, and the first oxide layer;
forming a trench in the substrate by etching the shallow trench isolation region using the second oxide layer pattern as a mask;
forming a third oxide layer on a wall of the trench;
forming a fourth oxide layer on the substrate to fill the trench;
forming a sacrificial oxide layer on the fourth oxide layer;
removing the sacrificial oxide layer, the fourth oxide layer, the third oxide layer pattern, and the second oxide layer pattern until the nitride layer pattern is exposed; and
removing the nitride layer pattern by a chemical mechanical polishing process.
2. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the sacrificial oxide layer is formed by an SOG (Spin on Glass) method.
3. A method as defined in claim 2 , further comprising performing a heat treatment in an oxygen atmosphere at a temperature over about 1,000° C., after forming the sacrificial oxide layer.
4. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the third oxide layer has a thickness of about 10˜100 Å.
5. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the sacrificial oxide layer, portions of the fourth oxide layer, portions of the third oxide layer, and the second oxide layer are removed by blanket etching.
6. A method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising an etching process to remove a nitride residue using a phosphoric acid (H3PO4) after performing the chemical mechanical polishing process.
7. A method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising forming a first photoresist pattern over the second oxide layer to define the shallow trench isolation region.
8. A method as defined in claim 7 , further comprising removing the photoresist pattern prior to etching the substrate in the shallow trench isolation region.
9. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein forming the third oxide layer comprises low pressure chemical vapor deposition of a TEOS layer.
10. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein filling the trench with the fourth oxide layer comprises high density plasma chemical vapor deposition of an oxide layer.
11. A method as defined in claim 7 , wherein the first photoresist pattern also defines first and second active regions.
12. A method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the first active region has a greater width than the second active region.
13. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the fourth oxide layer is substantially coplanar with the upper surface of the first oxide layer.
14. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein removing the nitride layer pattern exposes an upper surface of the first oxide layer.
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US12/075,075 US20080160719A1 (en) | 2004-07-13 | 2008-03-06 | Methods of forming shallow trench isolation structures in semiconductor devices |
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KR2004-54327 | 2004-07-13 | ||
KR1020040054327A KR100613372B1 (en) | 2004-07-13 | 2004-07-13 | Manufacturing method of sallow trench isolation in semiconductor device |
US11/181,607 US7402500B2 (en) | 2004-07-13 | 2005-07-13 | Methods of forming shallow trench isolation structures in semiconductor devices |
US12/075,075 US20080160719A1 (en) | 2004-07-13 | 2008-03-06 | Methods of forming shallow trench isolation structures in semiconductor devices |
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US11/181,607 Continuation US7402500B2 (en) | 2004-07-13 | 2005-07-13 | Methods of forming shallow trench isolation structures in semiconductor devices |
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US12/075,075 Abandoned US20080160719A1 (en) | 2004-07-13 | 2008-03-06 | Methods of forming shallow trench isolation structures in semiconductor devices |
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Cited By (2)
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US20150024600A1 (en) * | 2013-07-16 | 2015-01-22 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | Systems and methods to mitigate nitride precipitates |
CN109987576A (en) * | 2013-03-11 | 2019-07-09 | 台湾积体电路制造股份有限公司 | MEMS device structure with overlay structure |
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KR100825014B1 (en) | 2006-12-27 | 2008-04-24 | 주식회사 하이닉스반도체 | Method for fabricating isolation in semiconductor device |
JP2008166526A (en) | 2006-12-28 | 2008-07-17 | Spansion Llc | Method of manufacturing semiconductor device |
KR100842762B1 (en) * | 2007-01-04 | 2008-07-01 | 주식회사 하이닉스반도체 | Method for manufacturing semiconductor device with recess gate |
US8093678B2 (en) * | 2007-04-05 | 2012-01-10 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | Semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same |
KR100856315B1 (en) * | 2007-06-22 | 2008-09-03 | 주식회사 동부하이텍 | Method of manufacturing semiconductor device |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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KR20060005504A (en) | 2006-01-18 |
US7402500B2 (en) | 2008-07-22 |
US20060014362A1 (en) | 2006-01-19 |
KR100613372B1 (en) | 2006-08-21 |
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