Micron Technology Incorporated

Bob Carstensen

Klaus Florian Schuegraf

Janos Fucsko

Grady S Waldo

Satish Bedge

A method of substantially uniformly etching oxides from non-homogeneous substrates is provided. The method utilizes a substantially non-aqueous etchant including an organic solvent and a fluorine-containing compound. The fluorine containing compound may include HF, HF:NHF, (NH)HF, or TMAF:HF and mixtures thereof. The etchant may be applied to chemically non-homogeneous layers such as shallow trench isolation fill oxide layers, or to layers having a non-homogeneous composition or density at different depths within the layers, such as spin-on-glass or spin-on-dielectric films.

Method of substantially uniformly etching non-homogeneous substrates

A semiconductor processing method of forming a capacitor includes, a) providing a mass of electrically insulative oxide of a first density; b) densifying the oxide mass to a higher second density, the densified oxide mass being characterized by a wet etch rate of less than or equal to about 75 Angstroms/minute in a 100:1 by volume H.sub.2 O:HF solution; c) providing an electrically conductive inner capacitor plate over the underlying electrically insulative oxide layer and thereby defining an insulative layer and inner capacitor plate transition edge; d) after densifying the oxide mass, providing a capacitor dielectric layer over the inner capacitor plate and densified oxide mass, the capacitor dielectric layer comprising a nitride, the nitride containing capacitor dielectric layer having less thickness depletion at the transition edge than would otherwise occur were the oxide mass not subject to said densifying; and e) providing an electrically conductive outer capacitor plate over the capacitor dielectric layer. A capacitor construction includes, i) a dense mass of electrically insulative oxide; ii) an electricaly conductive inner capacitor plate overlying and contacting the electrically insulative oxide mass; iii) a capacitor dielectric layer overlying the inner capacitor plate and oxide mass, the capacitor dielectric layer comprising a nitride; iv) an electrically conductive outer capacitor plate overlying the capacitor dielectric layer; and v) the dense mass of electrically insulative oxide contacting the inner capacitor plate being characterized by a wet etch rate of less than or equal to about 75 Angstroms/minute in a 100:1 by volume H.sub.2 O:HF solution.

Capacitor constructions and semiconductor processing method of forming

A capacitor construction includes, i) a dense mass of electrically insulative oxide; ii) an electrically conductive inner capacitor plate overlying and contacting the electrically insulative oxide mass; iii) a capacitor dielectric layer overlying the inner capacitor plate and oxide mass, the capacitor dielectric layer comprising a nitride; iv) an electrically conductive outer capacitor plate overlying the capacitor dielectric layer; and v) the dense mass of electrically insulative oxide contacting the inner capacitor plate being characterized by a wet etch rate of less than or equal to about 75 Angstroms/minute in a 100:1 by volume H.sub.2 O:HF solution.

A semiconductor processing method of forming a capacitor includes, a) providing a mass of electrically insulative oxide of a first density; b) densifying the oxide mass to a higher second density, the densified oxide mass being characterized by a wet etch rate of less than or equal to about 75 Angstroms/minute in a 100:1 by volume H.sub.2 O:HF solution; c) providing an electrically conductive inner capacitor plate over the underlying electrically insulative oxide layer and thereby defining an insulative layer and inner capacitor plate transition edge; d) after densifying the oxide mass, providing a capacitor dielectric layer over the inner capacitor plate and densified oxide mass, the capacitor dielectric layer comprising a nitride, the nitride containing capacitor dielectric layer having less thickness depletion at the transition edge than would otherwise occur were the oxide mass not subject to said densifying; and e) providing an electrically conductive outer capacitor plate over the capacitor dielectric layer. A capacitor construction includes, i) a dense mass of electrically insulative oxide; ii) an electrically conductive inner capacitor plate overlying and contacting the electrically insulative oxide mass; iii) a capacitor dielectric layer overlying the inner capacitor plate and oxide mass, the capacitor dielectric layer comprising a nitride; iv) an electrically conductive outer capacitor plate overlying the capacitor dielectric layer; and v) the dense mass of electrically insulative oxide contacting the inner capacitor plate being characterized by a wet etch rate of less than or equal to about 75 Angstroms/minute in a 100:1 by volume H.sub.2 O:HF solution.

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Boise, ID, United States of America

Bob Carstensen