Lucent Technologies Inc.

Agere Systems Inc.

Agere Systems Guardian Corp.

David Charles Brady

Pradip Kumar Roy

Yi Ma

Isik C Kizilyalli

Hem M Vaidya

Yaw S Obeng

Carlos M Chacon

James L Flack

Steven M Browne

Mark K Mitchell

An abatement system and method for the abatement of contaminants of effluent gases produced during the manufacture of semiconductor devices. A burn/wet scrubber is provided at the device fabrication site where toxic effluent gases are produced. The burn/wet scrubber oxidizes and condenses toxic compounds. Wastewater used to condense oxidized toxic gases is treated locally in an ion exchange filter. The treated wastewater is then directed to a centralized wastewater treatment facility.

System and method for the abatement of toxic constituents of effluent gases

A method for making an integrated circuit device includes forming source and drain regions in a semiconductor substrate and defining a channel region therebetween, forming a graded, grown, gate oxide layer adjacent the channel region, forming a nitride layer adjacent the gate oxide layer, and forming a gate electrode layer adjacent the nitride layer. The gate oxide layer may be formed by growing a first oxide portion by upwardly ramping the channel region to a first temperature lower than a glass transition temperature, and exposing the channel region to an oxidizing ambient at the first temperature and for a first time period. A second oxide portion may be grown between the first oxide portion and the channel region by exposing the channel region to an oxidizing ambient at a second temperature higher than the glass transition temperature for a second time period so that the second oxide portion has a thickness in a range of about 2% to about 75% of a total thickness of the gate oxide layer. Forming the nitride layer may include forming a non-stoichiometric nitride layer, and the nitride layer is preferably formed to have a thickness of less than about 15 &angst;. The nitride layer reduces penetration of a dopant, such as boron, into the gate oxide layer.

Method for making an integrated circuit device including a graded, grown, high quality gate oxide layer and a nitride layer

A transistor gate dielectric structure includes an oxide layer formed on a substrate, a superjacent nitride layer and a transition layer interposed therebetween. The presence of the transition layer alleviates stress between the nitride and oxide layers and minimizes any charge trapping sites between the nitride and oxide layers. The transition layer includes both nitrogen and oxygen as components. The method for forming the structure includes forming the transition layer using a remote nitridation reactor at a sufficiently low temperature such that virtually no nitrogen reaches the interface formed between the oxide layer and the substrate. The oxide layer/substrate interface is relatively pristine and defect-free. In an exemplary embodiment, the oxide layer may be a graded structure formed using two distinct processing operations, a first operation at a relatively low temperature and a final operation at a temperature above the viscoelastic temperature of the oxide film.

Method and structure for oxide/silicon nitride interface substructure improvements

The present invention provides methods of manufacturing a field oxide isolation structure over a semiconductor. One of the methods includes the steps of: (1) depositing a first stack-nitride sublayer over the semiconductor at a first deposition rate and (2) subsequently depositing a second stack-nitride sublayer over the first stack-sublayer at a second deposition rate that is either greater or less than the first deposition rate. The first and second deposition rates provide first and second stack-nitride sublayers that cooperate to form a relatively thin, uniform thickness of the field oxide isolation structure over the semiconductor and provide a stress-accommodating system within the semiconductor. The varying rates of deposition and accompanying changes in mixture ratio, produce a stack that is better able to absorb stress, has greater uniformity and is far less subject to the disadvantageous phenomenon of stack-lifting, particularly encountered in semiconductor having a PADOX layer deposited thereon.

Locos isolation process using a layered pad nitride and dry field oxidation stack and semiconductor device employing the same

This invention includes a novel synthesis of a three-step process of growing, depositing and growing SiO,under low pressure, e.g., 0.2-10 Torr, to generate high quality, robust and reliable gate oxides for sub 0.5 micron technologies. The first layer, 1.0-3.0 nm is thermally grown for passivation of the Si-semiconductor surface. The second deposited layer, which contains a substantial concentration of a hydrogen isotope, such as deuterium, forms an interface with the first grown layer. During the third step of the synthesis densification of the deposited oxide layers occurs with a simultaneous removal of the interface traps at the interface and growth of a stress-modulated SiO,occurs at the Si/first grown layer interface in the presence of a stress-accommodating interface layer resulting in a planar and stress-reduced Si/SiO,interface. The entire synthesis is done under low-pressure (e.g., 0.2-10 Torr) for slowing down the oxidation kinetics to achieve ultrathin sublayers and may be done in a single low-pressure furnace by clustering all three steps.

System and method for forming a uniform thin gate oxide layer

This invention includes a novel synthesis of a three-step process of growing, depositing and growing Si0,under low pressure, e.g., 0.2-10 Torr, to generate high quality, robust and reliable gate oxides for sub 0.5 micron technologies. The first layer, 1.0-3.0 nm is thermally grown for passivation of the Si-semiconductor surface. The second deposited layer 1.0-5.0 nm forms an interface with the first grown layer. During the third step of the synthesis densification of the deposited oxide layers occurs with a simultaneous removal of the interface traps at the interface and growth of a stress-modulated Si0,occurs at the Si/first grown layer interface in the presence of a stress-accommodating interface layer resulting in a planar and stress-reduced Si/SiO,interface. The entire synthesis is done under low-pressure (e.g., 0.2-10 Torr) for slowing down the oxidation kinetics to achieve ultrathin sublayers and may be done in a single low-pressure furnace by clustering all three steps. For light nitrogen-incorporation (<5%) for certain devices, often required due to improved resistance to boron and other dopant diffusion and hot-carrier characteristics, N,O or NO in the oxidant are used during each steps of the stacked oxide synthesis. Planar and stress-reduced Si/SiO,interface characteristics is a unique signature of stacked oxide that improves robustness of the gate oxide to ULSI processing resulting in reduced scatter in device parameters (e.g., threshold voltage transconductance), mobility degradation and resistance to hot-carrier and Fowler-Nordheim stress.

Locos isolation process using a layered pad nitride and dry field

This invention includes a novel synthesis of a three-step process of growing, depositing and growing SiO.sub.2 under low pressure, e.g., 0.2-10 Torr, to generate high quality, robust and reliable gate oxides for sub 0.5 micron technologies. The first layer, 1.0-3.0 nm is thermally grown for passivation of the Si-semiconductor surface. The second deposited layer, which contains a substantial concentration of a hydrogen isotope, such as deuterium, forms an interface with the first grown layer. During the third step of the synthesis densification of the deposited oxide layers occurs with a simultaneous removal of the interface traps at the interface and growth of a stress-modulated SiO.sub.2 occurs at the Si/first grown layer interface in the presence of a stress-accommodating interface layer resulting in a planar and stress-reduced Si/SiO.sub.2 interface. The entire synthesis is done under low-pressure (e.g., 0.2-10 Torr) for slowing down the oxidation kinetics to achieve ultrathin sublayers and may be done in a single low-pressure furnace by clustering all three steps. For light nitrogen-incorporation (&lt;5%) for certain devices, often required due to improved resistance to boron and other dopant diffusion and hot-carrier characteristics, N.sub.2 O or NO in the oxidant are used during each steps of the stacked oxide synthesis. Planar and stress-reduced Si/SiO.sub.2 interface characteristics is a unique signature of stacked oxide that improves robustness of the gate oxide to ULSI processing resulting in reduced scatter in device parameters (e.g., threshold voltage, transconductance) , mobility degradation, and resistance to hot-carrier and Fowler-Nordheim stress.

Use of SiD.sub.4 for deposition of ultra thin and controllable oxides

A method and apparatus for the manufacture of integrated circuits including the placement of a single tube for introduction of dopant gases into a process chamber is disclosed.

In-situ doped silicon layers

This invention includes a novel synthesis of a three-step process of growing, depositing and growing SiO.sub.2 under low pressure, e.g., 0.2-10 Torr, to generate high quality, robust and reliable gate oxides for sub 0.5 micron technologies. The first layer, 1.0-3.0 nm is thermally grown for passivation of the Si-semiconductor surface. The second deposited layer 1.0-5.0 nm forms an interface to with the first grown layer. During the third step of the synthesis densification of the deposited oxide layers occurs with a simultaneous removal of the interface traps at the interface and growth of a stress-modulated SiO.sub.2 occurs at the Si/first grown layer interface in the presence of a stress-accommodating interface layer resulting in a planar and stress-reduced Si/SiO.sub.2 interface. The entire synthesis is done under low-pressure (e.g., 0.2-10 Torr) for slowing down the oxidation kinetics to achieve ultrathin sublayers and may be done in a single low-pressure furnace by clustering all three steps. For light nitrogen-incorporation (&lt;5%) for certain devices, often required due to improved resistance to boron and other dopant diffusion and hot-carrier characteristics, N.sub.2 O or NO in the oxidant are used during each steps of the stacked oxide synthesis. Planar and stress-reduced Si/SiO.sub.2 interface characteristics is a unique signature of stacked oxide that improves robustness of the gate oxide to ULSI processing resulting in reduced scatter in device parameters (e.g., threshold voltage transconductance), mobility degradation and resistance to hot-carrier and Fowler-Nordheim stress.

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Windermere, FL, United States of America

David Charles Brady