Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

International Business Machines Corporation

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Infineon Technologies Ag

Infineon Technologies North America Corp.

Erwin Hammerl

Herbert Lei Ho

Jack Allan Mandelman

Radhika Srinivasan

Reinhard J Stengl

David M Dobuzinsky

Alvin P Short

Samuel C Ramac

Stephen G Fugardi

Scott David Halle

Mark A Jaso

Atul Champaklal Ajmera

Bernhard Poschenrieder

James F Moseman

Junichi Shiozawa

Reinhard Johannes Stengl

Herb Lei Ho

Gary Bela Bronner

Lothar Risch

Alvin Wayne Strong

Johann Alsmeier

Christine Dehm

Ignaz Eisele

Herbert Palm

Bertrand Flietner

Farid Agahi

Harald Gossner

Paul M Fahey

Wilfried Daehn

Mutsuo Morikado

J Herbert Palm

In a method for checking the functioning of memory cells of an integrated semiconductor memory, a first group of the memory cells is tested. The test results, separately for each tested memory cell, are buffer-stored in at least triple copies in a second group of the memory cells. A comparison is made between the copies of each of the test results and the evaluation thereof. The addresses of the respective memory cells of the second group are determined by an address transformation. The latter is configured in such a way that significant clusters of functional errors in an error-affected second group of the memory cells do not influence the result of the test method.

Method for checking the functioning of memory cells of an integrated semiconductor memory

The present invention includes a method and system to increase the deep trench sidewall surface area in a storage node on a DRAM chip. By tilting the trenches the capacitance is increased without taking up more space on the semiconductor chip.

Method of controllably forming a LOCOS oxide layer over a portion of a

A reduction in parasitic leakages of shallow trench isolation vias is disclosed wherein the distance between the silicon nitride liner and the active silicon sidewalls is increased by depositing an insulating oxide layer prior to deposition of the silicon nitride liner. Preferably, the insulating oxide layer comprises tetraethylorthosilicate. The method comprises of etching one or more shallow trench isolations into a semiconductor wafer; depositing an insulating oxide layer into the trench; growing a thermal oxide in the trench; and depositing a silicon nitride liner in the trench. The thermal oxide may be grown prior to or after deposition of the insulating oxide layer.

Shallow trench isolation (STI) with bilayer of oxide-nitride for VLSI

A method for forming an oxygen-impervious barrier on the oxide collar of a trench capacitor in a DRAM cell. The process consists of etching a shallow trench into the oxide collar which surrounds the polysilicon trench fill and isolating it from the single crystal semiconducting substrate material of the DRAM cell to a depth which is at least equal to or larger than the width of the oxide collar. A nitride layer with a thickness equal to or thicker than half of the width of the oxide collar is then deposited on the top surface of the freshly excavated oxide collar such that the aforementioned trench is completely filled with this nitride layer, and the entire surfaces of the substrate and polysilicon trench fill are completely covered. The newly formed nitride layer is then selectively overetched in order to completely remove it from the substrate and polysilicon trench fill surfaces, while still maintaining a sufficient thickness of this layer disposed on the oxide collar sufficient to prevent oxygen diffusion into the oxide collar. Alternatively, the nitride layer may be deposited as a thin layer sandwiched between the original oxide collar and an additional thermally deposited oxide layer.

Nitride cap formation in a DRAM trench capacitor

According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, an improved resistor and method of fabrication is provided. The method for fabricating a resistive element into an integrated circuit semiconductor device comprises the steps of: depositing a dielectric film, such as silicon nitride; depositing a titanium film upon the dielectric film; and annealing the titanium and dielectric films. This causes titanium to be diffused into the dielectric film. This creates a resistive element having a relatively high resistivity. The preferred embodiment method has the advantage of being easily integrated into conventional integrated circuit fabrication techniques.

Method for fabricating a titanium resistor

Method for forming three-dimensional device structures comprising a second device having sub-groundrule features formed over a first device is disclosed. A layer having a single crystalline top surface is formed above the first device to provide the base for forming the active area of the second device. the sub-groundrule feature is formed using mandrel and spacers.

Three-dimensional device layout with sub-groundrule features

In a method for making an electrical connection between a trench storage capacitor and an access transistor in a DRAM cell, the electrical connection is formed through the selectively controlled outdiffusion of either N-type or P-type dopants present in the trench through a single crystalline semiconducting material which is grown by epitaxy (epi) from the trench sidewall. This epitaxially grown single crystalline layer acts as a barrier to excessive dopant outdiffusion which can occur in the processing of conventional DRAMs.

Buried strap formation in a DRAM trench capacitor

A method for making an electrical connection between a trench storage capacitor and an access transistor in a DRAM cell. The electrical connection is formed through the selectively controlled outdiffusion of either N-type or P-type dopants present in the trench through a single crystalline semiconducting material which is grown by epitaxy (epi) from the trench sidewall. This epitaxially grown single crystalline layer acts as a barrier to excessive dopant outdiffusion which can occur in the processing of conventional DRAMs.

Buried-strap formation in a dram trench capacitor

Microelectronic component and process for its production

Method for forming three-dimensional device structures comprising a second device formed over a first device is disclosed. A layer having a single crystalline top surface is formed above the first device to provide the base for forming the active area of the second device.

Three-dimensional device layout having a trench capacitor

Silicon integrated circuits use a crystalline layer of silicon nitride (Si.sub.3 N.sub.4) in shallow trench isolation (STI) structures as an O.sub.2 -barrier film. The crystalline Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 lowers the density of electron traps as compared with as-deposited, amorphous Si.sub.3 N.sub.4. Further, a larger range of low-pressure chemical-vapor deposited (LPCVD) Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 films can be deposited, providing a larger processing window for thickness controllability. An LPCVD-Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 film is deposited at temperatures of 720.degree. C. to 780.degree. C. The deposited film is in an amorphous state. Subsequently, a high-temperatures rapid-thermal anneal in pure nitrogen or ammonia is conducted at 1050.degree. C. to 1100.degree. for 60 seconds.

Application of thin crystalline Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 liners in shallow

A method of fabricating sub-GR gates in a deep trench DRAM cell. The method comprises depositing, removing, and selectively etching a plurality of layers which include sacrificial spacers, liners, masking, and resist layers of both semiconducting and non-semiconducting materials on a semiconductor substrate according to specific process flows designed to circumvent the problems associated with prior art sub-GR processes. The method represents an improvement on standard gate conductor processes and provides a device which achieves an up to now unachieved decoupling of channel doping and junction doping.

Process for forming deep trench DRAMs with sub-groundrule gates

A semiconductor memory device includes a trench formed in a semiconductor substrate. Conductive material is formed in the trench and is insulatively spaced from the semiconductor substrate to form a capacitor. A transfer gate transistor includes source/drain regions formed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate and a control gate which is insulatively spaced from a channel region between the source and drain regions. A buried strap electrically connects the capacitor to one of the source/drain regions of the transfer gate transistor. A portion of the buried strap includes recrystallized silicon.

Controlled recrystallization of buried strap in a semiconductor memory

A simplified method of fabricating a storage node for a deep trench-based DRAM on a semiconductor substrate. The method involves the etching a trench in a surface of the substrate and then forming a layer of dielectric material on a sidewall of the trench the top portion of which is subsequently removed from the sidewall. Next, a layer of oxide is grown on the exposed portion of the sidewall. A portion of this layer of oxide is then removed from the sidewall in order to orient the layer of oxide a predetermined distance from the surface of the substrate. Finally, the trench is filled with a semiconductive material.

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Stormville, NY, United States of America

Erwin Hammerl