International Business Machines Corporation

Liang-Kai Han

Michael John Hargrove

Robert Hannon

Scott W Crowder

Jay G Harrington

Subramanian Srikanteswara Iyer

Herbert Lei Ho

Bomy A Chen

Tze-Chiang Chen

Anthony Gene Domenicucci

Kam-Leung Lee

Dale Warner Martin

Paul Andrew Ronsheim

Hung Y Ng

Hsing-Jen C Wann

Mukesh Vijay Khare

Kevin M Houlihan

Kai Chen

S Sundar Iyer

A protective structure for blocking the propagation of defects generated in a semiconductor device is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the structure includes a deep trench isolation formed between a memory storage region of the semiconductor device and a logic circuit region of the semiconductor device, the deep trench isolation being filled with an insulative material. The deep trench isolation thereby prevents the propagation of crystal defects generated in the logic circuit region from propagating into the memory storage region.

Deep trench isolation of embedded DRAM for improved latch-up immunity

Disclosed is a method of providing variant fills in a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of trenches by providing a semiconductor substrate with a first set of trenches and a second set of trenches, filling all the trenches with a first fill material, masking the second set of trenches in a manner effective in resisting an etching of said first fill material, etching the first fill material in the first set of trenches to a depth effective in permitting the first set of trenches to be plugged, plugging the first set of trenches with a material resistant to an etching of the first fill material, etching the first fill material from the second set of trenches; and then filling the second set of trenches with a second fill material. The process may be generalized to more than two fill materials.

Method of providing variant fills in semiconductor trenches

A p-type MOSFET having very shallow p-junction extensions. The semiconductor device is produced on a substrate by creating a layer of implanted nitrogen ions extending from the substrate surface to a predetermined depth preferably less than about 800 &angst;. The gate electrode serves as a mask so that the nitrogen implantation does not filly extend under the gate electrode. Boron is also implanted to an extent and depth comparable to the nitrogen implantation thereby forming very shallow p-junction extensions that remain confined substantially within the nitrogen layer even after thermal treatment. There is thus produced a pMOSFET having very shallow p-junction extensions in a containment layer of nitrogen and boron in the semiconductor material.

Nitrogen co-implantation to form shallow junction-extensions of p-type metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors

A semiconductor structure having silicon dioxide layers of different thicknesses is fabricated by forming a sacrificial silicon dioxide layer on the surface of a substrate; implanting nitrogen ions through the sacrificial silicon dioxide layer into first areas of the semiconductor substrate; implanting chlorine and/or bromine ions through the sacrificial silicon dioxide layer into second areas of the semiconductor substrate where silicon dioxide having the highest thickness is to be formed; removing the sacrificial silicon dioxide layer; and then growing a layer of silicon dioxide on the surface of the semiconductor substrate. The growth rate of the silicon dioxide will be faster in the areas containing the chlorine and/or bromine ions and therefore the silicon dioxide layer will be thicker in those regions as compared to the silicon dioxide layer in the regions not containing the chlorine and/or bromine ions. The growth rate of the silicon dioxide will be slower in the areas containing the nitrogen ions and therefore the silicon dioxide layer will be thinner in those regions as compared to the silicon dioxide layer in the regions not containing the nitrogen ions. Also provided are structures obtained by the above process.

Method for fabricating different gate oxide thicknesses within the same chip

Shallow trench isolation is combined with optional deep trenches that are self-aligned with the shallow trenches, at the corners of the shallow trenches, and have a deep trench width that is controlled by the thickness of a temporary sidewall deposited in the interior of the shallow trench and is limited by the sidewall deposition thickness of the deep trench fill.

Self-aligned deep trench isolation to shallow trench isolation

A method of forming an integrated circuit having four thicknesses of gate oxide in four sets of active areas by: oxidizing the silicon substrate to form an initial oxide having a thickness appropriate for a desired threshold voltage transistor; depositing a blocking mask to leave a first and fourth set of active areas exposed; implanting the first and fourth set of active areas with a dose of growth-altering ions, thereby making the first set of active areas more or less resistant to oxidation and simultaneously making the fourth set of active areas susceptible to accelerated oxidation; stripping the blocking mask; forming a second blocking mask to leave the first and second sets of active areas exposed; stripping the initial oxide in exposed active areas; stripping the second blocking mask; surface cleaning the wafer; and oxidizing the substrate in a second oxidation step such that a standard oxide thickness is formed in the second set of active areas, whereby an oxide thickness of more or less than the standard oxide thickness is formed in the first set of active areas, an oxide thickness of greater than the standard oxide thickness is formed in the third set of active areas, and a fourth oxide thickness greater than the third oxide thickness is formed in the fourth set of active areas.

Multiple thickness of gate oxide

A low programming voltage anti-fuse formed by a MOSFET (or MOS) or by a deep trench (DT) capacitor structure is described. Lowering the programming voltage is achieved by implanting a dose of heavy ions, such as indium, into the dielectric directly on the substrate or indirectly through a layer of polysilicon. The programming voltage can also be lowered on the MOSFET/MOS capacitor anti-fuse by accentuating the corners of active areas and gate areas of the device with suitable layout masks during processing. Silicon active area corner rounding steps should also be avoided in the fabrication of the anti-fuse to reduce the programming voltage. In the DT capacitor, lowering the programming voltage may be achieved by implanting the node dielectric of the DT anti-fuse with heavy ions either directly or through a conformal layer of polysilicon deposited on it or after the first amorphous silicon recess step during the fabrication of the DT capacitor.

Growing community of inventors

Fishkill, NY, United States of America

Liang-Kai Han