Globalfoundries Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd (corporation)

Quek Kiok Boone Elgin

Khee Yong Lim

Igor V Peidous

Konstantin V Loiko

Tan Poh Suan

Zhang Zufa

Vijai Kumar N Chhagan

Integrated circuits are provided. An exemplary integrated circuit includes a source/drain region in a semiconductor substrate. The integrated circuit includes a charge storage structure overlying the semiconductor substrate and having a first sidewall overlying the source/drain region. The integrated circuit also includes a control gate overlying the source/drain region. Further, the integrated circuit includes a first select gate overlying the semiconductor substrate and adjacent the first sidewall. A first memory cell is formed by the control gate and the first select gate.

Integrated circuits having improved split-gate nonvolatile memory devices and methods for fabrication of same

A novel design of an oxidation mask for improved control of birds beak and more specifically for tailoring and smoothing the field oxide isolation profile in the vicinity of the birds beak. The mask design is particularly advantageous for narrow field isolation spacings found in sub half-micron integrated circuit technology. The mask uses a thin tapered silicon nitride foot along its lower edge to allow nominal expansion of the oxide during the early stages of oxidation, thereby permitting in-situ stress relief as well as a smoothing of the oxide profile. The taper of the foot provides a gradual increase in mask stiffness as oxidation proceeds under the mask edge, allowing greatest flexibility during the early rapid growth period followed by increasing stiffness during the later stages when the growth rate has slowed, thereby inhibiting the penetration of birds beak. Shear stresses responsible for dislocation generation are reduced by as much as fifty fold. This stress reduction is accompanied by an improvement in surface topography as well as suppression of oxide punch though and the narrow oxide thinning effect.

LOCOS mask for suppression of narrow space field oxide thinning and oxide punch through effect

Growing community of inventors

Singapore, Singapore

Quek Kiok Boone Elgin