Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd (corporation)

Xavier Teo Leng Seah

Chivukula Subrahmanyam

Rajan Rajgopal

Methods of protecting, and increasing the thickness of, the oxidized silicon nitride (ON), component of an oxidized silicon nitride on silicon oxide (ONO), layer of a non-volatile memory device, during the hydrofluoric (HF), acid type procedures used for peripheral devices simultaneously fabricated with the non-volatile memory device, has been developed. A first method features a silicon nitride layer located only overlying the ONO layer of the non-volatile memory device, formed prior to HF type pre-clean procedures performed prior to gate oxidation procedures used for peripheral devices. After the gate oxidation procedures the silicon nitride capping layer is selectively removed. A second method features a polysilicon capping layer again located only overlying the ONO layer of the non-volatile memory device, again formed prior to HF type pre-clean procedures. For this iteration the protective polysilicon capping layer is oxidized during subsequent gate oxidation procedures and adds onto the ONO layer, subsequently overlaid by a control gate structure of the non-volatile memory device.

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Singapore, Singapore

Xavier Teo Leng Seah