Method of obtaining a rounded top trench corner for semiconductor trench etch applications

Abstract

The present disclosure pertains to our discovery that a particular sequence of processing steps will lead to the formation of a rounded top corner on a trench formed in a semiconductor substrate. In general, the method of the invention includes the following steps: (a) providing a film stack comprising the following layers, from the upper surface of the film stack toward the underlying substrate, (i) a first layer of patterned material which is resistant to a wet etch solution used to etch an underlying second layer and which is resistant to dry etch components used to etch the semiconductor substrate, and (ii) a second layer of material which can be preferentially etched using a wet etch solution, wherein the second layer of material is deposited directly on top of the semiconductor substrate; (b) wet etching the second layer by immersing the film stack in a wet etch solution for a period of time sufficient to form an undercut beneath the first layer and to expose the underlying semiconductor substrate; and (c) isotropically dry etching the exposed semiconductor substrate so as to form a trench in the semiconductor substrate. The present invention provides a method for obtaining a rounded top trench corner while at the same time retaining excellent control of the critical dimensions of the trench. The method of the invention, which is useful in both shallow trench and vertical trench applications, provides a rounded top trench corner having a radius within the range of about 150 Å to about 500 Å, most preferably, within the range of about 200 Å to about 350 Å.