The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 10, 2004
Filed:
Oct. 11, 2002
Syun-Ming Jang, Hsin-Chu, TW;
Mo-Chiun Yu, Taipei, TW;
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Co., Ltd, Hsin Chu, TW;
Abstract
A method for forming shallow trench isolation (STI) features to reduce or avoid divot formation at STI trench corners including providing a shallow trench isolation (STI) feature included in a semiconductor process surface the STI feature including an anisotropically etched trench formed into a semiconductor substrate extending through a thickness including a thermally grown silicon dioxide layer overlying the semiconductor substrate and a metal nitride hardmask layer overlying the thermally grown silicon dioxide layer said anisotropically etched trench being back filled with a silicon dioxide filling material; removing excess silicon dioxide filling material overlying the hardmask layer according to a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process; removing the hard mask layer according to a wet chemical etching process; and, re-growing the thermally grown silicon dioxide layer including re-oxidizing to at least an originally formed thermally grown silicon dioxide layer thickness.