Abstract: A polycrystalline silicon electrode and method for its fabrication are disclosed. The electrode includes a barrier layer formed by the implantation of carbon, nitrogen, or oxygen ions between two layers of polycrystalline silicon. The lower layer of polycrystalline silicon is lightly doped or undoped and the top layer is heavily doped to increase the conductivity of the electrode. The barrier layer impedes the diffusion of conductivity determining dopant impurities from one layer of polycrystalline silicon to the other.

Abstract: An isolation formation process that minimizes bird's beak encroachment and preserves gate oxide integrity in the active region. Future active areas are protected by a structure having a central protective material layer, such as a thermal oxide, surrounded by a ring of thermal nitride. The thermal nitride and central protective material are coated by active region protection masking covers. In one embodiment, the masking covers include sidewalls over the thermal nitride ring. In another embodiment, the central protective material layer is overetched beneath an undercut covering layer to provide an undercut filled by the sidewall. All of these features contribute to bird's beak encroachment prevention which may be narrowed to as little as 0.07 microns per side.