Abstract: A system and method is provided herein to fabricate openings in a semiconductor topography using feed forward control of etch process parameters. In one embodiment, a method includes measuring one or more dimensional features of a semiconductor topography to obtain pre-etch values. The method also includes determining a statistical result of the pre-etch values and adjusting one or more processing parameters if the statistical result is less than a target value. Subsequently, the method includes etching the semiconductor topography based upon the statistical result to form one or more openings in the semiconductor topography. As such, the system and method described herein fabricates openings using feed forward control of the etch process parameters to compensate for structural variations within semiconductor topographies that may exist between wafer-to-wafer and/or between lot-to-lot.

Abstract: A method is described for forming a trench in a semiconductor substrate, which has a silicon layer, an oxide layer overlying the silicon layer, and a nitride layer overlying the oxide layer. The method includes etching the nitride layer to a nitride end point using a nitride etching chemistry, which includes a fluorinated hydrocarbon, oxygen, and an inert gas selected from the group consisting of neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and combinations thereof. Methods of making semiconductor devices, methods of reducing defects in semiconductor devices, and silicon wafers having trenches and isolation regions formed by the above-mentioned methods for forming a trench are also described.