Abstract: A method of forming trench isolation which protects a nitride liner in the trench during subsequent plasma processing, by forming a high temperature oxide layer, such as an HTO oxide layer or LP-TEOS oxide layer. A trench mask is formed on a semiconductor substrate to define a trench forming region, the semiconductor substrate is etched using the trench mask to form a trench, a thermal oxide layer is formed on a bottom and sidewalls of the trench to remove substrate damage caused by the etching, a material layer is formed on the thermal oxide layer to prevent the bottom and sidewalls of the trench from being oxidized, a protection layer is formed on the oxidation barrier layer, the bottom and sidewalls of the trench are plasma processed, and the trench is then filled with a trench fill material uniformly with respect to the bottom and sidewalls.

Abstract: Methods of forming trench isolation regions include the steps of forming a trench in a semiconductor substrate and lining the trench with a first electrically insulating layer. A stress-relief nitride layer is then formed on the first electrically insulating layer, opposite sidewalls of the trench. The trench is then filled with a second electrically insulating layer. The second electrically insulating layer is then planarized. This is followed by the steps of etching the stress-relief nitride layer and then forming a third electrically insulating layer on the planarized second electrically insulating layer and on the stress-relief nitride layer. The step of forming the trench is preferably preceded by the step of forming a patterned pad nitride layer on the semiconductor substrate. The pad nitride layer may be used as a mask when etching the substrate to define the trench.

Abstract: A method of forming an isolation trench in a semiconductor device results in increasing trench isolation characteristics by optimizing an annealing temperature thereby removing substrate defects caused during the etching of a semiconductor substrate and relieving stress thereby improving yield and reliability of devices. Appropriate adjustment of the rates of temperature change allow higher annealing temperatures to be employed without encountering attendant stresses due to differences in thermal expansion coefficients between the substrate and the trench material.