Abstract: A method is for the formation of at least one filled isolation trench having a protective cap in a semiconductor layer, and a semiconductor device with at least one filled isolation trench having a protective cap. The method allows obtaining, in an easy way, filled isolation trenches exhibiting excellent functional and morphological properties. The method therefore allows the obtainment of effective filled isolation trenches which help provide elevated, reliable and stable isolation properties.

Abstract: The alignment mark and method for making the same are described. In one embodiment, a semiconductor structure includes a substrate having a device region and an alignment region; a first shallow trench isolation (STI) feature in the alignment region and having a first depth D1; a second STI feature in the device region and having a second depth D2; an alignment mark with patterned features overlying the first STI in the alignment region; and a gate stack formed on an active region in the device region.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: a process to form an element isolation trench on a semiconductor substrate, the element isolation trench having a crystal plane orientation that is different from a crystal plane orientation on a surface of the semiconductor substrate; a process to deposit, on the semiconductor substrate, one of a metal that promotes generation of oxygen radicals and a metal containing film that promotes generation of the oxygen radicals; a process to oxidize the semiconductor substrate; and a process to remove the one of the metal and the metal containing film.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure has a substrate having a trench, an isolation dielectric in the trench, and a stress buffer layer, between the substrate and the dielectric. Semiconductor devices containing the semiconductor structure may have higher reliability, and may have a reduced manufacturing costs per device.

Abstract: In a strained SOI semiconductor layer, the stress relaxation which may typically occur during the patterning of trench isolation structures may be reduced by selecting an appropriate reduced target height of the active regions, thereby enabling the formation of transistor elements on the active region of reduced height, which may still include a significant amount of the initial strain component. The active regions of reduced height may be advantageously used for forming fully depleted field effect transistors.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a finned semiconductor device structure is provided. The method begins by providing a substrate having bulk semiconductor material. The method continues by forming a semiconductor fin structure from the bulk semiconductor material, depositing an insulating material overlying the semiconductor fin structure such that the insulating material fills space adjacent to the semiconductor fin structure, and planarizing the deposited insulating material and the semiconductor fin structure to create a flat surface. Thereafter, a replacement gate procedure is performed to form a gate structure transversely overlying the semiconductor fin structure.

Abstract: A method of performing an STI gapfill process for semiconductor devices is provided. In a specific embodiment of the invention, the method includes forming an stop layer overlying a substrate. In addition, the method includes forming a trench within the substrate, with the trench having sidewalls, a bottom, and a depth. The method additionally includes forming a liner within the trench, the liner lining the sidewalls and bottom of the trench. Furthermore, the method includes filling the trench to a first depth with a first oxide. The first oxide is filled using a spin-on process. The method also includes performing a first densification process on the first oxide within the trench. In addition, the method includes depositing a second oxide within the trench using an HDP process to fill at least the entirety of the trench. The method also includes performing a second densification process on the first and second oxides within the trench.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of forming a flash memory device, which is capable of forming floating gates. According to a method of forming a flash memory device in accordance with the present invention, isolation mask patterns are first formed over a semiconductor substrate. Trenches are formed by performing an etching process using the isolation mask patterns. Isolation layers are formed between the isolation mask patterns, including the insides of the respective trenches. The isolation mask patterns are removed. Tunnel dielectric layers and crystallized first conductive layers are sequentially formed over the exposed semiconductor substrate. A dielectric layer and a second conductive layer are formed over the isolation layers and the first conductive layers.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided. For an embodiment, a plurality fins is formed in a substrate so that the fins protrude from a substrate. After the plurality fins is formed, the fins are isotropically etched to reduce a width of the fins and to round an upper surface of the fins. A first dielectric layer is formed overlying the isotropically etched fins. A first conductive layer is formed overlying the first dielectric layer. A second dielectric layer is formed overlying the first conductive layer. A second conductive layer is formed overlying the second dielectric layer.

Abstract: An electronic device can include a field isolation region and a first insulating layer having a first strain and having a portion, which from a top view, lies entirely within the field isolation region. The electronic device can also include a second insulating layer having a second strain different from the first strain and including an opening. From a top view, the portion of the first insulating layer can lie within the opening in the second insulating layer. In one embodiment, the field isolation region can include a dummy structure and the portion of the first insulating layer can overlie the dummy structure. A process of forming the electronic device can include forming an island portion of an insulating layer wherein from a top view, the island portion lies entirely within the field isolation region.

Abstract: Oxide films are deposited under conditions generating a silicon-rich oxide in which silicon nanoclusters form either during deposition or during subsequent annealing. Such deposition conditions include those producing films with optical indices (n) greater than 1.46. The method of the present invention reduces the TID radiation-induced shifts for the oxides.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, an element isolation insulating film, a source layer, a drain layer, a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, a first punch-through stopper layer, and a second punch-through stopper layer. The semiconductor substrate is a first conductivity type. The element isolation insulating film divides an upper layer portion of the semiconductor substrate into a plurality of first active regions. The source layer and the drain layer are a second conductivity type and are formed in spaced to each other in an upper portion of each of the first active regions. The gate electrode is provided in a region directly above a channel region on the semiconductor substrate located between the source layer and the drain layer. The gate insulating film is provided between the semiconductor substrate and the gate electrode.

Abstract: When forming a trench in a porous low-K dielectric (such as an ILD) of a semiconductor device, a carbon-rich layer is formed in the sidewalls of the trench during trench etching. This carbon-rich layer may protect the trench from being excessively etched, which would otherwise form an undesirable hardmask undercut. The carbon-rich layer may be formed simultaneously with and during the etching process, by increasing the amount of carbon available to be absorbed by the ILD during the trench etching process. The existence of the extra available carbon may slow the etching of the carbon-enriched regions of the dielectric.

Abstract: Semiconductor devices and methods of manufacturing thereof are disclosed. Isolation regions are formed that include a stress-altering material at least partially lining a trench formed within a workpiece. The isolation regions include an insulating material disposed over the stress-altering material.

Abstract: A process of forming a semiconductor process fabricated device which contains a trench, hole or gap filled with a conformally deposited material is disclosed. A sacrificial planarizing layer is formed on the fill material, and the device is planarized using a selective RIE process which etches the fill material faster than the sacrificial planarizing layer. An overetch step completes the planarization process.

Abstract: In manufacturing processes of a semiconductor device including a shallow trench element isolation region and an interlayer insulating film of a multilayer structure, it is necessary to repeatedly use CMP, but since the CMP itself is costly, the repeated use of the CMP is a cause to increase the manufacturing cost. As an insulating film for use in a shallow trench (ST) element isolation region and/or a lowermost-layer interlayer insulating film, use is made of an insulating coating film that can be coated by spin coating. The insulating coating film has a composition expressed by ((CH3)nSiO2-n/2)x(SiO2)1-x(where n=1 to 3 and 0?x?1.0) and a film with a different relative permittivity k is formed by selecting heat treatment conditions. The STI element isolation region can be formed by modifying the insulating coating film completely to a SiO2 film, while the interlayer insulating film with a small relative permittivity k can be formed by converting it to a state not completely modified.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing doping patterns includes providing a substrate having a plurality of STIs defining and electrically isolating a plurality of active regions in the substrate, forming a patterned photoresist having a plurality of exposing regions for exposing the active regions and the STIs in between the active regions on the substrate, and performing an ion implantation to form a plurality of doping patterns in the active regions.

Abstract: A method for fabricating an integrated circuit is provided. The method includes providing a substrate having an active region and an opening in the substrate adjacent to the active region. The opening is filled with a dielectric material so as to provide an isolation region in the substrate. A transistor is also formed in the active region and a pre-metal dielectric layer formed over the substrate and transistor. At least one of the dielectric layer in isolation region or the pre-metal dielectric layer includes a stressed O3 TEOS oxide having a stress retaining dopant, wherein the concentration of the stress retaining dopant is sufficient to retard stress degradation of the O3 TEOS oxide.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a saddle-fin transistor may include: forming a buffer oxide film and a hard mask oxide film over a semiconductor substrate; etching the buffer oxide film, the hard mask oxide film and the semiconductor substrate corresponding to a mask pattern to form a trench corresponding to a gate electrode and a fin region; oxidizing the exposed semiconductor substrate in the trench to form a gate oxide film; depositing a gate lower electrode in the trench; and depositing a gate upper electrode over the gate lower electrode to fill the trench.

Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises MOS transistors sequentially arranged in the plane direction of a substrate, wherein a gate electrode and a wiring portion for connecting between the gate electrodes to each other are implanted into a layer that is lower than a surface of the substrate in which a diffusion layer has been formed. A first device isolation area with a STI structure for separating the diffusion layers that function as a source/drain area is formed on the surface of the substrate. A second device isolation area with the STI structure for separating channel areas of the MOS transistors adjacent to each other is formed in a layer that is lower than a layer that has the first device isolation area.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, the method including forming a buffer oxide layer in a first region and a second region of a semiconductor substrate; forming a plurality of first preliminary mask patterns on the buffer oxide layer in the first region; forming a plurality of second preliminary mask patterns between every two adjacent first preliminary mask patterns from among the plurality of first preliminary mask patterns, respectively; forming a plurality of first mask patterns and a plurality of second mask patterns by trimming the plurality of first preliminary mask patterns and the plurality of second preliminary mask patterns; forming a plurality of first active region mask patterns for exposing the semiconductor substrate; defining a plurality of active regions in the semiconductor substrate by forming a trench including a plurality of first trench spaces having same width as the first space and a plurality of second trench spaces under the second space in the first region; and forming

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a nonvolatile memory device includes forming a tunnel insulating layer over a semiconductor substrate, forming a charge trap layer, including first impurity ions of a first concentration, over the tunnel insulating layer, forming a compensation layer, including second impurity ions of a second concentration, over the charge trap layer, diffusing the second impurity ions within the compensation layer toward the charge trap layer, removing the compensation layer, forming a dielectric layer on surfaces of the charge trap layer, and forming a conductive layer for a control gate on the dielectric layer.

Abstract: In methods of forming a trench, first patterns separated from each other by a first width and second patterns separated from each other by a second width are formed on a substrate. The second width is wider than the first width. The substrate is etched using the first patterns and the second patterns to form a first trench having a first depth and a preliminary second trench having a second depth. A sacrificial layer is formed to fill up a space between the first patterns. The substrate is etched using the sacrificial layer to form a second trench having a third depth deeper than the second depth.

Abstract: In a semiconductor device and related method of fabricating the same, a hard mask layer is formed over a substrate, portions of the hard mask layer and the substrate are etched to form trenches having protruding portions at sidewalls, and an insulation layer buried in the trenches is formed to form device isolation regions having protruding portions at sidewalls, wherein the device isolation regions decrease a portion of a width of active regions.

Abstract: A method for forming an isolation layer in a semiconductor device includes forming a trench in a semiconductor substrate. A flowable insulation layer is formed to fill the trench. The flowable insulation layer is recessed. A buried insulation layer is deposited on the flowable insulation layer while keeping a deposition sputtering rate (DSR) below about 22 so as to fill the trench with the buried insulation layer while restraining the buried insulation layer from growing on a lateral portion of the trench.

Abstract: The present invention relates to creating an active layer of strained semiconductor using a combination of buried and sacrificial stressors. That is, a process can strain an active semiconductor layer by transferring strain from a stressor layer buried below the active semiconductor layer and by transferring strain from a sacrificial stressor layer formed above the active semiconductor layer. As an example, the substrate may be silicon, the buried stressor layer may be silicon germanium, the active semiconductor layer may be silicon and the sacrificial stressor layer may be silicon germanium. Elastic edge relaxation is preferably used to efficiently transfer strain to the active layer.

Abstract: An integrated circuit and method including an isolation arrangement. One embodiment provides a substrate having trenches and mesa regions and also auxiliary structures on the mesa regions. A first isolation structure covers side walls and a bottom region of the trenches and at least partially side walls of the auxiliary structure. A liner on the first isolation structure fills the trenches and gaps between the auxiliary structures with a second isolation structure; and the second isolation structure is pulled back, wherein upper sections of the liner are uncovered.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to integrated circuit fabrication, and more particularly to a method for fabricating a semiconductor device. An exemplary method for fabricating the semiconductor device comprises providing a substrate; forming pad oxide layers over a frontside and a backside of the substrate; forming hardmask layers over the pad oxide layers on the frontside and the backside of the substrate; and thinning the hardmask layer over the pad oxide layer on the frontside of the substrate.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided herein, where the width effect is reduced in the resulting semiconductor device. The method involves providing a substrate having semiconductor material, forming an isolation trench in the semiconductor material, and lining the isolation trench with a liner material that substantially inhibits formation of high-k material thereon. The lined trench is then filled with an insulating material. Thereafter, a layer of high-k gate material is formed over at least a portion of the insulating material and over at least a portion of the semiconductor material. The liner material divides the layer of high-k gate material, which prevents the migration of oxygen over the active region of the semiconductor material.

Abstract: An embodiment of the disclosure includes a method of forming a shallow trench isolation structure. A substrate is provided. The substrate includes a top surface. A trench is formed extending from the top surface into the substrate. The trench has sidewalls and a bottom surface. A liner oxide layer is formed on the sidewalls and the bottom surface. The liner oxide layer is treated in a plasma environment comprises at least one of NF3, F2, and BF2. The trench is filled with a dielectric layer.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a non-volatile semiconductor memory device including previously forming a recess in a first peripheral region on a semiconductor substrate, forming a first gate insulator having a first thickness in the recess, forming a second gate insulator having a second thickness less than the first thickness in an array region and a second peripheral region on the semiconductor substrate, successively depositing first and second gate electrode films and first and second mask insulators on each of the first and second gate insulators, forming an isolation trench on a surface of the semiconductor substrate to correspond to each position between the array region and the first and second regions of the peripheral region, depositing a buried insulator on the entire surface, and polishing an upper surface of the buried insulator so that the upper surface can be planarized.

Abstract: A method for forming a vertical channel transistor in a semiconductor memory device includes: forming a plurality of pillars over a substrate so that the plurality of pillars are arranged in a first direction and a second direction crossing the first direction, and so that each of the pillars has a hard mask pattern thereon; forming an insulation layer to fill a regions between the pillars; forming a mask pattern over a resultant structure including the insulation layer, wherein the mask pattern has openings exposing gaps between each two adjacent pillars in the first direction; etching the insulation layer to a predetermined depth using the mask pattern as an etching barrier to form trenches; and filling the trenches with a conductive material to form word lines extending in the first direction.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device may include, but is not limited to the following processes. A semiconductor substrate is prepared. The semiconductor substrate has a first region and a second region other than the first region. A first mask is formed over the first region. The first mask has a first line-and-space pattern extending in a first direction. A first removing process is performed. The first removing process selectively removes the first region with the first mask to form a first groove extending in the first direction. The first removing process removes an upper part of the second region while a remaining part of the second region having a first surface facing upward. The bottom level of the first groove is higher than the level of the first surface.

Abstract: Disclosed is a shallow trench isolation structure having an air gap for suppressing the dark currents and cross-talk which occur in CMOS image sensors. The shallow trench isolation structure suppresses photons injected from neighboring pixels and dark current, so that high-quality images are obtained. Since impurities are removed from a p type ion implantation region for a photodiode when an inner wall oxide layer is etched to form the air gap, the p type ion implantation region has a uniform doping profile, thereby suppressing the diffusion of electrons towards the surface and achieving an image having a high quality.

Abstract: A method of forming a graded trench for a shallow trench isolation region is provided. The method includes providing a semiconductor substrate with a substrate region. The method further includes forming a pad oxide layer overlying the substrate region. Additionally, the method includes forming an etch stop layer overlying the pad oxide layer. The method further includes patterning the etch stop layer and the pad oxide layer to expose a portion of the substrate region. In addition, the method includes forming a trench within an exposed portion of the substrate region, the trench having sidewalls and a bottom and a first depth. The method additionally includes forming a dielectric layer overlying the trench sidewalls, the trench bottom, and mesa regions adjacent to the trench. The method further includes etching the substrate region to increase the depth of at least a portion of the trench to a second depth.

Abstract: Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a semiconductor device is manufactured by forming at least two or more cavities below a surface of a semiconductor substrate wherein the at least two or more cavities are spaced apart from each other by a selected distance, filling at least a portion of the at least two or more cavities with a dielectric material to form at least two or more dielectric structures, removing a portion of the substrate between the at least two or more dielectric structures to form at least one additional cavity, and covering the at least one additional cavity.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure and method of manufacturing the semiconductor structure, and more particularly to a semiconductor structure having reduced metal line resistance and a method of manufacturing the same in back end of line (BEOL) processes. The method includes forming a first trench extending to a lower metal layer Mx+1 and forming a second trench remote from the first trench. The method further includes filling the first trench and the second trench with conductive material. The conductive material in the second trench forms a vertical wiring line extending orthogonally and in electrical contact with an upper wiring layer and electrically isolated from lower metal layers including the lower metal layer Mx+1. The vertical wiring line decreases a resistance of a structure.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including: forming a moisture resistant ring surrounding a multilayer interconnection structure in a layered body formed of stacked layers of a plurality of interlayer insulating films lower in dielectric constant than a SiO2 film and including the multilayer interconnection structure; forming a groove in the layered body between the moisture resistant ring and a scribe line, the groove reaching a surface of a semiconductor substrate; forming a film including Si and C as principal components and covering sidewall surfaces and a bottom surface of the groove; and forming a protection film on the film along the sidewall surfaces and the bottom surface of the groove.

Abstract: A method is for the formation of at least one isolation trench filled with thermal oxide in a semiconductor layer and a semiconductor device include at least one isolation trench filled with thermal oxide. The method allows obtaining in an easy way, isolation trenches exhibiting excellent functional morphological properties. The method is based on the idea of exploiting the properties of the thermal oxidation mechanism of a semiconductor material in order to obtain at least an isolation trench filled with thermal oxide.

Abstract: A semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same are disclosed. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a trench for defining an active region over a semiconductor substrate, forming a doped region by implanting impurities into the trench, forming an oxide film in the trench by performing an oxidation process, forming a nitride film at inner sidewalls of the trench, and forming a device isolation film in the trench.

Abstract: A semiconductor device structure includes a first type region and a second type region defined in a substrate, the first type region and second type region separated by one or more inter-well shallow trench isolation (STI) structures. At least one of the first type region and the second type region has one or more intra-well STI structures formed therein for isolating semiconductor devices formed within a same polarity well. The inter-well STI structures are formed at a substantially same depth with respect to the intra-well STI structures. A main well region is formed such that a bottom of the main well region is disposed above a bottom of the inter-well and intra-well STI features. One or more deep well regions couple the main well regions otherwise isolated by the intra-well STI structures, wherein the deep well regions are spaced away from the inter-well STI structures.

Abstract: Methods of filling high aspect ratio, narrow width (e.g., sub-50 nm) gaps on a substrate are provided. The methods provide gap fill with little or no incidence of voids, seams or weak spots. According to various embodiments, the methods depositing dielectric material in the gaps to partially fill the gaps, then performing multi-step atomic layer removal process to selectively etch unwanted material deposited on the sidewalls of the gaps. The multi-step atomic layer removal process involves a performing one or more initial atomic layer removal operations to remove unwanted material deposited at the top of the gap, followed by one or more subsequent atomic layer removal operations to remove unwanted material deposited on the sidewalls of the gap. Each atomic layer removal operation involves selectively chemically reacting a portion of the fill material with one or more reactants to form a solid reaction product, which is then removed.

Abstract: A method of forming a field effect transistor includes forming trench isolation material within a semiconductor substrate and on opposing sides of a semiconductor material channel region along a length of the channel region. The trench isolation material is formed to comprise opposing insulative projections extending toward one another partially under the channel region along the channel length and with semiconductor material being received over the projections. The trench isolation material is etched to expose opposing sides of the semiconductor material along the channel length. The exposed opposing sides of the semiconductor material are etched along the channel length to form a channel fin projecting upwardly relative to the projections. A gate is formed over a top and opposing sides of the fin along the channel length. Other methods and structures are disclosed.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprises forming a first spacer layer at sidewalls of one or more gate electrodes, forming a trench by etching an isolation insulating layer exposed between the gate electrodes, forming a second spacer layer on sidewalls of the gate electrodes and an inner surface of the trench and forming an interlayer insulating layer between the gate electrodes.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having a dual trench and methods of fabricating the same, a semiconductor module, an electronic circuit board, and an electronic system are provided. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having a cell region including a cell trench and a peripheral region including a peripheral trench. The cell trench is filled with a core insulating material layer, and the peripheral trench is filled with a padding insulating material layer conformably formed on an inner surface thereof and a core insulating material layer formed on an inner surface of the padding insulating material layer. The core insulating material layer has a greater fluidity than the padding insulating material layer.

Abstract: A semiconductor die includes a group of spacer cells within the semiconductor die. The spacer cells include fiducial markings therein. The fiducial markings can be located within a metal layer, a diffusion layer, a polysilicon layer, and/or a Shallow Trench Isolation (STI) structure.

Abstract: Shallow trench isolation regions are positioned between NAND strings (or other types of non-volatile storage). These isolation regions include sections that form concave cut-out shapes in the substrate for the NAND string (or other types of non-volatile storage). The floating gates (or other charge storage devices) of the NAND strings hang over the sections of the isolation region that form the concave cut-out shape in the substrate. To manufacture such a structure, a two step etching process is used to form the isolation regions. In the first step, isotropic etching is used to remove substrate material in multiple directions, including removing substrate material underneath the floating gates. In the second step, anisotropic etching is used to create the lower part of the isolation region.

Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) chip is provided comprising at least one trench including a stress-inducing material which imparts a stress on a channel region of a device, such as a junction gate field-effect transistor (JFET) or a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). A related method is also disclosed.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a semiconductor structure including a semiconductor substrate having a device region and a dummy region adjacent the device region; a plurality of active regions in the device region; and a plurality of dummy active regions in the dummy region, where each of the active regions has a first dimension in a first direction and a second dimension in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the first dimension is substantially greater than the second dimension; and each of the dummy active regions has a third dimension in the first direction and a fourth dimension in the second direction, and the third dimension is substantially greater than the fourth dimension. The plurality of dummy active regions are configured such that thermal annealing effect in the dummy region is substantially equal to that of the device region.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided. An isolation region is formed by lining a trench formed in a substrate with a first dielectric layer by forming the first dielectric layer adjoining exposed substrate surfaces within the trench using a high-density plasma process, forming a layer of spin-on dielectric material on the first dielectric layer so as to fill a remaining portion of the trench, and densifying the layer of spin-on dielectric material.