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TODD O. CURTIS, J. THOMAS PYE, JOHN T. POREDA, Watkins-Johnson Semiconductor Equipment Group, Scotts Valley, CA, USA

ABSTRACT

Linear injected APCVD TEOS:O3 has been the marketleader in isolation trench fill process since its early introduction in high speed 0.35 mm design microp rocessor production in 1993. It now enjoys the largest installed base currently in production for advanced technologies. Isolation trench fill is now commonly used for most sub-0.35 mm products including digital signal processors, flash memories and ASICs. It has also been integrated into 256 megabit and 1 gigabit DRAM products. Leading edge isolation trenches on the order of ~0.15-0.18 mm wide are currently in production. Development evaluations, targeting 0.13 mm and lower design rules, are taking place with structure widths to less than 0.10 mm. This reduction in trench width challenges all aspects of the isolation integration including etch, liner deposition, and the ability of the fill oxide to provide a void free fill and uniform oxide characteristics across 200 and 300 mm substrates. This article focuses on the trench fill capability of the APCVD linear injected process for both shallow and deep isolation structures. Film and device characteristics spanning 0.50 mm to 0.10 mm technologies, reaction chamber design evolution, integration needs for sub- 0.20 mm technologies, extension to 300 mm and comparisons of the linear injection technique to other trench fill process candidates are presented.