Substrate Isolation Film Patterning With Sacrificial Recess Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for forming films on substrates in semiconductor manufacturing lack precision and efficiency, particularly in creating well-defined recesses and isolation layers for advanced semiconductor devices.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the selective formation of sacrificial films on substrates with adjacent materials, followed by the removal of these films to create precise recesses and isolation films, allowing for the subsequent formation of dielectric films and substituted oxide films with high accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional film formation methods are used on substrates, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the film formation precision and control are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate surface is segmented into multiple regions with different materials (first material, second material, third material) arranged in a specific pattern. This segmentation allows selective film formation on specific material regions, enabling precise control over where films are deposited while maintaining a systematic manufacturing approach.
Solution Approach 2:
Sacrificial films are formed in advance on the first and third materials before the actual film deposition process. These preliminary sacrificial structures serve as placeholders that define the precise locations where the final films should be formed, enabling high precision film placement while streamlining the overall process through pre-planning.
Solution Approach 3:
Sacrificial films act as intermediary structures that facilitate the precise formation of the target film. The sacrificial films are temporarily deposited, patterned, and used as masks or templates to guide the formation of the isolation film and subsequent recess structures, enabling precise film placement without requiring complex direct deposition control.
2Shape
If sacrificial films are used to form precise recesses, then the recess shape control is improved, but the process steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into the sacrificial film formation process: the sacrificial films simultaneously serve as deposition masks, structural templates for recess formation, and definition structures for isolation film placement. This consolidation of functions achieves precise recess shape control while minimizing the number of separate process steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The sacrificial films are intentionally deposited and then selectively removed after serving their purpose as templates. This temporary use of sacrificial materials enables precise recess formation through a straightforward sequence: deposit sacrificial film, form isolation film around it, remove sacrificial film to create recess, and replace with final material. The simplicity of this discard-and-replace approach maintains productivity despite the additional precision step.
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided a technique that includes: (a) in a substrate with a structure where surfaces of first, second, and third materials are adjacent to one another sequentially, selectively forming first and second sacrificial films on the surfaces of the first and third materials respectively with respect to the surface of the second material; (b) forming an isolation film in a recess with the first and second sacrificial films as sidewalls; and (c) forming a first recess with one side surface of the isolation film as a sidewall and the surface of the first material as a bottom surface, and a second recess with the other side surface of the isolation film as a sidewall and the surface of the second material as a bottom surface by selectively removing the first and second sacrificial films with respect to the isolation film, the first material, and the third material.