Patent · US Expired

Nitride polish stop for forming SOI wafers

US5262346A · kind A · utility

31Cited by
6References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 16, 1992
Grant dateNov 16, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 16, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S438/977
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of forming a SOI integrated circuit includes defining thin silicon mesas by wet etching a device layer having the <100> orientation down to the underlying insulator so that the (111) crystal planes control the lateral etching, forming a nitride bottom polish stop in the bottom of the apertures by a low temperature CVD process, with nitride sidewalls on the (111) planes of the silicon mesas being susceptible to easy removal, so that no hard material is present during a chemical-mechanical polishing step to thin the device layer down to less than 1000 .ANG., and filling the apertures with a temporary layer of polysilicon to provide mechanical support to the edges of the device layer during the polishing operation.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.