Patent · US Expired

Method of forming flash EPROM by using iso+aniso silicon nitride spacer etching technology

US6001690A · kind A · utility

19Cited by
12References
33Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 13, 1998
Grant dateDec 14, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 13, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH10D30/0411

Abstract

A method is provided for forming nitride spacers for flash EEPROM devices. A silicon nitride layer is formed over the floating gate in a memory cell. Unlike in conventional methods where the nitride layer is usually subjected to anisotropic etching, it is disclosed in this invention that when partial isotropic/anisotropic etching of a particular recipe is performed, the resulting nitride spacers are better controlled dimensionally with the attendant advantage, therefore, of better definition of gate and channel lengths during subsequent implantations. In a second embodiment, the partial isotropic/anisotropic etching is followed by full anisotropic etching of another recipe with even better defined parameters for the flash EEPROMS.

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