Patent Abstract:
A system and method for providing electrical isolation between closely spaced devices in a high density integrated circuit (IC) are disclosed herein. An integrated circuit (IC) comprising a substrate, a first device, a second device, and a trench in the substrate and a method of fabricating the same are also discussed. The trench is self-aligned between the first and second devices and comprises a first filled portion and a second filled portion. The first fined portion of the trench comprises a dielectric material that forms a buried trench isolation for providing electrical isolation between the first and second devices. The self-aligned placement of the buried trench isolation allows for higher packing density without negatively affecting the operation of closely spaced devices in a high density IC.

Full Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 3186.0870000), which is hereby incorporated in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    The present application relates to the fabrication of trenches buried in substrates of integrated circuits. 
         [0004]    2. Background 
         [0005]    With the advance in semiconductor technology, there has been increasing demand for higher storage capacity, faster processing systems, and high speed communication systems. To meet these demands, the semiconductor industry continues to scale down dimension of devices, and also increase packing density of devices on an integrated circuit (IC) to accommodate a larger number of devices on an IC. However, this approach of scaling down and closely packing of devices on ICs has drawbacks. The scaling down of devices to smaller dimensions can introduce short channel effects in the devices due to the short channel lengths (about approximately 100 nm or less) of the scaled down devices. In addition, closely spaced devices may suffer from disturbances such as electron leakage, noise coupling, or electrostatic coupling. These drawbacks can degrade the operating characteristics and performance of the devices over time. Thus, it is desirable to improve performance of devices in such high density ICs. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    According to an embodiment, an integrated circuit (IC) includes a substrate, a first device and a second device. Each of the first and second devices include a gate structure. The IC further includes a trench in the substrate self-aligned between the gate structures of the first and second devices. The trench comprises a first filled portion having a dielectric material and a second filled portion having a conductive material. The first filled portion is configured to form a buried trench isolation between the first and second devices. 
         [0007]    According to another embodiment, a method for fabricating an integrated circuit (IC) is provided. The method includes defining an area on a substrate between a first and second gate structure, where defining an area comprises patterning the first and second gate structure on a top surface of the substrate. The method further includes forming spacers on the first and second gate structures and forming a self-aligned trench in the defined area. The self-aligned trench comprises a first and second portion with the second portion comprising an open end of the trench. The method further includes filling the first portion with a dielectric material and the second portion with a conductive material. 
         [0008]    According to another embodiment, a method for fabricating an IC is provided. The method includes defining an area on a substrate between a first and second partial gate structure, where defining an area comprises patterning the first and second partial gate structure on a top surface of the substrate. The method farther includes forming a self-aligned trench in a substrate between the first and second partial gate structure. The self-aligned trench includes a first portion filled with a dielectric material and a second portion filled with a conductive material. 
         [0009]    Further features and advantages of the invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein. Such embodiments are presented herein for illustrative purposes only. Additional embodiments will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The accompanying drawings illustrate the present disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the disclosure and to enable one skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the disclosure. 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  illustrates a cross-sectional view of an IC, according to a first embodiment. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional view of an IC, according to a second embodiment. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  illustrates a cross-sectional view of an IC, according to a third embodiment. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  illustrates a cross-sectional view of an IC, according to a fourth embodiment. 
           [0015]      FIGS. 5A-5H  illustrate cross-sectional views of an IC including a buried trench at select stages of its fabrication process, according to an embodiment. 
           [0016]      FIGS. 6A-6L  illustrate cross-sectional views of an IC including a self-aligned trench at select stages of its fabrication process, according to an embodiment. 
           [0017]      FIGS. 7A-7F  illustrate cross-sectional views of an IC including a self-aligned trench at select stages of its fabrication process, according to another embodiment. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a partially fabricated IC including a buried trench, according to an embodiment. 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a partially fabricated IC, according to an embodiment. 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  illustrates a flowchart for a method of fabricating an IC, according to a first embodiment. 
       
    
    
       [0021]    The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical or similar elements. Additionally, generally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]    The following Detailed Description refers to accompanying drawings to illustrate embodiments consistent with the disclosure. The embodiment(s) described, and references in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment(s) described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is understood that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described. 
         [0023]    The embodiments described herein are provided for illustrative purposes, and are not limiting. Other embodiments are possible, and modifications may be made to the embodiments within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the Detailed Description is not meant to limit the present disclosure. Rather, the scope of the present disclosure is defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents. 
         [0024]    The following Detailed Description of the embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the present disclosure that others can, by applying knowledge of those skilled in relevant art(s), readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such exemplary embodiments, without undue experimentation, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning and plurality of equivalents of the exemplary embodiments based upon the teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, such that the terminology or phraseology of the present specification is to be interpreted by those skilled in relevant art(s) in light of the teachings herein. 
         [0025]    Those skilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize that this description may be applicable to many various semiconductor devices, and should not be limited to any particular type of semiconductor devices. Before describing the various embodiments in more detail, further explanation shall be given regarding certain terms that may be used throughout the descriptions. 
         [0026]    In embodiments, the term “etch” or “etching” or “etch-back” generally describes a fabrication process of patterning a material, such that at least a portion of the material remains after the etch is completed. For example, generally the process of etching a semiconductor material involves the steps of patterning a masking layer (e.g., photoresist or a hard mask) over the semiconductor material, subsequently removing areas of the semiconductor material that are no longer protected by the mask layer, and optionally removing remaining portions of the mask layer. Generally, the removing step is conducted using an “etchant” that has a “selectivity” that is higher to the semiconductor material than to the mask layer. As such, the areas of semiconductor material protected by the mask would remain after the etch process is complete. However, the above is provided for purposes of illustration, and is not limiting. In another example, etching may also refer to a process that does not use a mask, but still leaves behind at least a portion of the material after the etch process is complete. 
         [0027]    The above description serves to distinguish the term “etching” from “removing.” In an embodiment, when etching a material, at least a portion of the material remains behind after the process is completed. In contrast, when removing a material, substantially all of the material is removed in the process. However, in other embodiments, ‘removing’ may incorporate etching. 
         [0028]    In an embodiment, the term “selectivity” between two materials is described as the ratio between the etch rates of the two materials under the same etching conditions. For example, an etchant with a selectivity of 3:1 to the semiconductor material over the mask layer means that the etchant removes the semiconductor material at a rate three times faster than that at which it removes the mask layer. 
         [0029]    In an embodiment, the terms “deposit” or “dispose” describe the act of applying a layer of material to the substrate. Such terms are meant to describe any possible layer-forming technique including, but not limited to, thermal growth, sputtering, evaporation, chemical vapor deposition, epitaxial growth, atomic layer deposition, electroplating, etc. 
         [0030]    In an embodiment, the term “substrate” describes a material onto which subsequent material layers are added. In embodiments, the substrate itself may be patterned and materials added on top of it may also be patterned, or may remain without patterning. Furthermore, “substrate” may be any of a wide array of semiconductor materials such as silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, etc. In other embodiments, the substrate may be electrically non-conductive such as a glass or sapphire wafer. 
         [0031]    In an embodiment, the term “substantially perpendicular,” in reference to a topographical feature&#39;s sidewall, generally describes a sidewall disposed at an angle ranging between about 85 degrees and 90 degrees with respect to the substrate. 
         [0032]    In an embodiment, the term “substantially in contact” means the elements or structures in substantial contact can be in physical contact with each other with only a slight separation from each other. 
         [0033]    In an embodiment, devices fabricated in and/or on the substrate may be in several regions of the substrate, and these regions may not be mutually exclusive. That is, in some embodiments, portions of one or more regions may overlap. 
       An Integrated Circuit According to a First Embodiment 
       [0034]      FIG. 1  illustrates a cross-sectional view of an IC  100  according to an embodiment. IC  100  may include a substrate  106 , devices  108 , and a trench  130  in an example. Devices  108  as shown in  FIG. 1  include only two devices  108   a  and  108   b  for the sake of simplicity. However, as would be understood by a person of skilled in the art based on the description herein, devices  108  may include any number of devices. 
         [0035]    Substrate  106  may be a silicon (Si) substrate implanted with p-type carriers to be a p-type Si substrate, according to an example embodiment. The p-type carriers may be provided by p-type materials, such as, but not limited to, boron. Alternatively, substrate  106  may be a p-type well formed in an n-type Si substrate or well (not shown). N-type Si substrate are formed implanted with n-type carriers that are provided by n-type materials, such as, but not limited to, phosphorus. 
         [0036]    In an example, devices  108   a  and  108   b  may each represent a field-effect transistor (FET) including doped regions  112  and  114  and a gate structure  110 . Devices  108   a  and  108   b  may be similar in structure and function. Alternatively, devices  108   a  and  108   b  may be two distinct devices. Doped region  112  may be used as a source/drain region, and similarly, doped region  114  may also be used as a source/drain region. It is understood by a skilled artisan that the source and drain regions of devices  108   a  and  108   b  may be interchangeable and are named based on voltage values applied to doped regions  112  and  114 . While doped regions  112  and  114  are n-type in this example, they may also be p-type regions when substrate  106  is n-type Si or an n-type well formed in a p-type Si substrate. Further, doped regions  112  and  114  may be formed, for example, using ion implantation to dope substrate  106  with n-type carriers using n-type materials, such as, but not limited to, arsenic. The n-type carrier concentration in doped regions  112  and  114  may be higher than the p-type carrier concentrations of substrate  106  to form heavily doped regions. Generally, doping a material with a comparatively large doping concentration of carriers equal or greater than 10 19 /cm 3 , refers to a doping that is high or heavy. 
         [0037]    According to an embodiment, gate structure  110  may be positioned on a top surface  106   a  of substrate  106  between doped regions  112  and  114  and in substantial contact with at least a portion of doped region  112  and doped region  114 . Gate structure  110  may include a gate layer  116  and a gate dielectric layer  118 . Gate layer  116  may be disposed over gate dielectric layer  118  and gate dielectric layer  118  may be disposed over substrate  106 . The material used to form gate layer  116  may be, for example, doped polysilicon, metal, or any combination thereof and the material for forming gate dielectric layer  118  may be, for example, thermal oxide, nitride layer, high-k dielectric, or any combination thereof. Gate structure  110  comprises a vertical dimension  111  that is a sum of a vertical dimension  111   a  of gate layer  116  and a vertical dimension  111   b  of gate dielectric layer  118 . 
         [0038]    In an example of this embodiment, applying a first potential to gate structure  110  and a second potential that is lower than the first potential to doped region  112  may cause the n-type carriers below the gate structure  110  to form a channel region (not shown) between doped regions  112  and  114 . When a third potential that is higher than the second potential is applied to doped region  114 , the n-type carriers accumulated in the channel region may allow a current to flow from doped region  114  to doped region  112 . This current is typically referred to as the drain current. 
         [0039]    Devices  108  may comprise a depletion region that is depleted of free carriers in a channel region in an example embodiment (not shown). If a positive voltage is applied to doped region  114 , the depletion region can spread in channel region from doped region  114  to doped region  112 . If the depletion region reaches doped region  112 , then “punchthrough” may occur. In such instance, gate structure  110  may no longer be able to control the drain current from doped region  114  to doped region  112 . 
         [0040]    In an embodiment, pocket implants  122  may be formed to prevent punchthrough in devices  108 . For example, pocket implants  122  may hinder the depletion region from reaching doped region  112  when the depletion region extends through channel region. Pocket implants  122  may be doped with, for example, boron atoms. 
         [0041]    Devices  108  may further include spacers  126  above doped regions  112  and  114  and in substantial contact with respective first and second sides  110   a  and  110   b  of the gate structure  110  in accordance to an example embodiment. Spacers  126  may be formed using a dielectric material, such as silicon nitride or silicon oxide, though any suitable insulating material may be used. 
         [0042]    In accordance with an embodiment, trench  130  may be positioned in substrate  106  between devices  108   a  and  108   b . While trench  130  is shown in  FIG. 1  to comprise a vertical cross-section having a trapezoidal perimeter, in alternate embodiments trench  130  may comprise vertical cross-sections having any geometric shaped perimeters (e.g. rectangular). Trench  130  may comprise a first portion  130   a , a second portion  130   b , an open end  130   c , and a closed end  130   d . In an example, first portion  130   a  may comprise a vertical dimension of about 100 nm-400 nm and second portion  130   b  may comprise a vertical dimension of about 100 nm or less. First portion  130   a  may be filled with a dielectric material to form a first filled portion  132  of trench  130  and second portion  130   b  may be filled with a conductive material to form a second filled portion  134  of trench  130 . The dielectric material filling first portion  130   a  may be, for example, oxide or nitride and the conductive material filling second portion  130   b  may be, for example, single-crystalline silicon, amorphous silicon (“a-Si”) or polycrystalline silicon (“polySi”), silicon germanium (SiGe), metal silicides, or metal. Thus, first filled portion  132  may form a buried trench isolation within substrate  106  between devices  108   a  and  108   b.    
         [0043]    In an embodiment, first and second filled portions  132  and  134  may be formed such that top surface  132   a  of first filled portion  132  is in substantial contact with bottom surface  134   b  of second filled portion  134 , and bottom surface  132   b  of first filled portion  132  is in substantial contact with substrate  106 . While top surface  134   a  of second filled portion  134  is illustrated in  FIG. 1  to be coplanar with top surface  106   a  of substrate  106 , it should be understood that top surface  134   a  may be raised or lowered with respect to top surface  106   a  depending on application of IC  100  by the user. In an embodiment, first filled portion  132  or a part thereof may be in substantial contact with doped region  114  of device  108   a  and doped region  112  of device  108   b . In another example, second filled portion  134  or a part thereof may be in substantial contact with doped region  114  of device  108   a  and doped region  112  of device  108   b  and provide a conductive path between doped region  114  of device  108   a  and doped region  112  of device  108   a.    
         [0044]    As noted above, electronic processes may be carried out within a region of substrate  106  during operation of devices  108 . These electronic processes of device  108   a  may create disturbances such as, but not limited to, current leakage, noise coupling, or electrostatic coupling that may negatively affect the electronic processes and as a result the performance of adjacent device  108   b  in instances where devices  108  are closely spaced on substrate  106 . In such instances, first filled portion  134  may provide electrical isolation between the electronic processes of devices  108   a  and  108   b  within substrate  106 , according to an embodiment. 
         [0045]    It should be noted that IC  100  is shown in  FIG. 1  as including only one arrangement of trench  130  interposed between adjacent devices  108   a  and  108   b  for the sake of simplicity. However, as would be understood by a person of skilled in the art based on the description herein, IC  100  may include any number of such arrangements with devices and trenches similar to devices  108  and trench  130 , respectively. In addition, IC  100  may include other devices and functional units that are not shown for the sake of simplicity. 
       An Integrated Circuit According to a Second Embodiment 
       [0046]      FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional view of an IC  200  according to an embodiment. IC  200  is similar to IC  100  as described above. Therefore, only differences between IC  100  and  200  are described herein. 
         [0047]    IC  200  comprises a trench  130  that may be self-aligned between adjacent devices  108   a  and  108   b  according to an embodiment. In an embodiment, the self-aligned placement of trench  130  may be defined by a spacing  236  formed between spacers  126   b  and  126   c  on top surface  106   a  of substrate  106 . In such instance, a lateral dimension of open end  130   c  of trench  130  may be equal to a spacing  236 . Alternatively, the self-aligned placement of trench  130  may be defined by a spacing formed between gate structures  110  of devices  108  on top surface  106   a  (not shown). In an embodiment, the term “self-aligned” refers to formation of trench  130  that may be aligned between two features (e.g. spacers  126   b  and  126   c , devices  108   a  and  108   b ) of IC  200  without performing any additional steps for the alignment of trench  130 . According to an embodiment, the self-aligned placement of trench  130  may allow devices  108  in IC  200  to be more closely spaced on substrate  106  than those in IC  100 . 
       A Integrated Circuit According to a Third Embodiment 
       [0048]      FIG. 3  illustrates a cross-sectional view of an IC  300  according to an embodiment. IC  300  may include a substrate  106 , devices  308 , and a trench  130 . As IC  300  is similar to IC  100  as described above, only differences between IC  100  and  300  are described herein. 
         [0049]    In an embodiment, devices  308   a  and  308   b  may each comprise a gate structure  310  disposed on top surface  106   a  of substrate  106  between doped regions  112  and  114  and in substantial contact with at least a portion of doped region  112  and doped region  114 . Gate structure  310  may include a gate layer  116  and a stack of layers  318 . Stack of layers  318  may comprise a charge storing layer  318   b  interposed between a first dielectric layer  318   a  and a second dielectric layer  318   c . First dielectric layer  318   a  may be disposed over and in substantial contact with top surface  106   a  of substrate  106 . Charge storing layer  318   b  may be disposed over and in substantial contact with first dielectric layer  318   b . Second dielectric layer  318   c  may be disposed over and in substantial contact with Charge storing layer  318   b . First and second dielectric layers  318   a  and  318   c  may each comprise an oxide layer such as, but not limited to silicon dioxide. Alternatively, second dielectric layer  318   e  may include a stack of dielectric layers (not shown) comprising, for example, a nitride layer interposed between oxide layers, 
         [0050]    Charge storing layer  318   b  may include, for example, a charge-trapping nitride layer such as, but not limited to, silicon nitride layer, silicon-rich nitride layer, or any layer that includes, but is not limited to, silicon, oxygen, and nitrogen, in various stoichiometries. Generally, a three layer stack arrangement of such dielectric layers is referred to as an “oxide, nitride, oxide (ONO) stack,” or simply as “ONO layers.” 
         [0051]    Alternatively, charge storing layer  318   b  may include a polySi layer. Such a polySi charge storing layer  318   b  may be used as a floating gate with gate layer  116  used as a control gate in devices  308 , according to an embodiment. Generally, such devices are referred as floating gate devices. It should be understood that the relative thickness of gate layer  116 , charge storing layer  318   b , and first and second dielectric layers  318   a  and  318   b  presented herein are for illustrative purposes only and not necessarily drawn to scale in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0052]    According to various embodiments, IC  300  may represent an analog or digital memory device and devices  308  may represent memory cells. In this embodiment, each device of devices  308  may be programmed as follows. Charge storing layer  318   b  may be programmed to the charged program level by applying a potential to doped region  114  (functioning as the drain) and a potential to gate structure  310 , while doped region  112  may function as the source (i.e., source of electrons). A potential may also be applied to doped region  112 . The potential applied to gate structure  310  and doped regions  112  and  114  may generate a vertical electric field through charge storing layer  318   b  and first and second dielectric layers  318   a  and  318   c . At the same time, a lateral electric field along the length of channel from doped region  112  to doped region  114  may be generated. At a given threshold voltage, channel may invert such that electrons are drawn off doped region  112  and caused to accelerate toward doped region  114 . As the electrons move along the length of channel, the electrons gain energy and upon attaining enough energy, the electrons are able to jump over the potential barrier of first dielectric layer  318   a  and into charge storing layer  318   b  where the electrons may be stored in this layer. 
         [0053]    As noted above, electronic processes are carried out within substrate  106  during programming of devices  308 . The electronic processes of one device may cause disturbances that affects the performance of adjacent devices in instances where devices are closely spaced on substrate  106 . For example, during programming of device  308   a , electrons within substrate  106  may migrate from device  308   a  to closely spaced adjacent device  308   b  and affect the operational performance of device  308   b . In such instances, first filled portion  134  may provide electrical isolation within substrate  106  between devices  308   a  and  308   b , according to an embodiment. 
       A Integrated Circuit According to a Fourth Embodiment 
       [0054]      FIG. 4  illustrates a cross-sectional view of an IC  400  according to an embodiment. IC  400  is similar to IC  300  as described above. Therefore, only differences between IC  300  and  400  are described herein. 
         [0055]    Trench  130  may be self-aligned between adjacent devices  308   a  and  308   b  according to an embodiment. The self-aligned placement of trench  130  may be defined by a spacing  236  formed between spacers  126   b  and  126   c  on top surface  106   a  of substrate  106  in an example. In such instance, a lateral dimension of open end  130   c  of trench  130  may be equal to a spacing  236 . Alternatively, the self-aligned placement of trench  130  may be defined by a spacing formed between gate structures  310  of devices  308  on top surface  106   a  (not shown). 
       An Example Method for Fabricating an Integrated Circuit According to a First Embodiment 
       [0056]      FIGS. 5A-5H  illustrate an example fabrication process for forming IC  100  shown in  FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment. 
         [0057]      FIG. 5A  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a partially fabricated IC  100  after formation of a trench etch area  542  on top surface  106   a  of substrate  106 , according to an embodiment. Trench etch area  542  may be formed by patterning of a first hard mask layer  538  and a second hard mask layer  540  on substrate  106 , as shown in  FIG. 5A . Patterning of first and second hard mask layers  538  and  540  may be performed by standard photolithography and etching processes. First hard mask layer  538  may be disposed on top surface  106   a  of substrate  106 , for example, by growing a thermal oxide such as silicon oxide directly from substrate  106  using thermal oxidation. Second hard mask layer  540  may be disposed on first hard mask layer  538 , for example, by depositing a layer of nitride such as silicon nitride using conventional deposition methods such as, but not limited to, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or atomic layer deposition (ALD). The relative thickness of first and second hard mask layers  538  and  540  formed with respect to each other may be equal or different, according to various embodiments. 
         [0058]      FIG. 5B  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a partially fabricated IC  100  after formation of trench  130  in trench etch area  542  as described previously with reference to  FIG. 5A , according to an embodiment. The patterned first and second hard mask layers  538  and  540  may assist in guiding the formation of trench  130  in trench etch area  542 . Trench  130  may be formed by any conventional etching methods suitable for etching the material of substrate  106 . For example, a dry etch process such as, but not limited to, reactive ion etching (RIE) may be performed to remove the material of substrate  106  for the formation of trench  130 , according to an embodiment. The etching process may be performed to selectively etch the material of substrate  106  in trench etch area  542  without significant etching or removal of first and second hard mask layers  538  and  540 . This selective etching may be done by employing an etchant that has higher selectivity to the material of substrate  106  than the materials of second hard mask layer  540 . 
         [0059]      FIGS. 5C-5D  illustrate cross-sectional views of partially fabricated IC  100  during formation of first filled portion  132  of trench  130 , according to an embodiment. The formation of first filled portion  132  may comprise a filling process followed by an etch back process. The filling process may be performed by depositing a layer  544  of dielectric material over the partially fabricated IC  100  of  FIG. 5B  such that at least both first and second portions  130   a  and  130   b  of trench may be filled, as shown in  FIG. 5C . The deposition of layer  544  may be performed using any conventional deposition methods suitable for dielectric materials. For example, dielectric materials such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride may be deposited for layer  544  using a CVD or an ALD process. Following the deposition of layer  544 , an etch-back process may be performed to remove layer  544  from all areas except for first portion  130   a , as shown in  FIG. 5D . The formation of first filled portion  132  may be followed by removal of second hard mask layer  540  by using any conventional etching method. 
         [0060]      FIGS. 5E-5F  illustrate a cross-sectional view of a partially fabricated IC  100  during formation of second filled portion  134  of trench  130 , according to an embodiment. The formation of second filled portion  134  may comprise a filling process followed by an etch-back process. According to an embodiment, the filling process may be performed by depositing a layer  546  of conductive material over the partially fabricated IC  100  of  FIG. 5D  such that at least second portion  130   b  of trench  130  may be filled, as shown in  FIG. 5E . The deposition of layer  546  may be performed using any conventional methods suitable for metals or metal suicides such as, but not limited to, sputtering, thermal evaporation or CVD. Alternatively, a-Si or polySi may be deposited for layer  546  using conventional deposition methods. Following the deposition of layer  546 , an etch-back process may be performed to remove layer  546  from all areas except for second portion  130   b . The etch-back process may be performed until top surface  134   a  of second filled portion  134  may be coplanar ( FIG. 5F ) or raised higher or lower (not shown) with respect to top surface  106   a  of substrate  106 . The formation of second filled portion  134  may be followed by removal of first hard mask layer  538  by using any conventional etching method. 
         [0061]    According to another embodiment, the filling process may be performed by growing an epitaxial layer (not shown) from sidewalls  131   a  and  131   b  of trench  130  in second portion  130   b  after the formation of first filled portion  132 . This growth may be performed selectively in second portion  130   b  as all other areas on substrate  106  are protected by first hard mask layer  538  or first filled portion  132 . Due to such selective growth to form second filled portion  134 , the etch-back process may be eliminated. The epitaxial layer in second portion  130   b  may be doped in-situ or by ion implantation to improve electrical conductivity of second filled portion  134 . 
         [0062]      FIG. 5G  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a partially fabricated IC  100  after formation of gate structures  110 , according to an embodiment. It should be understood that formation of only two gate structures illustrated herein are for the sake of simplicity and not intended to be limiting. The formation of gate structures  110  may comprise a formation of gate dielectric layer  118  on the entire top surface  106   a  of substrate  106  followed by a formation of gate layer  116  on the entire surface of gate dielectric layer  118 . Gate dielectric layer  118  may be formed by growing, for example, silicon oxide directly from substrate  106  using thermal oxidation, assuming substrate  106  to be Si in this embodiment. Alternatively, gate dielectric layer  118  may be formed by depositing silicon oxide, high-k dielectric, other dielectric material, or any combination thereof using a chemical vapor deposition process. Gate layer  116  may be formed by depositing a metal layer, a polySi layer, or any combination thereof using deposition methods such as the ones mentioned above for deposition of metal and polySi. This formation of gate dielectric layer  118  and gate layer  116  may be followed by a patterning and an etching process to define gate structures  110 , as shown in  FIG. 5G . The patterning process may be performed by standard photolithography process and the etching process may be performed by dry etch methods such as the ones mentioned above. 
         [0063]      FIG. 5H  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a fabricated IC  100  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) after formation of doped regions  112  and  114 , pocket implants  122 , and spacers  126 , according to an embodiment. Doped regions  112  and  114  may be formed by an ion implantation method. The ion implantation method may be carried out, for example, using n-type dopants such as arsenic or phosphorous. Prior to or subsequent to doped region formation, pocket implants  122  may be formed. Pocket implants  122  may be implanted using an ion implantation process at an angle into substrate  106  to form the pocket implants at a deeper region below gate structures  110  than doped regions  112  and  114 , as shown in  FIG. 5H . Following the formation of pocket implants  122 , and doped regions  112  and  114 , spacers  126  may be formed. Spacers  126  may be a dielectric material such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride. The formation of spacers  126  (as shown in  FIG. 5H ) may involve first depositing a dielectric material over the partially formed IC  100  of  FIG. 5G  or after the formation of doped regions  112  and  114  such that it covers at least the gate structures  110 . The deposition may be carried out by, for example, using a CVD process. This deposition process may be followed by defining spacers  126  as shown in  FIG. 5H  by patterning the deposited dielectric material for spacers using standard photolithography and etching processes. 
         [0064]    It should be understood that the various layers illustrated during the example fabrication process of IC  100  are not necessarily drawn to scale. In addition, the above description is meant to provide a general overview of select steps involved in forming IC  100  shown in  FIG. 1  and that, in actual practice, more features and/or fabrication steps may be performed additionally or alternatively to that described herein to form IC  100 , as would be understood by one skilled in the art given the description herein. 
       An Example Method for Fabricating an Integrated Circuit According to a Second Embodiment 
       [0065]      FIGS. 6A-6L  illustrate an example fabrication process for forming IC  200  including self-aligned trench shown in  FIG. 2 , according to an embodiment. 
         [0066]      FIG. 6A  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a partially fabricated IC  200  after formation of gate structures  110  and hard mask layers  648 , according to an embodiment. The formation of gate structures  110  and hard mask layers  648  may comprise a formation of gate dielectric layer  118  on the entire top surface  106   a  of substrate  106 , followed by a formation of gate layer  116  on the entire surface of gate dielectric layer  118 , and a subsequent deposition of hard mask layer  648  on the entire surface of gate layer  116 . Gate dielectric layer  118  may be formed by growing, for example, silicon oxide directly from substrate  106  using thermal oxidation, assuming substrate  106  to be Si in this embodiment. Alternatively, gate dielectric layer  118  may be formed by depositing silicon oxide, high-k dielectric, other dielectric material, or any combination thereof using a chemical vapor deposition process. Gate layer  116  may be formed by depositing a metal layer, a polySi layer, or any combination thereof using deposition methods such as the ones mentioned above for deposition of metal and polySi. The deposition of hard mask layer  648  may involve depositing a dielectric material such as, but not limited to, silicon oxide or silicon nitride, for example, using a CVD process. This formation of gate dielectric layer  118 , gate layer  116 , hard mask layer  648  may be followed by a patterning and an etching process to define gate structures  110  and hard mask layers  648 , as shown in  FIG. 6A . The patterning process may be performed by standard photolithography process and the etching process may be performed by dry etch methods such as the ones mentioned above. 
         [0067]    Using a similar method of depositing and patterning, spacers  650  may be formed along sidewalls  110   a  and  110   b  of gate structures  110  as shown in  FIG. 6B . The material for spacers  650  may be dielectric materials such as, but not limited to, silicon oxide or silicon nitride. Hard mask layers  648  and spacers  650  may act as masking layers for gate structures  110  to prevent damage to gate structures  110  during subsequent fabrication processes. 
         [0068]    According to an embodiment, gate structures  110  along with spacers  650  may act as a patterned masking layer on substrate  106  to define a trench etch area  642  between spacers adjacent spacers  650   b  and  650   c , as shown in  FIG. 6B . This trench etch area  642  may be used for a self-aligned formation of trench  130 , as shown in  FIG. 6C , according to an embodiment. In an embodiment, the term “self-aligned” refers to formation of trench  130  that may be aligned between two features (e.g. spacers  650   b  and  650   c ) of IC  200  without performing any additional steps for the alignment of trench  130 . 
         [0069]    The material of substrate  106  from trench etch area  642  may be removed by any conventional etching methods suitable for etching the material of substrate  106 . For example, a dry etch process such as, but not limited to, reactive ion etching (RIE) may be performed to remove the material of substrate  106  for the self-aligned formation of trench  130 , according to an embodiment. The etching process may be performed to selectively etch the material of substrate  106  in trench etch area  642  without etching or removal of hard mask layer  648  and spacers  650 . This selective etching may be done by employing an etchant that has higher selectivity to the material of substrate  106  than the materials of hard mask layer  648  and spacers  650 . 
         [0070]      FIGS. 6D-6F  illustrate cross-sectional views of a partially fabricated IC  200  during formation of first filled portion  132  of trench  130 , according to an embodiment. This formation may involve an etching process, a subsequent filling process followed by an etch-back process. The etching process involves partial etching of spacers  650 . This partial etching may create a wider spacing between spacers  650   b  and  650   c  relative to a spacing between sidewalls  131   a  and  131   b  of trench  130  for better control of the subsequent filling process, as shown in  FIG. 6D . The filling process may involve deposition of a layer  654  of dielectric material over the partially fabricated IC  200  of  FIG. 6D  such that layer  654  at least fills both portions  130   a  and  130   b  of trench  130 , as shown in  FIG. 6E . The dielectric material of layer  654  may be, for example, silicon oxide or silicon nitride. This deposition may be carried out by any conventional deposition process suitable for dielectric materials such as CVD or ALD. It will be appreciated that the preceding step of widening the spacing between spacers  650   b  and  650   c  may help to reduce the high aspect ratio of the filling area  633  between spacers  650   b  and  650   c  and trench sidewalls  131   a  and  131   b . Reducing the high aspect ratio of filling area  633  may prevent pinch off from occurring between spacers  650   b  and  650   c  during the deposition process before the entire trench  130  may be filled. The filling process may then be followed by an etch-back process to remove the deposited layer  654  of dielectric material from at least the second portion  130   b  of trench  130 , as shown in  FIG. 6F . The etch-back process may be carried out by dry etch methods like the ones mentioned above. 
         [0071]    In an alternative approach, first filled portion  132  may be formed as illustrated in  FIGS. 6G-6I , according to an embodiment. This approach may also be arranged to have wider spacing between spacers  650   b  and  650   c  relative to spacing between sidewalls  131   a  and  131   b  of trench  130  for better control of the subsequent filling process. However, in this approach, the spacing between sidewalls  131   a  and  131   b  of trench  130  may be reduced by a coating process prior to the filling process, according to an embodiment. Thus, the formation of first filled portion  132  in this approach may involve a coating process, a subsequent filling process followed by an etch-back process. The filling process (as shown in  FIG. 6H ) and etch-back process (as shown in  FIG. 6I ) are similar to the processes described above with reference to  FIGS. 6E and 6F . Hence, only the coating process is described. The coating process may involve coating sidewalls  131   a  and  131   b  of trench  130  with a thin film  656  (“liner  656 ”) of dielectric material such as, but not limited to, silicon oxide or silicon nitride, as shown in  FIG. 6G . The material for liner  656  may be the same material that is used in a subsequent filling process for forming first filled portion  132 , according to an embodiment. The coating process may be carried out by a deposition process suitable for depositing thin films such as, but not limited to ALD. Alternately, assuming substrate  106  to be Si in an embodiment, the coating process may be carried out by growing silicon oxide directly from sidewalls  131   a  and  131   b  using a thermal oxidation process. 
         [0072]      FIGS. 6J-6K  illustrate cross-sectional views of a partially fabricated IC  200  during formation of second filled portion  134  of trench  130 , according to an embodiment. This for nation method is similar to the method described above with reference to  FIG. 5E-5F . Following the formation of second filled portion  134 , hard mask layers  648  and spacers  650  may be removed by any conventional etching processes. Subsequently, doped regions  112  and  114 , pocket implants  122 , and spacers  126  may be formed to yield IC  200  as shown in  FIG. 6L . The methods of forming doped regions  112  and  114 , pocket implants  122 , and spacer  126  are similar to the ones described above with reference to  FIG. 5H . Alternatively, doped regions  112  and  114  and pocket implants  122  may be formed after formation of gate structures  110  as described above with reference to  FIG. 6A . 
         [0073]    In an alternative embodiment to fabricate IC  200 , the fabrication process may involve forming partial gate structures  710  and hard mask layers  648  (as shown in  FIG. 7A ) instead of gate structures  110  and hard mask layers  648 , as shown in  FIG. 6A . Partial gate structures  710  may comprise gate dielectric layers  118  and gate layers  716 . Gate layers  716  may be similar to gate layers  116  of gate structures  110 , except for having vertical dimensions smaller than vertical dimensions of gate layers  116 . The partial gate structures  710  with shorter vertical dimensions than gate structures  110  may reduce the high aspect ratio of filling area  633 . Thus, the shorter partial gate structures  710  may further help to control the filling process and avoid pinch off from occurring as discussed above with reference to  FIGS. 6D and 6G . 
         [0074]    After the formation of partial gate structures  710  and hard mask layers  648 , IC  200  may be fabricated using the method described with reference to  FIGS. 6B-6L , except for the removal of hard mask layers  648 , as illustrated in  FIG. 7A . Additional processes, such as, but not limited to, the processes illustrated in  FIGS. 7B-7F  may be performed on IC  200  of  FIG. 7A  to obtain complete gate structures  770  (as shown in  FIG. 7F ). Gate structures  770  may include vertical dimensions equal to vertical dimensions of gate structures  110 , as shown in  FIG. 6A . 
         [0075]      FIG. 7B  illustrates a deposition of a dielectric layer  760  such that it covers all features and exposed regions on substrate  106 , according to an embodiment. The dielectric material of layer  760  may be, for example, silicon oxide or silicon nitride. This deposition may be carried out by any conventional deposition process suitable for dielectric materials such as CVD or ALD. Following the deposition of layer  760 , a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process may be performed to at least expose top surfaces  648   a  of hard mask layers  648 , as illustrated in  FIG. 7C . Subsequently, hard mask layers  648  may be selectively etched without significant etching or removal of underlying gate layers  716 , as shown in  FIG. 7D . The selective etching may be done by, for example, an RIE process. The etching process may be followed by a deposition process of layer  765  and a removal process to form additional gate layers  717  of  FIG. 7F . Layer  765  may be formed by depositing a metal layer, a polySi layer, or any combination thereof using deposition methods such as the ones mentioned above for deposition of metal and polySi. The removal process following the deposition of layer  765  may be performed by, for example, an etch back process, a CMP process, or a patterning process using standard photolithography and etching process, as described above. Formation of additional gate layers  717  may yield complete gate structures  770 . 
         [0076]    It should be understood that the various layers illustrated during the example fabrication process of IC  200  are not necessarily drawn to scale. In addition, the above description is meant to provide a general overview of select steps involved in forming IC  200  shown in  FIG. 2  and that, in actual practice, more features and/or fabrication steps may be performed additionally or alternatively to that described herein to form IC  200 , as would be understood by one skilled in the art given the description herein. 
       An Example Method for Fabricating an Integrated Circuit According to a Third Embodiment 
       [0077]    According to an embodiment, IC  300  may be manufactured using a fabrication process similar to the example fabrication process described above for IC  100  with reference to  FIGS. 5A-5H . Therefore, only the differences between the example fabrication processes of IC  100  and IC  300  are illustrated in  FIG. 8  and discussed below. 
         [0078]    Following the formation of second filled portion  134  as described above with reference to  FIG. 5F , gate structures  310  (as shown in  FIG. 3 ) may be fabricated, according to an embodiment. The formation of gate structures  310  may comprise formation of stack of layers  318  on substrate  106  followed by formation of gate layers  116  on stack of layers  318 . For fabricating stack of layers  318 , a first dielectric layer  318   a  may be deposited on entire top surface  106   a  of substrate  106  followed by deposition of a charge storing layer  318   b  on entire surface of first dielectric layer  318   a , and subsequent deposition of a second dielectric layer  318   c  on entire surface of charge storing layer  318   b . First and second dielectric layers  318   a  and  318   c  and charge storing layer  318   b  may be formed using conventional deposition processes such as, but not limited to, CVD and ALD. Alternatively, first dielectric layer  318   a  may be formed by growing, for example, silicon oxide directly from substrate  106  using thermal oxidation, assuming substrate  106  to be Si in this embodiment. Alternatively, second dielectric layer  318   c  may be formed by growing, for example an oxide layer from a top surface  319  (as shown in  FIG. 8 ) of charge storing layer  318   b , assuming charge storing layer  318   b  to be a nitride layer, using any conventional oxidation process suitable for nitride materials. Gate layer  116  may be formed by depositing a metal or polySi layer using deposition methods such as the ones mentioned above for deposition of metal and polySi. This formation of stack of layers  318  and gate layer  116  may be followed by a patterning and an etching process to define gate structures  310 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . The patterning process may be performed by standard photolithography process and the etching process may be performed by dry etch methods such as the ones mentioned above. 
         [0079]    It should be understood that the various layers illustrated during the example fabrication process of IC  300  are not necessarily drawn to scale. In addition, the above description is meant to provide a general overview of select steps involved in forming IC  300  shown in  FIG. 3  and that, in actual practice, more features and/or fabrication steps may be performed additionally or alternatively to that described herein to form IC  300 , as would be understood by one skilled in the art given the description herein. 
       An Example Method for Fabricating an Integrated Circuit According to a Fourth Embodiment 
       [0080]    According to an embodiment, IC  400  may be manufactured using a fabrication process similar to the example fabrication process described above for IC  200  with reference to  FIGS. 6A-6L . Therefore, only the differences between the example fabrication processes of IC  200  and IC  400  are illustrated in  FIG. 9  and discussed below. 
         [0081]    In accordance to an embodiment, gate structures  310  and hard mask layers  648  may be fabricated on substrate  106  as shown in  FIG. 9 , prior to the formation of spacers  650  as described with reference to  FIG. 6B . The method for fabricating gate structures  310  and hard mask layers  648  is similar to the example method described above with reference to  FIG. 8 . 
         [0082]    Alternatively, IC  400  may be manufactured using a fabrication process similar to the example fabrication process described above for IC  200  with reference to  FIGS. 7A-7F . The difference between this example fabrication process of IC  200  and IC  400  may be the formation of stack of layers  318  in IC  400  (as method described above with reference to  FIG. 8 ) instead of gate dielectric layer  118 . 
         [0083]    It should be understood that the various layers illustrated during the example fabrication process of IC  400  are not necessarily drawn to scale. In addition, the above description is meant to provide a general overview of select steps involved in forming IC  400  shown in  FIG. 4  and that, in actual practice, many more features and/or fabrication steps may be performed additionally or alternatively to that described herein to form IC  400 , as would be understood by one skilled in the art given the description herein. 
       Example Steps for Fabricating an Integrated Circuit According to a First Embodiment 
       [0084]      FIG. 10  illustrates a flowchart for a method of fabricating IC  100  shown in  FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment. Solely for illustrative purposes, the steps illustrated in  FIG. 10  will be described with reference to example fabrication process illustrated in  FIGS. 5A-5H . 
         [0085]    In step  1010 , trench etch area  542  may be defined by patterning of a first hard mask layer  538  and a second hard mask layer  540  on substrate  106 , as shown in  FIG. 5A . Patterning of first and second hard mask layers  538  and  540  may be performed by standard photolithography and etching processes. First hard mask layer  538  may be disposed on top surface  106   a  of substrate  106 , for example, by growing a thermal oxide such as silicon oxide directly from substrate  106  using thermal oxidation. Second hard mask layer  540  may be disposed on first hard mask layer  540 , for example, by depositing a layer of nitride such as silicon nitride using, for example, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or atomic layer deposition (ALD) method. 
         [0086]    In step  1020 , trench  130  may be formed in trench etch area  542 , as shown in  FIG. 5B , by a dry etch process such as, but not limited to, reactive ion etching (RIE) to remove the material of substrate  106 , according to an embodiment. The etching process may be performed to selectively etch the material of substrate  106  in trench etch area  542  without significant etching or removal of first and second hard mask layers  538  and  540 . 
         [0087]    In step  1030 , first portion  130   a  of trench  130  may be filled to form first filled portion  132  by depositing a layer  544  of dielectric material such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride followed by an etch-back process to remove layer  544  from all areas except for first portion  130   a , as described above with reference to  FIGS. 5C and 5D . The deposition of layer  544  may be performed using, for example, a CVD or an ALD process. 
         [0088]    In step  1040 , second portion  130   b  of trench  130  may be filled to form second filled portion  134  by depositing a layer  546  of conductive material such as metals or metal silicides followed by an etch-back process to remove layer  546  from all areas except for second portion  130   b , as described above with reference to  FIGS. 5E and 5F . The deposition of layer  546  may be performed using, for example, sputtering, thermal evaporation or CVD process. Alternatively, a-Si or polySi may be deposited for layer  546  using conventional deposition methods. 
         [0089]    In step  1050 , gate structures  110  may be formed ( FIG. 5G ). The formation of gate structures  110  may involve a deposition of gate dielectric layer  118  on the entire top surface  106   a  of substrate  106  followed by a deposition of gate layer  116  on the entire surface of gate dielectric layer  118 . Gate dielectric layer  118  may be formed by depositing silicon oxide, high-k dielectric, other dielectric material, or any combination thereof using a chemical vapor deposition process. Gate layer  116  may be formed by depositing a metal layer, a polySi layer, or any combination thereof using deposition methods such as the ones mentioned above for deposition of metal and polySi. This formation of gate dielectric layer  118  and gate layer  116  may be followed by a patterning and an etching process to define gate structures  110 , as shown in  FIG. 5G . The patterning process may be performed by standard photolithography process and the etching process may be performed by dry etch methods such as the ones mentioned above. 
         [0090]    In step  1060 , doped regions  112  and  114 , pocket implants  122 , and spacers  126  may be formed ( FIG. 5H ). Doped regions  112  and  114  may be formed by an ion implantation method. Prior to or subsequent to doped region formation, pocket implants  122  may be formed in step  1070  using an ion implantation process at an angle into substrate  106  to form the pocket implants at a deeper region below gate structures  110  than doped regions  112  and  114 , as shown in  FIG. 5H . Following the formation of doped regions  112  and  114  and pocket implants  122 , spacers  126  may be formed in step  1080  as described above with reference  FIG. 5H . 
         [0091]    It should be noted that, although the above method description and related figures describe fabricating only one arrangement of trench  130  interposed between adjacent devices  108   a  and  108   b  for the sake of simplicity. However, as would be understood by a person of skilled in the art based on the description herein, the above steps may be applied to fabricate any number of such arrangements with devices and trenches similar to devices  108  and trench  130 , respectively. 
         [0092]    Those skilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize that the above method  1000  may additionally or alternatively include any of the steps or sub-steps described above with respect to  FIGS. 5A-5H , as well as any of their modifications. Further, the above description of the example method  1000  should not be construed to limit the description of IC  100  described above. 
       CONCLUSION 
       [0093]    It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description section, and not the Summary and Abstract sections (if any), is intended to be used to interpret the claims. The Summary and Abstract sections (if any) may set forth one or more but not all embodiments of the present disclosure as contemplated by the inventor(s), and thus, are not intended to limit the present disclosure or the appended claims in any way. 
         [0094]    Embodiments have been described herein with the aid of functional building blocks illustrating the implementation of specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternate boundaries can be defined as long as the specified functions and relationships (or equivalents thereof are appropriately performed. Also, alternative embodiments may perform functional blocks, steps, operations, methods, etc. using orderings different than those described herein. 
         [0095]    The breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7