Patent ID: 7098116

Claim:
A method of filling a pattern of openings in a substrate with a dielectric layer, comprising: providing a substrate having a pattern formed therein, said pattern is comprised of a dense array of openings that have widths smaller than a first width and a wide opening that has a second width that is larger than said first width and wherein the openings have a depth; performing a first high density plasma (HDP) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) step in a process chamber that deposits a dielectric layer with a first minimum thickness above said wide opening and a second minimum thickness above said dense array; etching back said dielectric layer in said process chamber with a halogen containing gas to give a thinned dielectric layer; and performing a second HDP CVD step in said process chamber to deposit an additional thickness of said dielectric layer and form a composite dielectric layer which includes the thinned dielectric layer and the dielectric layer of the second HDP CVD step that fills said openings.