Patent ID: 8580694

Claim:
A method of patterning a hard mask layer for defining a trench, comprising: providing a substrate formed with a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure therein; forming a hard mask layer over the substrate, wherein the hard mask layer comprises a first silicon nitride (SiN) layer, a silicon oxide buffer layer on the first SiN layer, and a second SiN layer on the silicon oxide buffer layer, the first SiN layer and the second SiN layer have substantially the same thickness in a range of 1300-1700 Angstroms, and a thickness of the silicon oxide buffer layer is in a range of 100-300 Angstroms; forming, over the hard mask layer, a patterned photoresist layer having therein a trench opening pattern over the shallow trench isolation structure; using an etching gas not containing hydrogen to etch the hard mask layer with the patterned photoresist layer as a mask and thereby transfer the trench opening pattern to the hard mask layer and etching the shallow trench isolation structure and the substrate, with the patterned hard mask layer as a mask, to form a trench in the substrate.