Evaluation of Dislocation Generation in U‐Groove Isolation

Abstract

The density of dislocations generated on a silicon substrate in a groove structure is measured. In addition, the effects of the topographical structure and isolation groove oxidation conditions are investigated. Results show that the generation of dislocations greatly depends on the shape of the groove and the oxidation temperature. These results can be interpreted as being due to both the effect of the stress concentration during selective oxidation in the groove and the viscous flow of a film. Also studied are suitable structure and process conditions for U‐groove isolation by making use of the experimental results and stress analysis. Finally, an optimum groove structure for device isolation is proposed, and its merits and availability are confirmed.