Oxidation-induced defect generation in advanced DRAM structures

Structures containing deep-trenched storage capacitors and shallow-trench isolation were examined in patterns suitable for future generation dynamic RAMs (DRAMs). These same effects were also examined in similar structures which included only the shallow isolation trenches. Observed was a strong interaction between the deep and shallow trenches, which makes structures which incorporate both types much more susceptible to oxidation-induced defect generation than those without deep trenches. It was observed that at higher oxidation temperatures, more oxide can be grown before defects are generated. This is interpreted as a combination of more-efficient visco-elastic relaxation in the oxide and a lower differential oxidation rate between the