A highly manufacturable corner rounding solution for 0.18 /spl mu/m shallow trench isolation

In this work, we first establish the relationship between corner leakage and corner rounding through device simulation. Then, we demonstrate a novel method to produce corner rounding, using a post-CMP, high temperature re-oxidation process (HTR-STI). A semi-empirical model correlating rounding with re-oxidation and nitride mask thickness is derived from mechanical studies. Finally, we show the electrical properties of devices with HTR-STI for the 0.18 /spl mu/m technology.