BACKGROUND  
         [0001]    Semiconductor devices, commonly called integrated circuits, are fabricated on wafers, thin discs typically sliced from a single-crystal silicon ingot. Integrated circuits, comprised of numerous circuit elements, are typically constructed in layers on the wafer surface. The creation of circuit elements and their interconnections involves a complex series of fabrication steps including oxidation, photoresist coating, patterning, etching, ion implantation, resist stripping, and various cleaning, plating and deposition processes. Many of the fabrication processes are repeated numerous times, constructing layer after layer until fabrication is complete. Metal layers (which typically increase in number as device complexity increases) include patterns of conductive material that arc isolated from one another vertically by alternating layers of isolating material. Vertical conductive tunnels called “vias” pass through isolating layers to form conductive pathways between vertically spaced conductive patterns.  
           [0002]    Advancing technology requires that transistors switch signals faster, operate at lower power and demonstrate less vulnerability to background cosmic ray particles that could impede operation. Building faster integrated circuits requires smaller internal circuit elements, which tend to produce a lot of heat from the high power typically required. Adequate heat dissipation has proven to be an obstacle to advancing technology. Other electrical problems, must also be addressed, such as “latch-up,” a failure mechanism of CMOS integrated circuits characterized by excessive current drain coupled with functional failure, parametric failure and/or device destruction.  
           [0003]    To address these and other issues, the thin silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technique, an alternative concept for fabricating integrated circuits, was developed. Referring now to FIG. 1, instead of using conventional bulk silicon wafers  100  that are essentially a single layer of silicon  110 , SOI wafer fabrication utilizes wafers  200 , as shown in FIG. 2. SOI wafers  200  include three fundamental layers: a thin surface layer  210  on which transistors are formed, an underlying layer  220  of electrically insulating material, and a thicker supporting silicon wafer  230  underneath. The insulating layer  220 , usually made of silicon dioxide and referred to as the “buried oxide” or “BOX,” is usually a few thousand Angstroms thick. The SOI layer  210  is typically between a few hundred Angstroms to several microns thick.  
           [0004]    The SOI technique offers the ability to produce transistors that operate at lower parasitic current than those designed on conventional bulk-silicon wafers. This lower parasitic current often results in less battery power drain and die heating. Further, a 20 to 50 percent increase in switching speed may be obtained over similar circuits built on conventional bulk silicon wafers. When transistors are fabricated on an SOI layer, they may switch signals faster, run with a lower current, and tend to be much less vulnerable to signal noise from cosmic ray particles than those built on bulk silicon wafers. Since each transistor on an SOI wafer may be isolated from adjacent transistors by a buried oxide and a shallow trench isolation (STI) region—a non-conductive area of deposited oxide—they are well isolated and virtually immune to latch-up. Consequently, they do not require as much separation from one another and may be spaced closer together than transistors fabricated on conventional bulk silicon wafers. Consequently, SOI technology contributes to more compact die designs, which increases the potential for performance improvements and a higher number of dies per wafer.  
           [0005]    Historically, semiconductor fabrication has involved constructing the integrated circuits on the surface of a bulk silicon wafer. Referring now to FIG. 3, a typical structure of a transistor  140  on a bulk silicon wafer  100  is shown. In a conventional process, a layer of silicon dioxide (SiO 2 )  148  is grown on the surface of the silicon wafer  100 . A gate  150  (typically polysilicon) is formed over the silicon dioxide  148 . A series of processes then etches a pattern into the silicon dioxide  148 , exposing areas of the silicon substrate below. These exposed areas are then “doped,” or implanted with impurities, to give the silicon desired electrical conducting properties. This doping process produces the source  142  and drain  144  regions, conductive impurity regions separated by a channel  146 .  
           [0006]    When a minimum threshold voltage (V t ) is applied to the gate  150 , current will flow through the channel  146 , turning the transistor  140  on. A well region  151  may be located underneath the channel  146 , extending to the underlying silicon layer  110 , and electrically isolating the source  142  and drain  144  from the underlying silicon. Transistors  140  may be electrically isolated from adjacent transistors by STI regions  156 . With transistors fabricated on conventional bulk silicon wafers, the channel must fully charge the gate capacitance in order to close and has to discharge the capacitance in order to open again. Thus, transistors constructed on conventional bulk wafers are inherently slower in operation than those constructed on SOI wafers.  
           [0007]    Referring now to FIG. 4, a typical construction of a transistor  240  on an SOI wafer  200  is shown. In the SOI process, a transistor  240  is formed on the SOI layer  210 , using basically the same fabrication process that was described with FIG. 3. A layer of silicon dioxide (SiO 2 )  248  is grown on the SOI layer  210 . A typically polysilicon gate  250  is formed on top of this silicon dioxide layer  248 . A series of processes then etches a pattern into the silicon dioxide  248 , exposing areas of the SOI substrate  210  below. The remaining silicon dioxide  248  isolating the gate  250  from the SOI layer  210  is referred to as a “gate oxide.” The exposed SOI areas are then “doped,” to form the source  242  and drain  244 , which are separated by a channel  246 . Unlike conventional transistor construction on a bulk silicon wafer, in the SOI wafer  200 , the source  242 , drain  244  and channel  246  are isolated from the bulk silicon layer  230  by a buried oxide layer  220 . The transistor  240  may include a well region (not shown) underneath the channel  246 .  
           [0008]    The greater electrical isolation afforded by the SOI configuration beneath each transistor may reduce the amount of electrical isolation required laterally. As previously mentioned, this additional isolation allows transistors to be spaced closer together. Consequently, when transistors are built within a thin SOI layer, they may be able to switch signals faster and operate at a lower power. Fabricating circuits on SOI wafers allows for more compact integrated circuit designs, allowing smaller IC devices and more dies per wafer, increasing fab productivity. Isolating the active transistor from the rest of the silicon substrate with the buried oxide layer reduces the electrical current leakage that otherwise degrades the performance of the transistor. Since the area of electrically active silicon is limited to the immediate region around the transistor, switching speeds are increased and sensitivity to “soft errors,” a major concern for large-scale data storage and high-volume servers, is greatly reduced.  
           [0009]    Fully depleted SOI (FD-SOI) technology is trending continually toward thinner SOI layers under the gate region. As gate lengths shrink, so too must the thickness (T SOI ) of the SOI film under the gate region. Referring again to FIG. 4, a thin gate oxide layer  248  isolates the gate  250  from the SOI layer  210 . It has been established that a ratio (L g /T SOI ) of gate length  252  to SOI thickness  254  of about  5  for planar FD-SOI devices—as measured under the gate region—provides transistors with optimum operational characteristics. With current FD-SOI device technology, as SOI thickness under the gate is typically less than 10 nanometers (nm), microscopic thickness variations of the SOI film under the gate may complicate the effort to maintain the desired SOI layer thickness.  
           [0010]    Processing of fully depleted SOI (FD-SOI) devices generally requires that the thickness of the SOI layer below the gate be in the order of 5-10 nanometers (nm) for devices with gate lengths of 50 nm and below. As gate lengths shrink in the future, the SOI layer for FD-SOI devices may also be required to shrink in thickness, accordingly. Other technologies, such as partially depleted SOI wafers (PD-SOI) generally have much thicker SOI layers, so typically small variations in SOI film uniformity may or may not pose a problem on PD-SOI devices. However, it will be understood that the preferred embodiments will also address SOI film thickness uniformity on a variety of SOI technologies, if warranted.  
           [0011]    It is very difficult to attain SOI thickness uniformity across a wafer when dealing with such small dimensions. However, variations in the SOI film thickness may directly translate to significantly increased dispersion—or wider variation—of electrical values across the wafer, including poorer electrical and thermal performance and decreased device yield. A method for improving the SOI film thickness on both the “macro” and “micro” levels of a wafer is desired. Macro-level thickness uniformity refers to achieving SOI film uniformity across the wafer, from die to die. Micro-level thickness uniformity refers to achieving SOI film uniformity on the smaller “gate level,” or from transistor to transistor.  
           [0012]    On such small dimensions, variations in SOI thickness may have adverse effects on subsequent fabrication operations, and consequently, on transistor operation. The operational characteristics of a transistor are very dependent on its geometry. Since more than one transistor may work in conjunction, as with a CMOS device, geometric inconsistencies between interconnected transistors may result in variable circuit performance—including heat buildup, voltage irregularities and other electrical problems. As mentioned previously, numerous electrical problems may arise from an SOI layer with a non-uniform under-gate thickness.  
           [0013]    As technology advances and gate lengths continue to get smaller, the need to achieve SOI film uniformity will increase. As previously mentioned, since smaller gates will require thinner SOI layers, ever-smaller variations in the SOI thickness will become undesirable and more troublesome. Consequently, a new method is desired to improve thickness uniformity of the SOI layer under the gate region. These and related desires are addressed by the present invention.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY  
         [0014]    The problems noted above are solved in large part by a method for reducing the thickness non-uniformity of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) layer within a semiconductor wafer. In accordance with the preferred embodiments, the method includes leveling the SOI layer by a selective epitaxial growth (SEG) process. Sacrificial oxidation is then performed, converting a portion of the thickened SOI layer to a sacrificial oxide. Finally, oxide removal is performed, to removing the sacrificial oxide from the wafer. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    For a detailed description of the embodiments of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a conventional bulk silicon wafer;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a typical transistor formed on a conventional bulk silicon wafer;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a typical transistor formed on an SOI wafer;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 a  shows a cross-sectional view of an SOI wafer with a non-uniform SOI layer thickness;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5 b  shows a cross-sectional view of an SOI wafer after selective epitaxial growth (SEG) leveling;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 5 c  shows a cross-sectional view of an SOI wafer after sacrificial oxidation; and  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 5 d  shows a cross-sectional view of an SOI wafer after oxide removal. 
     
    
     NOTATION AND NOMENCLATURE  
       [0024]    Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular system components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different companies may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . ” 
         [0025]    The term “integrated circuit” refers to a set of electronic components and their interconnections (internal electrical circuit elements, collectively) that are patterned on the surface of a microchip. The term “semiconductor device” refers generically to an integrated circuit (IC), which may be integral to a semiconductor wafer, singulated from a wafer, or packaged for use on a circuit board. The term “die” (“dies” for plural) refers generically to an integrated circuit, in various stages of completion, including the underlying semiconductor substrate and all circuitry patterned thereon. The term “wafer” refers to a generally round, single-crystal semiconductor substrate upon which integrated circuits are fabricated in the form of dies. The term “interconnect” refers to a physical connection providing possible electrical communication between the connected items. The term “layer” refers to a thin stratum within a semiconductor wafer. The term “film” refers to a relatively thin layer within a semiconductor wafer.  
         [0026]    To the extent that any term is not specially defined in this specification, the intent is that the term is to be given its plain and ordinary meaning.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0027]    The following discussion is directed to various embodiments of the invention. Although one or more of these embodiments may be preferred, the embodiments disclosed should not be interpreted, or otherwise used, as limiting the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, unless otherwise specified. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand that the following description has broad application, and the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be exemplary of that embodiment, and not intended to intimate that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that embodiment.  
         [0028]    Discussed herein are a method and related system for using selective epitaxial growth (SEG), sacrificial oxidation and oxide removal processes in combination on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers to improve SOI layer thickness and surface uniformity. An SOI wafer is typically a wafer in which transistors are fabricated on a thin silicon film that is isolated from a thicker silicon base by a buried oxide layer. Several methods of creating an SOI wafer are well known in the art.  
         [0029]    Referring again to FIG. 4, a typical construction of a transistor  240  on an SOI wafer  200  is shown. In the SOI transistor fabrication process, a transistor  240  may be formed on the SOI layer  210 , the uppermost layer of silicon on the SOI wafer  200 . When the completed transistor  240  is turned on, a current flows between the source  242  and drain  244 , through channel  246 . A layer of gate oxide  248  is formed over the channel  246 , isolating the channel from the gate  250 . The transistor  240  is electrically isolated from adjacent transistors by shallow trench isolation (STI) regions  256 , which are non-conductive areas of deposited oxide. Unlike conventional bulk silicon wafers, a buried oxide layer  220  isolates the transistor components from the underlying silicon base  230 , a configuration that has many electrical benefits.  
         [0030]    The distance between source  242  and drain  244  is referred to as the “gate length” (L g )  252 . The thickness of the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) film is referred to as the “SOI thickness” (T SOI )  254 . A gate-length-to-SOI-thickness (L g /T SOI ) ratio of about five provides a transistor with the most optimum operational characteristics. A more uniform SOI thickness allows L g /T SOI  ratio variations across the length of the gate to be minimized while affording control of a more uniform SOI layer thickness.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 5 a  shows a cross-section of an SOI wafer  500  having an SOI layer  510  of non-uniform thickness  502 , a buried oxide layer  520  and a silicon base  530 . When first manufactured, the SOI layer  510  may demonstrate microscopic variations in thickness  502 , which may produce fluctuations in the L g /T SOI  ratio, impacting transistor performance. In the future, as technology advancements produce gate lengths that are reduced in size, small variations in SOI film thickness may become even more problematic on FD-SOI and other technologies, as the thickness variations will be an even greater percentage of the total SOI layer thickness. The method of the preferred embodiments will improve SOI thickness uniformity and allow greater control over the SOI thickness.  
         [0032]    Achieving consistent fabrication of transistors across a wafer requires stringent within-wafer (WIW) SOI thickness uniformity on both the macro and micro levels. Macro-level thickness uniformity refers to achieving SOI film uniformity across the wafer, from die to die. Micro-level thickness uniformity refers to achieving SOI film uniformity on the smaller “gate level,” or from transistor to transistor. SOI layer thickness in one area of a wafer should be identical to that in another region of the wafer.  
         [0033]    In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5 b , an SOI wafer  500  is subjected to a selective epitaxial growth (SEG) process. In the SEG process, an epitaxial layer (i.e. EPI)  550  of silicon is grown on the SOI layer  510  typically by depositing silicon atoms on the SOI layer in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, although other methods may be used. The CVD process for epitaxial growth is preferably a high-temperature process utilizing dichlorosilane (DCS or SiH 2 Cl 2 ) and hydrochloric acid (HCl), although other gases such as disilane (Si 2 H 6 ), may be used. Preferably, the CVD epitaxial growth process occurs between about 600° C. and about 900° C. More preferably, the CVD epitaxial growth process occurs between about 650° C. and about 850° C. Most preferably, the CVD epitaxial growth process occurs at about 700° C.  
         [0034]    The epitaxial layer  550  is a layer of silicon having substantially the same material properties and crystal orientation as the SOI layer  510  below. In effect, the SEG process creates a combined SOI/EPI layer  555  of homogeneous material with a greater thickness  502  and no discernable delineation between the SOI and EPI materials. It will be understood that, while referred to as a combination of two layers, the combined SOI/EPI layer  555  is merely a thicker silicon-on-insulator (SOI) layer created by the epitaxial growth process.  
         [0035]    The SEG process can be viewed is a leveling process, as it has been shown to have the effect of reducing thickness non-uniformities within an SOI layer  510 . That is, areas of smaller thickness  512  on the original SOI layer  510  generally experience a faster rate of EPI layer growth, and areas of greater thickness  514  generally experience a slower rate of EPI layer growth. The SEG crystal growth process has the desired side effect of increasing growth rate on initially thinner areas, such that the SOI layer  510  is leveled as the growth process progresses. Consequently, the selective epitaxial growth process has the effect of leveling the SOI layer  510  by increased growth of EPI  550  in the areas which need it the most.  
         [0036]    As SOI layers decrease in thickness to about 10 nm and below, the need for the leveling effect typically increases, since the thickness non-uniformity becomes a greater percent of the absolute SOI layer thickness  502 . As more EPI  550  is deposited (e.g. in the 20-40 nm range), as a result of the epitaxial growth process, the overall thickness of the combined SOI/EPI layer  555  becomes more uniform. Small thickness variations are reduced, and the thickness across the entire wafer becomes more uniform, with a smaller variation on both wafer-scale (i.e. from die to die) and micro-scale (i.e. within a die) measurements.  
         [0037]    A highly uniform SOI/EPI layer  555  can be generated across the wafer where the SOI  510  already exists, as the selective EPI deposition process largely prevents silicon deposition on oxides or other non-silicon areas. Consequently, after selective epitaxial growth, the SOI/EPI layer  555  has a greater, but more uniform, thickness than the original SOI layer  510 . However, as previously mentioned, the thickness of the SOI film is critical to proper transistor operation. As such, the newly grown SOI/EPI layer  555  is generally too thick to be used under the gate. Therefore, this leveled SOI/EPI layer  555  must be thinned in order to reach a preferred SOI thickness.  
         [0038]    In order to reduce the SOI/EPI layer  555  down to an acceptable thickness, sacrificial oxidation and oxide removal processes are employed. Sacrificial oxidation is a process, much like the rusting of a metal, in which an oxide is grown into the silicon surface by exposure to oxygen in a controlled environment. The process is sacrificial because a portion of the silicon is “sacrificed,” or converted into silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) by the oxidation process. Typically, sacrificial oxidation is performed by exposing the silicon to an elevated-temperature environment in the presence of an oxidant. Preferably, sacrificial oxidation is accomplished by the formation of a thermal oxide in a furnace with an oxygen source present. The surface of the silicon is oxidized to SiO 2  at a temperature between about 800° C. and about 1000° C., with the SiO 2  consuming some of the silicon at a well-known rate. More preferably, the sacrificial oxidation process occurs between about 850° C. and about 950° C. Most preferably, the sacrificial oxidation process occurs at about 900° C. It will be understood that several variations in the method used for sacrificial oxidation may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 5 c  shows a cross-section of the wafer  500  after a sacrificial oxidation process. The preferred oxidation process is called “sacrificial” in that a portion of the SOI/EPI material is sacrificed during the oxidation process as the silicon material is converted to SiO 2 , thereby thinning the remaining SOI/EPI layer in the process. Wafer  500  exhibits an thickness of oxidation  560  that has formed into the SOI/EPI layer  555 , converting a percentage of the SOI/EPI thickness into silicon dioxide. After sacrificial oxidation, a relatively thin SOI layer  570  having a substantially uniform thickness is left underneath the layer of oxide  560 . It will be understood that the sacrificial oxide process does not increase SOI thickness non-uniformity. Oxidation of the silicon substantially maintains the uniformity achieved through the SEG leveling process.  
         [0040]    After the newly leveled SOI/EPI layer  555  is thinned to the proper thickness by sacrificial oxidation, the thinner SOI layer  570  underneath has to be exposed. Preferably, oxide removal is performed using a wet etch process, which has been shown to maintain SOI thickness uniformity achieved previously during SEG leveling. In a wet etch process, the wafer may be dipped into a batch of hydrofluoric acid (HF) or other wet-clean etchant. Preferably, the HF is diluted with deionized (DI) water forming an aqueous solution comprising between about 45 percent by weight and about 55 percent by weight of HF. More preferably, the aqueous solution comprises between about 48.5 percent by weight and about 50.5 percent by weight of HF. Most preferably, the aqueous solution comprises about 49 percent by weight of HF. To etch SiO 2 , the aqueous solution of HF is typically mixed with DI water or ammonium fluoride and DI water to further reduce and/or buffer the etch rate. It will be understood that other methods of oxide removal known in the art, such as plasma etch, may also produce suitable SOI thickness uniformity results after removal of sacrificial oxidation.  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 5 d  shows the SOI wafer  500  after sacrificial oxide removal, with the leveled and thinned SOI layer  570  exposed. Once thinned to the desired thickness, the SOI layer  570  is ready for subsequent transistor fabrication steps. It will be understood that, the method of the preferred embodiments may be applied at the beginning of transistor fabrication, but it may also be applied after some transistor fabrication steps have taken place (e.g. just before gate stack deposition). The uniform SOI thickness may contribute to improved and more consistent transistor operation. Therefore, when used in combination in accordance with the preferred embodiments, selective epitaxial growth (SEG), sacrificial oxidation, and oxide removal processes have been shown to improve thickness uniformity of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) films and transistor operation.  
         [0042]    Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated.
A method for improving the thickness uniformity of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) film on a semiconductor wafer. The preferred embodiments disclose using a selective epitaxial growth (SEG), sacrificial oxidation and an oxide removal process for improving SOI thickness uniformity. The SEG process is a leveling process that grows a materially identical layer of epitaxial silicon over the SOI layer, thus thickening the SOI layer and increasing its thickness uniformity. The sacrificial oxidation process oxidizes a portion of the newly thickened SOI layer, converting it into an oxide. An oxide removal process, commonly an etch process, removes the oxide produced by sacrificial oxidation while maintaining the thickness uniformity achieved by SEG leveling.