Deep submicron device isolation with high scalability and manufacturability for ULSI

An isolation scheme employing a reactive-ion etch directly into field oxide to define the isolation areas is presented. This technique features process simplicity, no field thinning at narrow isolation spacings, negligible pattern transfer difference, freedom from defects and narrow-width effects, and excellent electrical isolation and active device characteristics. This technology has been proved to be highly scalable and manufacturable for deep-submicron ULSI (ultra-large-scale integration)