Michael E Tucker

US Patent:

6663674, Dec 16, 2003

Filed:

Apr 19, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/126372

Inventors:

Michael Thomas Tucker - Dallas TX
Terry Breeden - Cedar Creek TX
Stefan Ottow - Dresden, DE
Wolfram Köstler - Langerbrück, DE
Dan Wissel - Austin TX

Assignee:

Infineon Technologies SC300 GmbH Co. KG - Dresden
Infineon Technologies AG - Munich
Motorola Inc. - Schaumburg IL

International Classification:

H01L 21302

US Classification:

638757, 638745, 638787

Abstract:

A recycling procedure for 300 mm nitride dummy wafers which have a stabilization layer of silicon dioxide is provided. The recycling procedure is essentially based on selectively wet etching the deposited silicon nitride with respect to the silicon dioxide stabilization layer, preferably with hot phosphoric acid at 160Â C. In particular, a method of handling a silicon wafer which is employed as a dummy wafer during a nitride deposition process includes the steps of depositing a silicon dioxide layer on the wafer surface, performing the nitride deposition process on the wafer to deposit silicon nitride or silicon oxinitride on the wafer surface until a predetermined layer thickness is reached, and etching the silicon nitride or silicon oxinitride layer selectively with respect to the silicon dioxide layer.