Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Three-dimensional analyses of anisotropic stress effects during thermal oxidation of silicon are performed in this study using finite strain formulation. A reaction rate model that conjugates pressure to a crystalline direction dependent activation volume is employed for the modeling of facet formation in an STI MOSFET device. The numerical results agree well with TEM observations. The 3-D nature of stress evolution in fabrication process is demonstrated and the implication of stress relaxation on device performance in a strained SiGe based device is discussed.