Lateral isolation in SOI CMOS technology

Abstract

Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology has been the subject of intensive work, mainly because of the advantages related to its intrinsic isolation properties. This avoids such drastic problems as latchup, encountered in bulk submicron CMOS processes. A lateral isolation is however necessary for the separation of the different transistors. Two main approaches can be considered: field oxidation (LOCOS) or field silicon etching (mesa). The author presents a review of the advantages and problems related to these techniques for an application to a VLSI CMOS process.<>