Method for forming a floating gate in a recess of a shallow trench isolation (STI) region

1. A method comprising:

forming a plurality of shallow trench isolation (STI) regions in a substrate, the plurality of STI regions comprising an etch stop layer, wherein forming each one of the plurality of STI regions comprises:

etching a STI trench in the substrate by a first etch, the STI trench comprising a bottom and sides;

forming a STI liner on the bottom and sides of the STI trench;

forming the etch stop layer over the STI liner, wherein the etch stop layer is further formed over a padox layer that is located directly on a top surface of the substrate adjacent to the STI trench and a nitride layer that is located on the padox layer;

forming an oxide fill directly on top of the etch stop layer;

etching the oxide fill in the STI region by a second etch to expose a portion of the etch stop layer in the bottom of the STI trench and to form a recess in the STI region, wherein the second etch further removes the padox layer, the nitride layer, and a portion of the etch stop layer that was located over the padox layer and the nitride layer, such that the top surface of the substrate is exposed adjacent to the STI region after the second etch, wherein the recess in each one of the plurality of STI regions is defined by a bottom and sides comprising the etch stop layer, and wherein the second etch further removes the oxide fill from the recess; and

after forming the recess in the STI region:

implanting a well region in the exposed top surface of the substrate adjacent to the recess;

growing a tunnel oxide over the implanted well region, wherein the tunnel oxide does not extend into the recess; and

forming a floating gate over the implanted well region and the tunnel oxide, the floating gate comprising a portion that extends laterally into the recess in the STI region and vertically to the etch stop layer comprising the bottom of the recess in the STI region, wherein the etch stop layer separates the portion of the floating gate that extends into the recess in the STI region from the substrate;

wherein the etch stop layer in the recess in each one of the plurality of STI regions separates multiple floating gates from the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the etch stop layer comprises nitride.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the floating gate comprises a floating gate material comprising one of polysilicon, titanium nitride (TiN), titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN), and tantalum nitride (TaN), and wherein forming the floating gate comprises conformal deposition of the floating gate material and etching of the deposited floating gate material by a third etch.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the floating gate comprises sloped sides having an angle of about 10 degrees, and wherein the third etch comprises CH x F y +O 2 .