Patent attributes
A semiconductor device has a substrate with both compressive and tensile layers deposited overlying a single major surface (face) of the device. The tensile layer may be deposited directly on the substrate of the device, with the compressive layer overlying the tensile layer. A transition material may be located between the tensile layer and the compressive layer. The transition material may be a compound including the components of one or both of the tensile layer and the compressive layer. In a specific embodiment, the tensile material may be a silicon nitride, the compressive layer may be a silicon oxide, and the transition material may be a silicon oxy-nitride, which may be formed by oxidizing the surface of the tensile silicon nitride layer. By depositing both tensile and compressive layers on the same face of the device the opposite major surface (face) is free for processing.