A simple model for the generation of substrate strain is developed and applied to the fabrication of advanced silicon integrated‐circuit structures. These structures consist of SiO2‐filled isolation trenches residing in a silicon substrate and strain is generated at elevated temperature by thermal oxidation. The high‐stress behavior of the viscosity of SiO2is considered and leads to self‐limiting behavior. During the initial stages of oxidation, the strain rises rapidly and then asymptotically approaches an equilibrium level determined by the oxidation conditions and the trench geometry.