Kevin,
This note is as much to Fariborz as it is to you. PECVD nitride is not all
created equal... many people say things like "it is not a good mask for X" or
"it is stressed." That TOTALLY depends on how you deposit it. For example, with
our dual-frequency PECVD system (STS Electrotech) we tried an experiment with
50 nm of nitride (deposited at 250 degrees) in 80 degree KOH all day with NO
etching through (except about four pinholes per 4" wafer).

Practically speaking, TMAH is generally a better choice than KOH anyway...

You can get PECVD, LPCVD nitrides done through the National Nanofabrication
User Network (NNUN), with branches at fine universities such as Stanford and
one in Ithaca, NY (gee, I seem to forget the name... just kidding!!!). You can
contact Rosanna Dohm rosanna@glacier.stanford.edu for info.

Good luck!
Greg Kovacs