Crystal lattice dislocations in material surrounding trench capacitors and other trench structures are avoided by alteration of stresses such as decreasing compressive stresses and/or development of persistent tensile forces within material deposited in the trench and thus at the material interface formed by the trench. Such alteration of stresses is achieved by volume reduction of a film deposited in the trench. The material is preferably a hydrogenated nitride of silicon, boron or silicon-carbon alloy which may be reduced in volume by partial or substantially complete dehydrogenation during subsequent heat treatment at temperatures where the film will exhibit substantial creep resistance. The amount of volume reduction can be closely controlled by control of concentration of hydrogen or other gas or volatile material in the film. Further fine adjustment of stresses can be achieved in combination with this mechanism by volume reduction of other materials which may be used, in part, to confine the film through other mechanisms such as annealing.