Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090166867 | METAL INTERCONNECT STRUCTURES FOR SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES - Cu interconnect structures using a bottomless liner to reduce the copper interfacial electron scattering and lower the electrical resistance are described in this application. The interconnect structures comprise a nucleation layer and a liner layer that may be formed by an oxide or nitride. The bottom portion of the liner layer is removed to expose the nucleation layer. Since the liner is bottomless, the nucleation layer is exposed during Cu deposition and serves to catalyze copper nucleation and enable selective growth of copper near the bottom (where the nucleation layer is exposed), rather than near the liner sidewalls. Thus, copper may be selectively grown with a bottom-up fill behavior than can reduce or eliminate formation of voids. Other embodiments are described. | 07-02-2009 |
20090169760 | COPPER METALLIZATION UTILIZING REFLOW ON NOBLE METAL LINERS - Methods for making copper (Cu) interconnects in semiconductor devices for interconnect dimensions less than 50 nm are described. The processes form Cu interconnects using a sequence of barrier layer, liner layer, and Cu deposition layer depositions, followed by a thermally assisted Cu reflow of the Cu deposition layer, and then a chemical mechanical polish (CMP) to removed excess portions of the reflowed Cu. The liner layer comprises noble metals such as Ru, Ir, Os, Rh, Re, Pd, Pt, and Au. Such processes avoids the formation of voids in copper interconnects with dimensions less than 50 nm. | 07-02-2009 |
20090321934 | SELF-ALIGNED CAP AND BARRIER - A semiconductor device comprising an insulator layer formed on a substrate; a via formed by etching into the insulator layer to a first depth; a first metal layer formed over the insulator layer; a second metal layer deposited on the first metal layer to substantially fill the via; a metal-dopant alloy layer deposited over the second metal, wherein the dopant is diffused by annealing through the second metal layer and the first metal layer deposited in the via, such that the dopant migrates to a boundary between the first metal layer and the insulator to form a barrier; and an etch stop layer deposited over the via after planarization of the via and the insulator layer to form a barrier cap. | 12-31-2009 |
20090321935 | Methods of forming improved electromigration resistant copper films and structures formed thereby - Methods and associated structures of forming a microelectronic structure are described. Those methods may comprise forming a doping material on an overburden region of a conductive structure, diffusing a portion of the doping material into a portion of the conductive structure, and then removing the overburden region. | 12-31-2009 |
20100022083 | CARBON NANOTUBE INTERCONNECT STRUCTURES - A method including forming an interconnect of single-walled carbon nanotubes on a sacrificial substrate; transferring the interconnect from the sacrificial substrate to a circuit substrate; and coupling the interconnect to a contact point on the circuit substrate. A method including forming a nanotube bundle on a circuit substrate between a first contact point and a second contact point, the nanotube defining a lumen therethrough; filling a portion of a length of the lumen of the nanotube bundle with an electrically conductive material; and coupling the electrically conductive material to the second contact point. A system including a computing device comprising a microprocessor, the microprocessor coupled to a printed circuit board, the microprocessor including a substrate having a plurality of circuit devices with electrical connections made to the plurality of circuit devices through interconnect structures including carbon nanotube bundles. | 01-28-2010 |
20100244252 | Self Forming Metal Fluoride Barriers for Fluorinated Low-K Dielectrics - A device and method of forming fluoride metal barriers at an interface of a fluorinated low-K dielectric and Cu or Cu alloy interconnects is disclosed. The fluoride metal barriers may prevent interconnects from reacting with the fluorinated low-K dielectric. The method may include depositing a thin film of metal or metal alloy on the fluorinated low-K dielectric. The thin film may include a metal or metal alloying element that reacts with free fluorine and/or fluorine compounds from the fluorinated low-K dielectric to form fluoride metal barriers. | 09-30-2010 |
20120070930 | METHOD AND APPARATUS TO FABRICATE POLYMER ARRAYS ON PATTERNED WAFERS USING ELECTROCHEMICAL SYNTHESIS - A wafer having a plurality of dies (also called array chips) on the wafer, the die having an electrode to generate a deprotecting reagent, a working electrode to electrochemically synthesize a material, a confinement electrode adjacent to the working electrode to confine reactive reagents, and a die pad, wherein die pads of the plurality of dies are interconnected on the wafer to electrochemically synthesize the material in parallel on a plurality of working electrodes is disclosed. Also, a method for wafer-scale manufacturing of a plurality of dies and a method for electrochemically synthesizing a material in parallel on a plurality of dies on a wafer are disclosed. | 03-22-2012 |
20120153483 | BARRIERLESS SINGLE-PHASE INTERCONNECT - A method of forming an interconnect structure and an integrated circuit including the interconnect structure. The method includes: depositing a dielectric layer over a conductive layer; forming an opening in the dielectric layer to expose the conductive layer; forming a barrierless single-phase interconnect comprising a metal or compound having a melting point between a melting point of copper and a melting point of tungsten. Forming includes depositing a layer of metal or compound within the opening and on an upper surface of the dielectric layer Preferably, the barrierless single-phase interconnect comprises cobalt or a cobalt containing compound. Thus, an interconnect structure, including a via and associated line, is made up of a single-phase metal or compound without the use of a different material between the interconnect and the underlying dielectric, thus improving electrical performance and reliability and further simplifying the interconnect formation process. | 06-21-2012 |
20120225512 | METHOD AND APPARATUS TO FABRICATE POLYMER ARRAYS ON PATTERNED WAFERS USING ELECTROCHEMICAL SYNTHESIS - A wafer having a plurality of dies (also called array chips) on the wafer, the die having an electrode to generate a deprotecting reagent, a working electrode to electrochemically synthesize a material, a confinement electrode adjacent to the working electrode to confine reactive reagents, and a die pad, wherein die pads of the plurality of dies are interconnected on the wafer to electrochemically synthesize the material in parallel on a plurality of working electrodes is disclosed. Also, a method for wafer-scale manufacturing of a plurality of dies and a method for electrochemically synthesizing a material in parallel on a plurality of dies on a wafer are disclosed. | 09-06-2012 |
20120258588 | SELF FORMING METAL FLUORIDE BARRIERS FOR FLUORINATED LOW-K DIELECTRICS - A device and method of forming fluoride metal barriers at an interface of a fluorinated low-K dielectric and Cu or Cu alloy interconnects is disclosed. The fluoride metal barriers may prevent interconnects from reacting with the fluorinated low-K dielectric. The method may include depositing a thin film of metal or metal alloy on the fluorinated low-K dielectric. The thin film may include a metal or metal alloying element that reacts with free fluorine and/or fluorine compounds from the fluorinated low-K dielectric to form fluoride metal barriers. | 10-11-2012 |
20140027909 | METALLIZATION OF FLUOROCARBON-BASED DIELECTRIC FOR INTERCONNECTS - Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards metallization of a fluorocarbon-based dielectric material for interconnect applications. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a semiconductor substrate, a device layer disposed on the semiconductor substrate, the device layer including one or more transistor devices, and an interconnect layer disposed on the device layer, the interconnect layer comprising a fluorocarbon-based dielectric material, where x represents a stoichiometric quantity of fluorine relative to carbon in the dielectric material, and one or more interconnect structures configured to route electrical signals to or from the one or more transistor devices, the one or more interconnect structures comprising cobalt (Co), or ruthenium (Ru), or combinations thereof. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed. | 01-30-2014 |
20140029181 | INTERLAYER INTERCONNECTS AND ASSOCIATED TECHNIQUES AND CONFIGURATIONS - Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards interlayer interconnects and associated techniques and configurations. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a semiconductor substrate, one or more device layers disposed on the semiconductor substrate, and one or more interconnect layers disposed on the one or more device layers, the one or more interconnect layers including interconnect structures configured to route electrical signals to or from the one or more device layers, the interconnect structures comprising copper (Cu) and germanium (Ge). Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed. | 01-30-2014 |
20140091467 | FORMING BARRIER WALLS, CAPPING, OR ALLOYS /COMPOUNDS WITHIN METAL LINES - Described herein are techniques structures related to forming barrier walls, capping, or alloys/compounds such as treating copper so that an alloy or compound is formed, to reduce electromigration (EM) and strengthen metal reliability which degrades as the length of the lines increases in integrated circuits. | 04-03-2014 |
20140183738 | COBALT BASED INTERCONNECTS AND METHODS OF FABRICATION THEREOF - A metal interconnect comprising cobalt and method of forming a metal interconnect comprising cobalt are described. In an embodiment, a metal interconnect comprising cobalt includes a dielectric layer disposed on a substrate, an opening formed in the dielectric layer such that the substrate is exposed. The embodiment further includes a seed layer disposed over the substrate and a fill material comprising cobalt formed within the opening and on a surface of the seed layer. | 07-03-2014 |
20150270117 | METALLIZATION OF FLUOROCARBON-BASED DIELECTRIC FOR INTERCONNECTS - Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards metallization of a fluorocarbon-based dielectric material for interconnect applications. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a semiconductor substrate, a device layer disposed on the semiconductor substrate, the device layer including one or more transistor devices, and an interconnect layer disposed on the device layer, the interconnect layer comprising a fluorocarbon-based dielectric material, where x represents a stoichiometric quantity of fluorine relative to carbon in the dielectric material, and one or more interconnect structures configured to route electrical signals to or from the one or more transistor devices, the one or more interconnect structures comprising cobalt (Co), or ruthenium (Ru), or combinations thereof. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed. | 09-24-2015 |