Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080237859 | DIFFUSION BARRIER FOR INTEGRATED CIRCUITS FORMED FROM A LAYER OF REACTIVE METAL AND METHOD OF FABRICATION - An interconnect structure for an integrated circuit and method of forming the interconnect structure. The method includes depositing a metallic layer containing a reactive metal in an interconnect opening formed within a dielectric material containing a dielectric reactant element, thermally reacting at least a portion of the metallic layer with at least a portion of the dielectric material to form a diffusion barrier primarily containing a compound of the reactive metal from the metallic layer and the dielectric reactant element from the dielectric material, and filling the interconnect opening with Cu metal, where the diffusion barrier surrounds the Cu metal within the opening. The reactive metal can be Co, Ru, Mo, W, or Ir, or a combination thereof. The interconnect opening can be a trench, a via, or a dual damascene opening. | 10-02-2008 |
20080237860 | INTERCONNECT STRUCTURES CONTAINING A RUTHENIUM BARRIER FILM AND METHOD OF FORMING - Embodiments of the invention provide a method for integrating a Ru barrier film with good barrier properties into Cu metallization. The method includes exposing a substrate to a Ta-, Ti-, or W-containing precursor at a substrate temperature below the thermal decomposition temperature of the Ta-, Ti-, or W-containing precursor on the substrate to form a chemisorbed seed layer of partially decomposed Ta-, Ti-, or W-containing precursor on the substrate. The method further includes depositing a Ru barrier film on the chemisorbed seed layer, and forming bulk Cu metal on the Ru barrier film. According to additional embodiments, an interconnect structure and method of forming are provided. | 10-02-2008 |
20080284020 | SEMICONDUCTOR CONTACT STRUCTURE CONTAINING AN OXIDATION-RESISTANT DIFFUSION BARRIER AND METHOD OF FORMING - The method includes providing a patterned structure in a process chamber, where the patterned structure contains a micro-feature formed in a dielectric material and a contact layer at the bottom of the micro-feature, and depositing a metal carbonitride or metal carbide film on the patterned structure, including in the micro-feature and on the contact layer. The method further includes forming an oxidation-resistant diffusion barrier by increasing the nitrogen-content of the deposited metal carbide or metal carbide film, depositing a Ru film on the oxidation-resistant diffusion barrier, and forming bulk Cu metal in the micro-feature. A semiconductor contact structure is described. | 11-20-2008 |
20090045514 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE CONTAINING AN ALUMINUM TANTALUM CARBONITRIDE BARRIER FILM AND METHOD OF FORMING - The method includes providing a substrate containing a dielectric layer having a recessed feature and forming a aluminum tantalum carbonitride barrier film over a surface of the recessed feature. The aluminum tantalum carbonitride barrier film is formed by depositing a plurality of tantalum carbonitride films, and depositing aluminum between each of the plurality of tantalum carbonitride films. One embodiment further comprises depositing a Ru film on the aluminum tantalum carbonitride barrier film, depositing a Cu seed layer on the Ru film, and filling the recessed feature with bulk Cu. A semiconductor device containing an aluminum tantalum carbonitride barrier film is described. | 02-19-2009 |
20090087981 | VOID-FREE COPPER FILLING OF RECESSED FEATURES FOR SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES - A method is provided for void-free copper (Cu) filling of recessed features in a semiconductor device. The method includes providing a patterned substrate containing a recessed feature, depositing a barrier film on the patterned substrate, including in the recessed feature, depositing a Ru metal film on the barrier film, and depositing a discontinuous Cu seed layer on the Ru metal film, where the Cu seed layer partially covers the Ru metal film in the recessed feature. The method further includes exposing the substrate to an oxidation source gas that oxidizes the Cu seed layer and the portion of the Ru metal film not covered by the Cu seed layer, heat-treating the oxidized Cu seed layer and the oxidized Ru metal film under high vacuum conditions or in the presence of an inert gas to activate the oxidized Ru metal film for Cu plating, and filling the recessed feature with bulk Cu metal. The exposure to the oxidation source gas can be an air exposure commonly encountered in semiconductor device manufacturing prior to Cu plating. | 04-02-2009 |
20090166327 | METHOD FOR IN-SITU REFURBISHING A CERAMIC SUBSTRATE HOLDER - Method for operating a processing system and refurbishing a ceramic substrate holder within a process chamber of the processing system are described. The method includes plasma processing one or more substrates on the ceramic substrate holder, where the processing causes erosion of a nitride material of the ceramic substrate holder. The method further includes refurbishing the ceramic substrate holder in-situ without a substrate residing on the ceramic substrate holder, where the refurbishing includes exposing the ceramic substrate holder to a plasma-excited nitrogen-containing gas in the process chamber to at least partially reverse the erosion of the nitride material. | 07-02-2009 |
20090246952 | METHOD OF FORMING A COBALT METAL NITRIDE BARRIER FILM - A method is provided for forming a cobalt metal nitride barrier film on a substrate for semiconductor devices. According to one embodiment of the invention, the method includes depositing a plurality of metal nitride layers on the substrate, and depositing a cobalt layer between each of the plurality of metal nitride layers. According to another embodiment of the invention, the method includes simultaneously exposing the substrate to a metal nitride precursor or a metal precursor, a cobalt precursor, and a reducing gas, nitriding gas, or a combination thereof. Embodiments for integrating a cobalt metal nitride barrier film into semiconductor devices are described. | 10-01-2009 |
20100015798 | METHOD FOR FORMING A RUTHENIUM METAL CAP LAYER - A method for integrating ruthenium (Ru) metal cap layers and modified Ru metal cap layers into copper (Cu) metallization of semiconductor devices to improve electromigration (EM) and stress migration (SM) in bulk Cu metal. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a planarized patterned substrate containing a Cu metal surface and a dielectric layer surface, depositing first Ru metal on the Cu metal surface, and depositing additional Ru metal on the dielectric layer surface, where the amount of the additional Ru metal is less than the amount of the first Ru metal. The method further includes at least substantially removing the additional Ru metal from the dielectric layer surface to improve the selective formation of a Ru metal cap layer on the Cu metal surface. Other embodiments further include incorporating one or more types of modifier elements into the dielectric layer surface, the Cu metal surface, the Ru metal cap layer, or a combination thereof. | 01-21-2010 |
20100078818 | DIFFUSION BARRIER AND ADHESION LAYER FOR AN INTERCONNECT STRUCTURE - An interconnect structure is provided. The interconnect structure includes an interconnect opening formed within a dielectric material, a diffusion barrier on the dielectric material, where the diffusion barrier contains a compound from a thermal reaction between cobalt (Co) metal from at least a portion of a cobalt metal layer formed on the dielectric material and a dielectric reactant element from the dielectric material. The interconnect structure further includes a cobalt nitride adhesion layer in the interconnect opening, and a Cu metal fill in the interconnect opening, wherein the diffusion barrier and the cobalt nitride adhesion layer surround the Cu metal fill within the interconnect opening. | 04-01-2010 |
20100081271 | METHOD OF FORMING A DIFFUSION BARRIER AND ADHESION LAYER FOR AN INTERCONNECT STRUCTURE - A method of forming an interconnect structure is provided. The method includes depositing a cobalt metal layer in an interconnect opening formed within a dielectric material containing a dielectric reactant element. The method further includes, in any order, thermally reacting at least a portion of the cobalt metal layer with at least a portion of the dielectric material to form a diffusion barrier containing a compound of the reactive metal from the cobalt metal layer and the dielectric reactant element from the dielectric material, and forming a cobalt nitride adhesion layer in the interconnect opening. The method further includes filling the interconnect opening with Cu metal, where the diffusion barrier and the cobalt nitride adhesion layer surround the Cu metal in the interconnect opening. | 04-01-2010 |
20100081274 | METHOD FOR FORMING RUTHENIUM METAL CAP LAYERS - A method is provided for integrating ruthenium (Ru) metal deposition into manufacturing of semiconductor devices to improve electromigration and stress migration in copper (Cu) metal. Embodiments of the invention include treating patterned substrates containing metal layers and low-k dielectric materials with NH | 04-01-2010 |
20100081275 | METHOD FOR FORMING COBALT NITRIDE CAP LAYERS - A method is provided for integrating cobalt nitride cap layers into manufacturing of semiconductor devices to improve electromigration and stress migration in copper (Cu) metal. One embodiment includes providing a patterned substrate containing a recessed feature formed in a low-k material and a first metallization layer at the bottom of the feature, forming a cobalt nitride cap layer on the first metallization layer, depositing a barrier layer in the recessed feature, including on the low-k dielectric material and on the first cobalt metal cap layer, and filling the recessed feature with Cu metal. Another embodiment includes providing a patterned substrate having a substantially planar surface with Cu paths and low-k dielectric regions, and selectively forming a cobalt nitride cap layer on the Cu paths relative to the low-k dielectric regions. | 04-01-2010 |
20100081276 | METHOD FOR FORMING COBALT TUNGSTEN CAP LAYERS - A method is provided for integrating cobalt tungsten cap layers into manufacturing of semiconductor devices to improve electromigration and stress migration in copper (Cu) metal. One embodiment includes providing a patterned substrate containing a recessed feature formed in a low-k material and a first metallization layer at the bottom of the feature, forming a cobalt tungsten cap layer on the first metallization layer, depositing a barrier layer in the recessed feature, including on the low-k dielectric material and on the first cobalt metal cap layer, and filling the recessed feature with Cu metal. Another embodiment includes providing a patterned substrate having a substantially planar surface with Cu paths and low-k regions, and forming a cobalt tungsten cap layer on the Cu paths. | 04-01-2010 |
20100197135 | METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH METAL-CONTAINING CAP LAYERS - A method for integrating metal-containing cap layers into copper (Cu) metallization of semiconductor devices. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a patterned substrate containing Cu metal surfaces and dielectric layer surfaces, forming a patterned mask layer on the patterned substrate, where the patterned mask layer contains openings that expose the Cu metal surfaces. The method further includes depositing a metal-containing layer on the Cu metal surfaces, depositing an additional metal-containing layer on the patterned mask layer, and removing the patterned mask layer and the additional metal-containing layer from the patterned substrate to selectively form metal-containing cap layers on the Cu metal surfaces. | 08-05-2010 |
20100210108 | RADIATION-ASSISTED SELECTIVE DEPOSITION OF METAL-CONTAINING CAP LAYERS - A method for integrating metal-containing cap layers into copper (Cu) metallization of semiconductor devices to improve electromigration and stress migration in bulk Cu metal. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a patterned substrate containing Cu metal surfaces and dielectric layer surfaces, exposing the patterned substrate to a process gas comprising a metal-containing precursor, and irradiating the patterned substrate with electromagnetic radiation, where selective metal-containing cap layer formation on the Cu metal surfaces is facilitated by the electromagnetic radiation. In some embodiments, the method further includes pre-treating the patterned substrate with additional electromagnetic radiation and optionally a cleaning gas prior to forming the metal-containing cap layer. | 08-19-2010 |
20120315404 | APPARATUS FOR THERMAL AND PLASMA ENHANCED VAPOR DEPOSITION AND METHOD OF OPERATING - A method for vapor deposition on a substrate in a vapor deposition system having a process space separated from a transfer space. The method disposes a substrate in a process space of a processing system that is vacuum isolated from a transfer space of the processing system, processes the substrate at either of a first position or a second position in the process space while maintaining vacuum isolation from the transfer space by way of a movement accommodating sealing material, and deposits a material on the substrate at either the first position or the second position. | 12-13-2012 |