US5354712A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method for forming interconnect structures for integrated circuits
Assignee: Nortel Networks Ltd
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Filing: 1992-11-12
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Granted: 1994-10-11
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Expires: 2012-11-12
Abstract
Abstract A method is provided for forming interconnect structures for ULSI integrated circuits. Preferably, a barrier layer of a conductive material which forms a seed layer for metal deposition is provided selectively on the sidewalls and bottom of interconnect trenches defined in a dielectric layer, and a conformal layer of metal is selectively deposited on the barrier layer within the interconnect trench. Advantageously, the metal layer forming interconnect comprises a layer of copper which is deposited by chemical vapour deposition from an organo-metallic precursor at low temperature. Etching back and planarization of the barrier layer and the metal layer is accomplished by chemical mechanical polishing. Second and subsequent levels of metallization are provided by repeating the process steps, as required, to provide another dielectric layer defining interconnect trenches, selectively lining the trenches with a conformal barrier layer and then filling the trenches with selective deposition of a conformal conductive layer of metal, with planarization of the resulting conformal layers by chemical mechanical polishing. Preferably, via holes forming contacts to underlying device structures are filled with copper or tungsten.
Inventors
- 👤 Yu Q. Ho
- 👤 Gurvinder Jolly
- 👤 Ismail T. Emesh
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 22:24
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/01; H10W20/031; H10W20/056; H10W20/057
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
189 words
A method of forming interconnect structures for devices of an integrated circuit, the devices being formed in a substrate and having an overlying substantially planar first dielectric layer, the dielectric layer having contact holes extending therethrough over contact regions of the devices, the contact holes being filled with conductive material to provide contacts, the method comprising: providing a second dielectric layer having a substantially planar surface and defining therein interconnect trenches having steep sidewalls, each interconnect trench extending through the second dielectric and exposing selected contacts within a bottom of the trench; providing a conformal layer of a conductive barrier material selectively over sidewalls and the bottom of each interconnect trench, by depositing a conformal layer of the barrier material overall and then selectively removing barrier material from the surface of the second dielectric layer by chemical mechanical polishing thereby leaving a layer of the barrier material lining the sidewalls and bottom of each interconnect trench; and then filling the interconnect trenches with a conductive material by selectively depositing a conformal layer of a conductive material on the barrier layer to a thickness sufficient to fill each interconnect trenches.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
189 words
A method of forming interconnect structures for devices of an integrated circuit, the devices being formed in a substrate and having an overlying substantially planar first dielectric layer, the dielectric layer having contact holes extending therethrough over contact regions of the devices, the contact holes being filled with conductive material to provide contacts, the method comprising: providing a second dielectric layer having a substantially planar surface and defining therein interconnect trenches having steep sidewalls, each interconnect trench extending through the second dielectric and exposing selected contacts within a bottom of the trench; providing a conformal layer of a conductive barrier material selectively over sidewalls and the bottom of each interconnect trench, by depositing a conformal layer of the barrier material overall and then selectively removing barrier material from the surface of the second dielectric layer by chemical mechanical polishing thereby leaving a layer of the barrier material lining the sidewalls and bottom of each interconnect trench; and then filling the interconnect trenches with a conductive material by selectively depositing a conformal layer of a conductive material on the barrier layer to a thickness sufficient to fill each interconnect trenches.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
56 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein the conductive barrier layer provides a seed layer for selective growth of said conformal layer of conductive material within each trench and providing said conformal layer of conductive material over the barrier layer comprises chemical vapour deposition of a metal by disproportionation of an organo-metallic precursor of said metal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method according to claim 2 wherein chemical vapour deposition of a metal comprises deposition of copper by pyrolysis of a copper precursor comprising copper (hexafluoroacetylacetonate) trimethylvinyl silane.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein the second dielectric layer is selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, and polyimide.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein the layer of barrier material is selected from the group consisting of the refractory metals Ta and Mo, and the refractory metal compounds TiN, WN, TiW and TiB 2 .
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of depositing a conformal layer of conductive material to fill the interconnect trenches comprises selectively depositing a layer of metal selected from the group copper, silver and gold.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method according to claim 1 comprising a subsequent step of chemical mechanical polishing to remove any excess conductive material overfilling the trenches or deposited on the planar surface of the second dielectric.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
51 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of chemical mechanical polishing to selectively remove barrier material from the surface of the second dielectric comprises cleaning the barrier layer lining the trenches to remove chemical mechanical polishing debris before the step of selectively filling the interconnect trenches with conductive material.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
232 words
A method of forming interconnect structures for devices of an integrated circuit, comprising: providing a substrate of an integrated circuit comprising a first dielectric layer having a substantially planar surface, the first dielectric layer having contact holes extending therethrough, each contact hole exposing in a bottom of the hole an electrically conductive region; filling each of said contact holes with conductive material to provide contacts substantially coplanar with the planar surface of the dielectric layer; providing a second dielectric layer having a substantially planar surface; opening interconnect trenches in the second dielectric layer, each interconnect trench having steep sidewalls extending through the dielectric layer and exposing selected contacts within a bottom of the trench; providing a conformal layer of a conductive barrier material selectively over sidewalls and bottom of each interconnect trench by depositing a conformal layer of the barrier material overall and then selectively removing the barrier material from the surface of the second dielectric layer by chemical mechanical polishing thereby leaving a layer of the barrier material lining the sidewalls and bottom of each interconnect trench; then filling the interconnect trenches by selectively depositing on the barrier material in each trench, a conformal layer of a conductive material comprising a metal formed by chemical vapour deposition, the conformal layer of conductive material being selectively deposited over the barrier layer to a thickness sufficient to fill each of the interconnect trenches.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
232 words
A method of forming interconnect structures for devices of an integrated circuit, comprising: providing a substrate of an integrated circuit comprising a first dielectric layer having a substantially planar surface, the first dielectric layer having contact holes extending therethrough, each contact hole exposing in a bottom of the hole an electrically conductive region; filling each of said contact holes with conductive material to provide contacts substantially coplanar with the planar surface of the dielectric layer; providing a second dielectric layer having a substantially planar surface; opening interconnect trenches in the second dielectric layer, each interconnect trench having steep sidewalls extending through the dielectric layer and exposing selected contacts within a bottom of the trench; providing a conformal layer of a conductive barrier material selectively over sidewalls and bottom of each interconnect trench by depositing a conformal layer of the barrier material overall and then selectively removing the barrier material from the surface of the second dielectric layer by chemical mechanical polishing thereby leaving a layer of the barrier material lining the sidewalls and bottom of each interconnect trench; then filling the interconnect trenches by selectively depositing on the barrier material in each trench, a conformal layer of a conductive material comprising a metal formed by chemical vapour deposition, the conformal layer of conductive material being selectively deposited over the barrier layer to a thickness sufficient to fill each of the interconnect trenches.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
77 words
A method according to claim 9 wherein filling each of said contact holes with conductive material comprises: providing a conformal layer of a conductive barrier material selectively over sidewalls and bottom of each contact hole; and then providing a conformal layer of a conductive material comprising a metal formed by chemical vapour deposition of said metal, the conformal layer of metal being selectively deposited over the barrier layer to a thickness sufficient to fill the contact holes.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
11 words
A method according to claim 10 wherein said metal comprises tungsten.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
11 words
A method according to claim 10 wherein said metal comprises copper.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
54 words
A method according to claim 9 wherein the barrier layer comprises a material which functions as a seed layer for subsequent selective deposition of the conformal metal layer by low pressure chemical vapour deposition from an organo-metallic precursor material of said metal, and the metal layer is thereby deposited selectively on said barrier layer.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method according to claim 9 wherein the metal comprises copper and a conformal layer of copper is provided by low pressure chemical vapour deposition from an organo-metallic copper precursor material comprising copper (hexafluoroacetyl-acetonate) trimethylvinyl silane.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
59 words
A method according to claim 14 wherein the metal deposition is carried out in the temperature range from 100° C. to 300° C. and at a pressure in the range from 0.1 to 20 Torr, and with the flow rate being controlled in the range from 30 to 400 sccm copper (hexafluoroacetyl-acetonate) trimethylvinyl silane in an inert carrier gas.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 9 wherein the second dielectric layer is selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, and polyimide.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method according to claim 9 wherein the layer of barrier material selected from the group consisting of the refractory metals Ta and Mo, and the refractory metal compounds TiN, WN, TiW and TiB 2 .
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method according to claim 9 wherein the step of depositing a conformal layer of conductive material to fill the interconnect trenches comprises selectively depositing a layer of metal selected from the group copper, silver and gold.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
144 words
A method of forming conductive interconnect structures for an integrated circuit comprising: providing a substrate of the integrated circuit comprising a dielectric layer having a substantially planar surface and having openings defined therethrough, each opening having steep sidewalls and exposing an underlying conductive region in a bottom of the opening; providing a conformal layer of a conductive barrier material selectively over the sidewalls and bottom of each opening by depositing a conformal layer of the barrier material overall and then selectively removing the barrier material from the planar surface of the dielectric layer by chemical mechanical polishing, thereby leaving the layer of barrier material lining the sidewalls and bottom of each opening; then selectively filling the openings with a conductive material by selective deposition of a conformal layer of the conductive material on the barrier layer to a thickness sufficient to fill each opening.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
144 words
A method of forming conductive interconnect structures for an integrated circuit comprising: providing a substrate of the integrated circuit comprising a dielectric layer having a substantially planar surface and having openings defined therethrough, each opening having steep sidewalls and exposing an underlying conductive region in a bottom of the opening; providing a conformal layer of a conductive barrier material selectively over the sidewalls and bottom of each opening by depositing a conformal layer of the barrier material overall and then selectively removing the barrier material from the planar surface of the dielectric layer by chemical mechanical polishing, thereby leaving the layer of barrier material lining the sidewalls and bottom of each opening; then selectively filling the openings with a conductive material by selective deposition of a conformal layer of the conductive material on the barrier layer to a thickness sufficient to fill each opening.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method according to claim 19 wherein the conductive material is selected from the group of metals consisting copper, silver, gold or tungsten deposited by chemical vapour deposition.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 20 wherein the barrier layer forms a seed layer for said selective deposition thereon of the conformal layer of said metal.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-10-10 | 1998-04-11 | 1998-10-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-10-10 | 2002-04-11 | 2002-10-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-10-10 | 2006-04-11 | 2006-10-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |