US5693564A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Conductor fill reflow with intermetallic compound wetting layer for semiconductor fabrication
Assignee: Intel Corp
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Filing: 1994-12-22
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Granted: 1997-12-02
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Expires: 2014-12-22
Abstract
Abstract A conductor fill technique uses an intermetallic compound wetting layer to allow a subsequent conductive material to be reflowed with minimized interaction between the conductive layer and the wetting layer. As one example, a wetting layer including TiAl or TiAl 3 may be formed over a semiconductor wafer and in an opening of the wafer. A conductive layer including aluminum (Al) may then be deposited and reflowed over the wafer to fill the opening in forming a contact, via, or interconnect line, for example, with minimized interaction between the aluminum (Al) of the conductive layer and the wetting layer. Any reduction in conductance of the material filled in the opening may be minimized as the formation of any new intermetallic TiAl 3 compounds that would otherwise increase the resistance of the material filled in the opening is minimized. Relatively denser and/or smaller-sized semiconductor devices may be fabricated with conductors that benefit from the relatively lower resistance of aluminum (Al) as aluminum (Al) may be used to fill relatively smaller openings with minimized reduction in conductance.
Inventors
- 👤 Jick M. Yu
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 11:23
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/01; H10W20/031; H10W20/056; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S148/00; Y10S148/003
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
59 words
A method for use in semiconductor device fabrication on a semiconductor wafer, comprising the steps of: (a) forming an opening in a layer of the semiconductor wafer; (b) forming over the semiconductor wafer and in the opening a wetting layer having an intermetallic compound material; and (c) forming over the wetting layer and in the opening a conductive layer.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
59 words
A method for use in semiconductor device fabrication on a semiconductor wafer, comprising the steps of: (a) forming an opening in a layer of the semiconductor wafer; (b) forming over the semiconductor wafer and in the opening a wetting layer having an intermetallic compound material; and (c) forming over the wetting layer and in the opening a conductive layer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the wetting layer comprises aluminum (Al) and titanium (Ti).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the intermetallic compound material is selected from the group consisting of TiAl and TiAl 3 .
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer comprises aluminum (Al).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the intermetallic compound material and the conductive layer each include a common element.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al), an aluminum-copper (Al--Cu) alloy, an aluminum-silicon (Al--Si) alloy, or an aluminum-silicon-copper (Al--Si--Cu) alloy.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the forming step (b) includes the step of depositing the wetting layer over the semiconductor wafer by sputter deposition.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the forming step (b) includes the steps of: (i) depositing a first element of the wetting layer over the semiconductor wafer, (ii) depositing a second element of the wetting layer over the semiconductor wafer, and (iii) heating the semiconductor wafer to form the intermetallic compound material.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the forming step (c) includes the step of depositing the conductive layer over the wetting layer by sputter deposition.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 1, comprising the step of reflowing the conductive layer.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
75 words
A method for use in semiconductor device fabrication on a semiconductor wafer, comprising the steps of: (a) forming an opening in a layer of the semiconductor wafer; (b) forming over the semiconductor wafer and in the opening a wetting layer having a compound material including at least two elements; and (c) forming over the wetting layer and in the opening a conductive layer having one of the at least two elements of the wetting layer.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
75 words
A method for use in semiconductor device fabrication on a semiconductor wafer, comprising the steps of: (a) forming an opening in a layer of the semiconductor wafer; (b) forming over the semiconductor wafer and in the opening a wetting layer having a compound material including at least two elements; and (c) forming over the wetting layer and in the opening a conductive layer having one of the at least two elements of the wetting layer.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 11, wherein the at least two elements include aluminum (Al) and titanium (Ti).
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 11, wherein the compound material is selected from the group consisting of TiAl and TiAl 3 .
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 11, wherein the one element of the conductive layer is aluminum (Al).
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 11, wherein the one element of the conductive layer is metallic.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 11, wherein the conductive layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al), an aluminum-copper (Al--Cu) alloy, an aluminum-silicon (Al--Si) alloy, or an aluminum-silicon-copper (Al--Si--Cu) alloy.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 11, wherein the forming step (b) includes the step of depositing the wetting layer over the semiconductor wafer by sputter deposition.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 11, wherein the forming step (b) includes the steps of: (i) depositing each element of the wetting layer over the semiconductor wafer, and (ii) heating the semiconductor wafer to form the compound material.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 11, wherein the forming step (c) includes the step of depositing the conductive layer over the wetting layer by sputter deposition.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 11, comprising the step of reflowing the conductive layer.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
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| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-12-01 | 2001-06-02 | 2001-12-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-12-01 | 2005-06-02 | 2005-12-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-12-01 | 2009-06-02 | 2009-12-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |