US5841179A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Conductive layer with anti-reflective surface portion
Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices Inc
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Filing: 1996-08-28
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Granted: 1998-11-24
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Expires: 2016-08-28
Abstract
Abstract The application of a dissimilar anti-reflective coating on a conductive layer during photolithographic processing is avoided, as by modifying a portion of the upper surface of the conductive layer to exhibit anti-reflective properties. In an embodiment of the present invention, impurity ions are implanted into a portion of the upper surface of an aluminum or an aluminum-alloy conductive layer to render the upper portion substantially amorphous and, hence, decrease its reflectivity to perform an anti-reflective function.
Inventors
- 👤 Shekhar Pramanick
- 👤 Bhanwar Singh
- 👤 Che-Hoo Ng
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 16:30
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/01; H10W20/031; H10W20/064; H10P; H10P76/00; H10P76/20; H10P76/204; H10P76/2041; H10P76/2043; H10W20/065; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S438/00; Y10S438/942; Y10S438/948; Y10S438/952
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
98 words
A semiconductor device comprising: a substrate; an insulating layer formed on the substrate; and a conductive layer having an upper surface and a lower surface formed above the insulating layer; wherein the upper surface comprises an ion implanted, converted anti-reflective upper portion extending into the conductive layer, which anti-reflective upper portion is formed by ion implantation thereby altering the reflectivity and converting the upper surface of the conductive layer into the anti-reflective upper portion, and the reflectivity of the upper portion was reduced to less than about 50% of the reflectivity of the remainder of the conductive layer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
98 words
A semiconductor device comprising: a substrate; an insulating layer formed on the substrate; and a conductive layer having an upper surface and a lower surface formed above the insulating layer; wherein the upper surface comprises an ion implanted, converted anti-reflective upper portion extending into the conductive layer, which anti-reflective upper portion is formed by ion implantation thereby altering the reflectivity and converting the upper surface of the conductive layer into the anti-reflective upper portion, and the reflectivity of the upper portion was reduced to less than about 50% of the reflectivity of the remainder of the conductive layer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
97 words
A semiconductor device comprising: a substrate; an insulating layer formed on the substrate; and a conductive layer having an upper surface and a lower surface formed above the insulating layer; wherein the upper surface comprises an ion implanted, converted anti-reflective upper portion extending into the conductive layer, which anti-reflective upper portion is formed by ion implanting impurity atoms thereby altering the reflectivity and converting the upper surface of the conductive layer into the anti-reflective upper portion and the conductive layer comprises a metal and the implanted impurity atoms are heavier than metal atoms of the conductive layer.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
97 words
A semiconductor device comprising: a substrate; an insulating layer formed on the substrate; and a conductive layer having an upper surface and a lower surface formed above the insulating layer; wherein the upper surface comprises an ion implanted, converted anti-reflective upper portion extending into the conductive layer, which anti-reflective upper portion is formed by ion implanting impurity atoms thereby altering the reflectivity and converting the upper surface of the conductive layer into the anti-reflective upper portion and the conductive layer comprises a metal and the implanted impurity atoms are heavier than metal atoms of the conductive layer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
98 words
A semiconductor device comprising: a substrate; an insulating layer formed on the substrate; and a conductive layer having an upper surface and a lower surface formed above the insulating layer; wherein the upper surface comprises an ion implanted, converted anti-reflective upper portion extending into the conductive layer, which anti-reflective upper portion is formed by ion implantation thereby altering the reflectivity and converting the upper surface of the conductive layer into the anti-reflective upper portion and the conductive layer comprises a metal, the anti-reflective upper portion is substantially amorphous, and the remainder of the conductive layer is substantially crystalline.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
98 words
A semiconductor device comprising: a substrate; an insulating layer formed on the substrate; and a conductive layer having an upper surface and a lower surface formed above the insulating layer; wherein the upper surface comprises an ion implanted, converted anti-reflective upper portion extending into the conductive layer, which anti-reflective upper portion is formed by ion implantation thereby altering the reflectivity and converting the upper surface of the conductive layer into the anti-reflective upper portion and the conductive layer comprises a metal, the anti-reflective upper portion is substantially amorphous, and the remainder of the conductive layer is substantially crystalline.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the upper portion has been rendered substantially amorphous by ion implantation.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
98 words
A semiconductor device comprising: a substrate; an insulating layer formed on the substrate; and a conductive layer having an upper surface and a lower surface formed above the insulating layer; wherein the upper surface comprises an ion implanted, converted anti-reflective upper portion extending into the conductive layer, which anti-reflective upper portion is formed by ion implantation thereby altering the reflectivity and converting the upper surface of the conductive layer into the anti-reflective upper portion and the conductive layer comprises an interconnection pattern defined by a plurality of conductive lines having an interwiring spacing less than about 1 micron.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
98 words
A semiconductor device comprising: a substrate; an insulating layer formed on the substrate; and a conductive layer having an upper surface and a lower surface formed above the insulating layer; wherein the upper surface comprises an ion implanted, converted anti-reflective upper portion extending into the conductive layer, which anti-reflective upper portion is formed by ion implantation thereby altering the reflectivity and converting the upper surface of the conductive layer into the anti-reflective upper portion and the conductive layer comprises an interconnection pattern defined by a plurality of conductive lines having an interwiring spacing less than about 1 micron.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the conductive layer comprises aluminum, an aluminum-alloy, copper or a copper-alloy.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the conductive layer comprises aluminum or an aluminum-alloy.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein the anti-reflective upper portion is substantially amorphous, and the remainder of the conductive layer is substantially crystalline.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
32 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein the upper portion has been rendered substantially amorphous by implanting an impurity selected from the group consisting of Ge, Si, Ar, Xe and Kr.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
14 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein the impurity is Ge or Si.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein the substantially amorphous anti-reflective upper portion has been crystallized.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
87 words
A semiconductor device comprising: a substrate; an insulating layer formed on the substrate; and a conductive layer having an upper surface and a lower surface formed above the insulating layer; wherein the upper surface comprises an ion implanted, converted anti-reflective upper portion extending into the conductive layer, which anti-reflective upper portion is formed by ion implantation thereby altering the reflectivity and converting the upper surface of the conductive layer into the anti-reflective upper portion and the thickness of the anti-reflective upper portion is less than about 1000Å.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
87 words
A semiconductor device comprising: a substrate; an insulating layer formed on the substrate; and a conductive layer having an upper surface and a lower surface formed above the insulating layer; wherein the upper surface comprises an ion implanted, converted anti-reflective upper portion extending into the conductive layer, which anti-reflective upper portion is formed by ion implantation thereby altering the reflectivity and converting the upper surface of the conductive layer into the anti-reflective upper portion and the thickness of the anti-reflective upper portion is less than about 1000Å.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
88 words
A semiconductor device comprising: a substrate; an insulating layer formed on the substrate; and a conductive layer having an upper surface and a lower surface formed above the insulating layer; wherein the upper surface comprises an ion implanted, converted anti-reflective upper portion extending into the conductive layer, which anti-reflective upper portion is formed by ion implantation thereby altering the reflectivity and converting the upper surface of the conductive layer into the anti-reflective upper portion and the lower surface of the conductive layer is formed on a metallic underlayer.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
88 words
A semiconductor device comprising: a substrate; an insulating layer formed on the substrate; and a conductive layer having an upper surface and a lower surface formed above the insulating layer; wherein the upper surface comprises an ion implanted, converted anti-reflective upper portion extending into the conductive layer, which anti-reflective upper portion is formed by ion implantation thereby altering the reflectivity and converting the upper surface of the conductive layer into the anti-reflective upper portion and the lower surface of the conductive layer is formed on a metallic underlayer.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
78 words
A semiconductor device, comprising: a substrate; an insulating layer on the substrate; a conductive interconnect pattern on the insulating layer, the conductive interconnect pattern comprising a plurality of metal lines separated by an interwiring spacing less than about one micron, at least one metal line having a substantially amorphous anti-reflective film thereon of the same metal as the metal line, which substantially amorphous anti-reflective film is formed by ion implanting the metal line to alter its surface reflectivity.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
78 words
A semiconductor device, comprising: a substrate; an insulating layer on the substrate; a conductive interconnect pattern on the insulating layer, the conductive interconnect pattern comprising a plurality of metal lines separated by an interwiring spacing less than about one micron, at least one metal line having a substantially amorphous anti-reflective film thereon of the same metal as the metal line, which substantially amorphous anti-reflective film is formed by ion implanting the metal line to alter its surface reflectivity.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
19 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 14, wherein the metal comprises aluminum, an aluminum-alloy, copper or a copper alloy.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
21 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 15, wherein the anti-reflective film is substantially amorphous and the metal line is substantially crystalline.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
16 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 15, wherein the metal comprises aluminum or an aluminum alloy.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
24 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 17, wherein the aluminum or aluminum-alloy is on a barrier underlayer comprising titanium, titanium nitride or titanium/titanium nitride.
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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) | 2001-11-23 | 2002-05-25 | 2002-11-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-11-23 | 2006-05-25 | 2006-11-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-11-23 | 2010-05-25 | 2010-11-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |