US5866945A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Borderless vias with HSQ gap filled patterned metal layers
Assignee: Aluma Enterprises Inc
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Filing: 1997-10-16
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Granted: 1999-02-02
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Expires: 2017-10-16
Abstract
Abstract Spin-on HSQ is employed to gap fill metal layers in manufacturing a high density, multi-metal layer semiconductor device. The degradation of deposited HSQ layers during formation of borderless vias, as from photoresist stripping using an O 2 -containing plasma, is overcome by treating the degraded HSQ layer with an H 2 -containing plasma to restore the dangling Si--H bonds, thereby passivating the surface and preventing moisture absorption, before filling the via opening with conductive material, such as a barrier layer.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert C. Chen
- 👤 Jeffrey A. Shields
- 👤 Robert Dawson
- 👤 Khanh Tran
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 18:42
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/60; H10P14/63; H10P14/6326; H10P14/6328; H10P14/6334; H10P14/6336; H10P14/69; H10P14/692; H10P14/6921; H10P14/6922; H10P14/6925; H10P76/00; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/01; H10W20/071; H10W20/081; H10W20/089; H10W20/093; H10W20/096; H10W20/098
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
57 words
A semiconductor device comprising an interconnection pattern having: an opening filled with conductive material forming an electrical connection between a first lower metal feature and a second upper metal feature; and a layer of hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) adjoining the first metal feature and conductive material; wherein the layer of HSQ comprises more than about 70% Si--H bonds.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
57 words
A semiconductor device comprising an interconnection pattern having: an opening filled with conductive material forming an electrical connection between a first lower metal feature and a second upper metal feature; and a layer of hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) adjoining the first metal feature and conductive material; wherein the layer of HSQ comprises more than about 70% Si--H bonds.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the layer of HSQ comprises more than about 80% Si--H bonds.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the layer of HSQ comprises about 87% to about 90% Si--H bonds.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
191 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 1, comprising: a first dielectric layer on a semiconductor substrate; a first patterned metal layer having gaps formed on the first dielectric layer, the first patterned metal layer comprising the first lower metal feature having an upper surface and side surfaces; a layer of HSQ filling the gaps; a second dielectric layer formed on the first patterned metal layer and on the HSQ layer; a through-hole formed in the second dielectric layer exposing a portion of the upper surface and at least a portion of a side surface of the first lower metal feature, and penetrating into and exposing a portion of the HSQ layer; and conductive material filling the through-hole to form a borderless via; wherein, the through-hole is formed by: depositing a photoresist mask on the second dielectric layer; etching; and removing the photoresist mask using an O 2 -containing plasma causing a reduction in the number of Si--H bonds of the HSQ layer and, wherein, the HSQ layer is subsequently treated with a H 2 -containing plasma to increase the number of Si--H bonds before filling the through-hole with the conductive material.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the conductive material is a composition comprising a first conductive barrier layer which acts as an adhesion promoter for a second conductive layer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the first conductive layer comprises titanium, titanium-nitride, titanium-tungsten, ortitanium-titanium nitride, and the second conductive layer comprises aluminum or an aluminum alloy.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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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) | 2002-02-01 | 2002-08-03 | 2003-02-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-02-01 | 2006-08-03 | 2007-02-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-02-01 | 2010-08-03 | 2011-02-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |