US6447933B1
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Formation of alloy material using alternating depositions of alloy doping element and bulk material
Assignee: GlobalFoundries Inc
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Filing: 2001-04-30
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Granted: 2002-09-10
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Expires: 2021-04-30
Abstract
Abstract An alloy material is formed on an underlying material, and the alloy material comprises an alloy doping element mixed into a bulk material. A first layer of material including the alloy doping element is deposited on the underlying material using a first type of deposition process. The first type of deposition process is corrosion resistive to the underlying material according to one aspect of the present invention. A second layer of material including the bulk material is deposited on the first layer of material using a second type of deposition process. A thermal anneal may be performed by heating the first layer of material and the second layer of material such that the alloy doping element is mixed into the bulk material to form the alloy material on the underlying material. The alloy doping element of the first layer of material deposited on the underlying material promotes adhesion of the alloy material to the underlying material. The present invention may be used to particular advantage when the underlying material is a diffusion barrier material deposited on sidewalls and a bottom wall of an interconnect opening, and when the alloy material is a copper alloy formed on the diffusion barrier material. In this manner, a plurality of deposition processes are used for forming a stack of layers of materials comprising the alloy material. The first type of deposition process for depositing the first layer of material on the underlying material is corrosion resistive to the underlying material. Corrosion to the underlying material is undesired because corrosion to the underlying material may degrade the adhesion of the interconnect to the underlying material to increase undesired electromigration failure of the interconnect. The second deposition process for depositing the second layer of material on the first layer of material may be a faster deposition process for depositing the bulk material of the alloy.
Inventors
- 👤 Pin-Chin C. Wang
- 👤 Sergey Lopatin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 01:26
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/01; H10W20/031; H10W20/032; H10W20/033; H10W20/035; C; C23; C23C; C23C26/00; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/40; H10P14/412; H10P14/42; H10P14/43; H10P14/432; H10W20/042; H10W20/043; H10W20/047; H10W20/049; H10W20/064; H10W20/0425; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/12; Y10T428/12493; Y10T428/12632
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
122 words
An interconnect structure comprising: an alloy material deposited onto an underlying material within an interconnect opening, said alloy material comprising an alloy doping element mixed into a bulk material, and said alloy material initially being a stack including: a first layer of material comprising said alloy doping element and disposed on said underlying material; and a second layer of material comprising said bulk material and disposed on said first layer of material; wherein said alloy doping element of said first layer of material deposited on said underlying material promotes adhesion of said alloy material to said underlying material; a conformal seed layer deposited on said alloy material; and a conductive material grown from said conformal seed layer for filling said interconnect opening.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
122 words
An interconnect structure comprising: an alloy material deposited onto an underlying material within an interconnect opening, said alloy material comprising an alloy doping element mixed into a bulk material, and said alloy material initially being a stack including: a first layer of material comprising said alloy doping element and disposed on said underlying material; and a second layer of material comprising said bulk material and disposed on said first layer of material; wherein said alloy doping element of said first layer of material deposited on said underlying material promotes adhesion of said alloy material to said underlying material; a conformal seed layer deposited on said alloy material; and a conductive material grown from said conformal seed layer for filling said interconnect opening.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
45 words
The interconnect structure of claim 1 , wherein said alloy doping element is mixed into said bulk material to form said alloy material on said underlying material during a thermal anneal process that heats said first layer of material and said second layer of material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
The interconnect structure of claim 1 , wherein said first layer of material is comprised of said alloy doping element that is substantially pure.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The interconnect structure of claim 3 , wherein said first layer of material is comprised of one of substantially pure tungsten or substantially pure tin.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
49 words
The interconnect structure of claim 1 , wherein said first layer of material is comprised of a copper alloy doped with said alloy doping element being one of tungsten, tin, aluminum, phosphorous, or nickel with a concentration greater than about 10 atomic percent in copper as the bulk material.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
The interconnect structure of claim 1 , wherein said second layer of material is comprised of substantially pure copper.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
49 words
The interconnect structure of claim 1 , wherein said second layer of material is comprised of a copper alloy doped with said alloy doping element being one of tungsten, tin, aluminum, phosphorous, or nickel with a concentration less than about 0.1 atomic percent in copper as the bulk material.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
The interconnect structure of claim 1 , further comprising: a stack of said first layer of material and said second layer of material that alternates a plurality of times for forming said alloy material.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
75 words
The interconnect structure of claim 1 , wherein said underlying material is a diffusion barrier material deposited on sidewalls and a bottom wall of said interconnect opening, and wherein said alloy material is a copper alloy formed between said diffusion barrier material and said conformal seed layer of substantially pure copper formed on said alloy material, and wherein said conductive material filling said interconnect opening is substantially pure copper plated from said conformal seed layer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
78 words
The interconnect structure of claim 1 , wherein said underlying material is a dielectric material of an insulating layer surrounding said interconnect opening, and wherein said alloy material is a copper alloy formed between said dielectric material of said insulating layer surrounding said interconnect opening and said conformal seed layer of substantially pure copper formed on said alloy material, and wherein said conductive material filling said interconnect opening is substantially pure copper plated from said conformal seed layer.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
136 words
A method for forming an alloy material on an underlying material within an interconnect opening, said alloy material comprising an alloy doping element mixed into a bulk material, the method including the steps of: A. depositing a first layer of material including said alloy doping element on said underlying material using a first type of deposition process that is corrosion resistive to said underlying material; B. depositing a conformal seed layer including said bulk material on said first layer of material using a second type of deposition process; and wherein said alloy doping element of said first layer of material deposited on said underlying material promotes adhesion of said conformal seed layer to said underlying material; and C. filling said interconnect opening with said bulk material by plating said bulk material from said conformal seed layer.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
136 words
A method for forming an alloy material on an underlying material within an interconnect opening, said alloy material comprising an alloy doping element mixed into a bulk material, the method including the steps of: A. depositing a first layer of material including said alloy doping element on said underlying material using a first type of deposition process that is corrosion resistive to said underlying material; B. depositing a conformal seed layer including said bulk material on said first layer of material using a second type of deposition process; and wherein said alloy doping element of said first layer of material deposited on said underlying material promotes adhesion of said conformal seed layer to said underlying material; and C. filling said interconnect opening with said bulk material by plating said bulk material from said conformal seed layer.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 11 , wherein said second type of deposition process for depositing said conformal seed layer is a conformal deposition process.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 12 , wherein said second type of deposition process for depositing said conformal seed layer is a CVD (chemical-vapor-deposition) process.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 11 , wherein said first type of deposition process is the same as said second type of deposition process.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
73 words
The method of claim 14 , wherein said first type of deposition process is an ALD (atomic layer deposition) process for depositing said first layer of material having a thickness in a range of from about 3 angstroms to about 50 angstroms, and wherein said second type of deposition process is an ALD (atomic layer deposition) process for depositing said conformal seed layer having a thickness that is greater than about 100 angstroms.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 11 , wherein said first type of deposition process is different from said second type of deposition process.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
74 words
The method of claim 16 , wherein said first type of deposition process is an ALD (atomic layer deposition) process for depositing said first layer of material having a thickness in a range of from about 3 angstroms to about 50 angstroms, and wherein said second type of deposition process is a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process for depositing said second layer of material having a thickness that is greater than about 100 angstroms.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 11 , wherein said first layer of material is comprised of said alloy doping element that is substantially pure.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 18 , wherein said first layer of material is comprised of one of substantially pure tungsten or substantially pure tin.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 19 , wherein said conformal seed layer is comprised of substantially pure copper.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 11 , wherein said first layer of material is comprised of a copper alloy doped with said alloy doping element being one of tungsten, tin, aluminum, phosphorous, or nickel with a concentration greater than about 10 atomic percent in copper as the bulk material.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 11 , wherein said conformal seed layer is comprised of substantially pure copper.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 11 , wherein said conformal seed layer is comprised of a copper alloy doped with said alloy doping element being one of tungsten, tin, aluminum, phosphorous, or nickel with a concentration less than about 0.1 atomic percent in copper as the bulk material.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 11 , wherein said underlying material is a diffusion barrier material deposited on sidewalls and a bottom wall of said interconnect opening.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 11 , wherein said underlying material is a dielectric material of an insulating layer surrounding said interconnect opening.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US6096648A
Cited
US6368954B1
Cited
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