US20010035582A1 - Hard mask for copper plasma etch - Google Patents
Hard mask for copper plasma etch Download PDFInfo
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- US20010035582A1 US20010035582A1 US09/318,474 US31847499A US2001035582A1 US 20010035582 A1 US20010035582 A1 US 20010035582A1 US 31847499 A US31847499 A US 31847499A US 2001035582 A1 US2001035582 A1 US 2001035582A1
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/70—Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components formed in or on a common substrate or of parts thereof; Manufacture of integrated circuit devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/71—Manufacture of specific parts of devices defined in group H01L21/70
- H01L21/768—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics
- H01L21/76838—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the conductors
- H01L21/76841—Barrier, adhesion or liner layers
- H01L21/7685—Barrier, adhesion or liner layers the layer covering a conductive structure
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
- H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic System or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
- H01L21/30—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26
- H01L21/31—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26 to form insulating layers thereon, e.g. for masking or by using photolithographic techniques; After treatment of these layers; Selection of materials for these layers
- H01L21/3205—Deposition of non-insulating-, e.g. conductive- or resistive-, layers on insulating layers; After-treatment of these layers
- H01L21/321—After treatment
- H01L21/3213—Physical or chemical etching of the layers, e.g. to produce a patterned layer from a pre-deposited extensive layer
- H01L21/32139—Physical or chemical etching of the layers, e.g. to produce a patterned layer from a pre-deposited extensive layer using masks
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/70—Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components formed in or on a common substrate or of parts thereof; Manufacture of integrated circuit devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/71—Manufacture of specific parts of devices defined in group H01L21/70
- H01L21/768—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics
- H01L21/76801—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the dielectrics, e.g. smoothing
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/70—Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components formed in or on a common substrate or of parts thereof; Manufacture of integrated circuit devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/71—Manufacture of specific parts of devices defined in group H01L21/70
- H01L21/768—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics
- H01L21/76801—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the dielectrics, e.g. smoothing
- H01L21/76829—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the dielectrics, e.g. smoothing characterised by the formation of thin functional dielectric layers, e.g. dielectric etch-stop, barrier, capping or liner layers
- H01L21/76832—Multiple layers
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/70—Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components formed in or on a common substrate or of parts thereof; Manufacture of integrated circuit devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/71—Manufacture of specific parts of devices defined in group H01L21/70
- H01L21/768—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics
- H01L21/76801—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the dielectrics, e.g. smoothing
- H01L21/76829—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the dielectrics, e.g. smoothing characterised by the formation of thin functional dielectric layers, e.g. dielectric etch-stop, barrier, capping or liner layers
- H01L21/76834—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the dielectrics, e.g. smoothing characterised by the formation of thin functional dielectric layers, e.g. dielectric etch-stop, barrier, capping or liner layers formation of thin insulating films on the sidewalls or on top of conductors
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L23/00—Details of semiconductor or other solid state devices
- H01L23/52—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames
- H01L23/522—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames including external interconnections consisting of a multilayer structure of conductive and insulating layers inseparably formed on the semiconductor body
- H01L23/532—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames including external interconnections consisting of a multilayer structure of conductive and insulating layers inseparably formed on the semiconductor body characterised by the materials
- H01L23/53204—Conductive materials
- H01L23/53209—Conductive materials based on metals, e.g. alloys, metal silicides
- H01L23/53228—Conductive materials based on metals, e.g. alloys, metal silicides the principal metal being copper
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L23/00—Details of semiconductor or other solid state devices
- H01L23/52—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames
- H01L23/522—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames including external interconnections consisting of a multilayer structure of conductive and insulating layers inseparably formed on the semiconductor body
- H01L23/532—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames including external interconnections consisting of a multilayer structure of conductive and insulating layers inseparably formed on the semiconductor body characterised by the materials
- H01L23/53204—Conductive materials
- H01L23/53209—Conductive materials based on metals, e.g. alloys, metal silicides
- H01L23/53228—Conductive materials based on metals, e.g. alloys, metal silicides the principal metal being copper
- H01L23/53238—Additional layers associated with copper layers, e.g. adhesion, barrier, cladding layers
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L2924/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
- H01L2924/0001—Technical content checked by a classifier
- H01L2924/0002—Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
Definitions
- the present invention relates to integrated circuit structures and fabrication methods; and in particular to integrated circuit fabrication methods utilizing a copper plasma etch process.
- Plasma etch processes for copper metal layers have been demonstrated using a conventional photolithographic resist mask at temperatures as low as 60° C. (see, e.g., K. S. Choi, C. H. Han, J. Electrochem Soc., V. 145, No. 3, March 1998, which is hereby incorporated by reference).
- a hard mask e.g., a silicon dioxide or silicon nitride film
- the hard mask would be deposited as a blanket layer on the Cu metal layer and itself be patterned and etched with a conventional photolithographic resist pattern.
- the hard mask etch could either be stopped shortly before the Cu surface is exposed or, less preferably, when the Cu surface is exposed. Halting the hard mask etch before the Cu surface is exposed facilitates the use of conventional cleaning processes following the hard mask etch.
- the remaining thin layer of hard mask can be etched through during the beginning of the Cu metal etch process. Any remaining hard mask on the Cu metal layer can form a part of a new dielectric layer.
- FIGS. 1 - 4 show a partially fabricated semiconductor structure after several sequential deposition steps in a formation process in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention
- FIGS. 5 A- 5 B depict a partially fabricated semiconductor structure after preferred and alternate hard mask etch steps in a process in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 6 shows a partially fabricated semiconductor structure after a resist removal step in a process in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 7 depicts a partially fabricated semiconductor structure after a metal etch step in a process in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 8 shows a partially fabricated semiconductor structure after an interlevel dielectric deposition step in a process in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 9 shows a partially fabricated semiconductor structure after a CMP polishing step in a process in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention
- FIGS. 10 A- 10 C show a partially fabricated semiconductor structures after various steps in a process in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 11 depicts a flowchart of a semiconductor formation process in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.
- a dielectric hard mask for copper metal etch can eliminate organic polymer formation during the metal etch process.
- the preferred embodiment is particularly effective in this respect when only a partial etch of the hardmask material is completed before the metal etch process.
- a conventional interlevel dielectric 5 is first provided, as in FIG. 1.
- the ILD is shown here as a first (bottom-most) layer, this structure may be deposited on top of other layers.
- the dielectric can be any conventional material, but it is preferred that the ILD be compatible with the hardmask described below.
- a copper metal layer 10 is deposited on the ILD 5 , using conventional means, as shown in FIG. 2.
- copper for the metal layer
- this may be replaced by other suitable metals, such as aluminum, tungsten, or titanium nitride.
- suitable metals such as aluminum, tungsten, or titanium nitride.
- some choices of metal layers would not necessarily require the disclosed process, but the process can nevertheless be effectively used with these metals.
- the hard mask material 15 which is, e.g., silicon oxide or silicon nitride, is deposited over the metal layer 10 , as shown in FIG. 3.
- the hard mask is then overlaid with an organic resist pattern, as shown in FIG. 4.
- the hardmask 15 is then etched using typical plasma dielectric etch processes to a point, in the preferred embodiment, just prior to exposing the surface of metal layer 10 , as shown in FIG. 5A.
- highly aggressive conventional post-etch cleaning procedures can be used to remove the remaining resist and polymers (and any other organic residues) prior to metal etch, as shown in FIG. 6.
- the etch is continued until the underlying metal layer is exposed, as shown in FIG. 5B.
- the subsequent metal etch process in the preferred embodiment, consists of an initial hard mask etch step which ideally has a selectivity between the metal and oxide film of unity, i.e., both films are etched at the same rate.
- the complete removal of the residual hard mask material can be assured before progressing to a second process step with a higher selectivity to the hard mask material and, ideally, a higher etch rate of the metal material, which may be, e.g., Cu, Al, W, etc., as shown in FIG. 7.
- the hardmask many different materials can be used for the hardmask, including Si3N4, SiO2, and others, but it is preferred that the hardmask material be one that can be readily incorporated into the ILD stack.
- the upper ILD which now incorporates the remaining hard mask, can be planarized using conventional chemical/mechanical polishing (CMP) techniques.
- CMP chemical/mechanical polishing
- FIGS. 10 A- 10 C in many cases an adhesion layer of a different metal will be needed in-between the metal layer and the hardmask layer or between the metal layer and the underlying film layer.
- This adhesion layer can also serve as an etch-stop during the hard mask etch. This is especially beneficial if the adhesion material, e.g. TiN or TaN, is resistant to the chemical cleans necessary to remove organic polymers following the hard mask etch process.
- Alternative embodiments which include these adhesion layers are shown in FIGS. 10 A- 10 C.
- FIG. 10A corresponds to FIG. 4
- FIG. 10B corresponds to FIG. 7
- FIG. 10C corresponds to FIG. 9.
- many materials can be used for the adhesion material, including TiN, TaN, TiAlN, TiSiN, WNx, WSiN, TiWN, TaNx, TaSiN, CrN, and CrAiN.
- an interlevel dielectric layer is provided (step 1100 ).
- an optional adhesion layer is deposited on the ILD (step 1105 ), and the copper metal layer is deposited (step 1110 ).
- Another optional adhesion layer is placed on the copper (step 1115 ), and the metal (and optional adhesion layer, if present) is covered by the hard mask material (step 1120 ).
- the hard mask is then patterned with resist (step 1130 ).
- the hard mask is etched using a conventional photolithographic method (step 1140 ), to a point just short of exposing the metal layer.
- the amount of hard mask material left over the metal layer will depend on the uniformity of the films and the plasma etch removal process, as well as the dielectric consumption (if any) of the following cleaning steps to remove the organic polymer materials. It should be thin enough so that it can be effectively removed during the following metal etch step (step 1160 , below). Therefore, the precise thickness of the remaining hardmask is process-dependent, but can be easily determined by one of skill in the art without any undue experimentation.
- the photoresist and polymer are then removed with conventional cleaning processes (step 1150 ).
- the metal layer is etched using the hard mask pattern, removing any remaining hard mask material covering the metal layer at areas which were not protected by the photoresist (step 1160 ), completing the metal etch process.
- a new ILD layer can then be deposited over the structure, and any remaining hard mask over the metal line will become part of the new ILD (step 1170 ). Finally, the new ILD can be planarized to prepare it for another metal layer (or other structure) (step 1180 ).
Abstract
A hard mask, e.g., a silicon dioxide or silicon nitride film, is used to avoid organic polymer materials in copper plasma etch applications. The hard mask would be deposited as a blanket layer on the Cu metal layer and itself be patterned and etched with a conventional photolithographic resist pattern. The hard mask etch is stopped shortly before the Cu surface is exposed. Halting the hard mask etch before the Cu surface is exposed facilitates the use of conventional cleaning processes following the hard mask etch. The remaining thin layer of hard mask can be etched through during the beginning of the Cu metal etch process. Any remaining hard mask deposited on the Cu metal layer can form a part of a new dielectric layer.
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to integrated circuit structures and fabrication methods; and in particular to integrated circuit fabrication methods utilizing a copper plasma etch process.
- 2. Description of the Prior Art:
- Low temperature (<80 C) plasma etch processes for copper (Cu) metal etch applications have been demonstrated and are in development for semiconductor manufacturing applications. The use of conventional photolithographic processing with organic photo resists for such etch processes produces the typical etch byproducts: organic polymers which incorporate the components of the films being etched. The removal of these polymers is especially problematic in the case of copper metal etch due to the reactivity of this material and the associated corrosion effects of aggressive cleaning technologies and solvents.
- Plasma etch processes for copper metal layers have been demonstrated using a conventional photolithographic resist mask at temperatures as low as 60° C. (see, e.g., K. S. Choi, C. H. Han, J. Electrochem Soc., V. 145, No. 3, March 1998, which is hereby incorporated by reference).
- One problem encountered in using conventional plasma etch on resist pattern processing is the post etch clean. Conventional resists are polymerized during the etch process, producing by-products with incorporate components of the films being etched. These tainted polymers are often difficult to remove, requiring products which incorporate aggressive solvents and plasma etch processes which are incompatible with the copper.
- For copper plasma etch applications, a hard mask, e.g., a silicon dioxide or silicon nitride film, is used to avoid organic polymer materials. The hard mask would be deposited as a blanket layer on the Cu metal layer and itself be patterned and etched with a conventional photolithographic resist pattern. The hard mask etch could either be stopped shortly before the Cu surface is exposed or, less preferably, when the Cu surface is exposed. Halting the hard mask etch before the Cu surface is exposed facilitates the use of conventional cleaning processes following the hard mask etch. The remaining thin layer of hard mask can be etched through during the beginning of the Cu metal etch process. Any remaining hard mask on the Cu metal layer can form a part of a new dielectric layer.
- The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself however, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
- FIGS.1-4 show a partially fabricated semiconductor structure after several sequential deposition steps in a formation process in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;
- FIGS.5A-5B depict a partially fabricated semiconductor structure after preferred and alternate hard mask etch steps in a process in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;
- FIG. 6 shows a partially fabricated semiconductor structure after a resist removal step in a process in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;
- FIG. 7 depicts a partially fabricated semiconductor structure after a metal etch step in a process in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;
- FIG. 8 shows a partially fabricated semiconductor structure after an interlevel dielectric deposition step in a process in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;
- FIG. 9 shows a partially fabricated semiconductor structure after a CMP polishing step in a process in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;
- FIGS.10A-10C show a partially fabricated semiconductor structures after various steps in a process in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the invention; and
- FIG. 11 depicts a flowchart of a semiconductor formation process in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.
- The following description details the operation and features of several preferred embodiments of the present invention, but it will be understood by those of skill in the art that the scope of the invention is defined only by the issued claims, and not by any description herein.
- The use of a dielectric hard mask for copper metal etch, as well as other metal etch applications, including aluminum and tungsten, can eliminate organic polymer formation during the metal etch process. The preferred embodiment is particularly effective in this respect when only a partial etch of the hardmask material is completed before the metal etch process.
- Referring first to FIGS.1-2, a conventional interlevel dielectric 5 (ILD) is first provided, as in FIG. 1. Note that while the ILD is shown here as a first (bottom-most) layer, this structure may be deposited on top of other layers. The dielectric can be any conventional material, but it is preferred that the ILD be compatible with the hardmask described below.
- Next, a
copper metal layer 10 is deposited on theILD 5, using conventional means, as shown in FIG. 2. Note that although the preferred embodiment uses copper for the metal layer, this may be replaced by other suitable metals, such as aluminum, tungsten, or titanium nitride. Of course, some choices of metal layers would not necessarily require the disclosed process, but the process can nevertheless be effectively used with these metals. - With reference now to FIGS.3-4, the
hard mask material 15, which is, e.g., silicon oxide or silicon nitride, is deposited over themetal layer 10, as shown in FIG. 3. The hard mask is then overlaid with an organic resist pattern, as shown in FIG. 4. - Referring now to FIG. 5A and alternate embodiment FIG. 5B, the
hardmask 15 is then etched using typical plasma dielectric etch processes to a point, in the preferred embodiment, just prior to exposing the surface ofmetal layer 10, as shown in FIG. 5A. With no metal exposed on the wafer surface, highly aggressive conventional post-etch cleaning procedures can be used to remove the remaining resist and polymers (and any other organic residues) prior to metal etch, as shown in FIG. 6. In a less preferred embodiment, the etch is continued until the underlying metal layer is exposed, as shown in FIG. 5B. - With reference now to FIG. 7, the subsequent metal etch process, in the preferred embodiment, consists of an initial hard mask etch step which ideally has a selectivity between the metal and oxide film of unity, i.e., both films are etched at the same rate. In this manner the complete removal of the residual hard mask material can be assured before progressing to a second process step with a higher selectivity to the hard mask material and, ideally, a higher etch rate of the metal material, which may be, e.g., Cu, Al, W, etc., as shown in FIG. 7.
- Referring now to FIG. 8, another advantage of this approach is that following the metal etch process the residual hard mask material, being a dielectric film, can be left behind and incorporated into the intermetal dielectric layer of the following metal level, as shown.
- For this reason, many different materials can be used for the hardmask, including Si3N4, SiO2, and others, but it is preferred that the hardmask material be one that can be readily incorporated into the ILD stack.
- With reference now to FIG. 9, the upper ILD, which now incorporates the remaining hard mask, can be planarized using conventional chemical/mechanical polishing (CMP) techniques.
- Referring now to FIGS.10A-10C, in many cases an adhesion layer of a different metal will be needed in-between the metal layer and the hardmask layer or between the metal layer and the underlying film layer. This adhesion layer can also serve as an etch-stop during the hard mask etch. This is especially beneficial if the adhesion material, e.g. TiN or TaN, is resistant to the chemical cleans necessary to remove organic polymers following the hard mask etch process. Alternative embodiments which include these adhesion layers are shown in FIGS. 10A-10C. FIG. 10A corresponds to FIG. 4, FIG. 10B corresponds to FIG. 7, and FIG. 10C corresponds to FIG. 9. Of course, many materials can be used for the adhesion material, including TiN, TaN, TiAlN, TiSiN, WNx, WSiN, TiWN, TaNx, TaSiN, CrN, and CrAiN.
- With reference now to FIG. 11, a flowchart of a semiconductor fabrication process according to the preferred embodiment is shown. First, an interlevel dielectric layer is provided (step1100). Next, an optional adhesion layer is deposited on the ILD (step 1105), and the copper metal layer is deposited (step 1110). Another optional adhesion layer is placed on the copper (step 1115), and the metal (and optional adhesion layer, if present) is covered by the hard mask material (step 1120). The hard mask is then patterned with resist (step 1130).
- Next, the hard mask is etched using a conventional photolithographic method (step1140), to a point just short of exposing the metal layer. The amount of hard mask material left over the metal layer will depend on the uniformity of the films and the plasma etch removal process, as well as the dielectric consumption (if any) of the following cleaning steps to remove the organic polymer materials. It should be thin enough so that it can be effectively removed during the following metal etch step (
step 1160, below). Therefore, the precise thickness of the remaining hardmask is process-dependent, but can be easily determined by one of skill in the art without any undue experimentation. The photoresist and polymer are then removed with conventional cleaning processes (step 1150). - Next, the metal layer is etched using the hard mask pattern, removing any remaining hard mask material covering the metal layer at areas which were not protected by the photoresist (step1160), completing the metal etch process.
- A new ILD layer can then be deposited over the structure, and any remaining hard mask over the metal line will become part of the new ILD (step1170). Finally, the new ILD can be planarized to prepare it for another metal layer (or other structure) (step 1180).
- While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
- It should also be noted that the number of layers of metallization described above does not implicitly limit any of the claims, which can be applied to processes and structures with more or fewer layers.
- Similarly, while the contact from first metal to poly and active has been particularly described, it will be readily recognized that the disclosed inventions are equally applicable to processes with multiple layers of metal (and in fact would be most commonly used in such processes).
Claims (21)
1. An integrated circuit structure, comprising:
a first dielectric layer;
a metal layer deposited above the dielectric layer; and
a patterned masking layer deposited above the metal layer,
wherein the patterned masking layer is formed of a dielectric layer, and is used as an etch pattern for the metal layer, without exposing the metal layer until the metal layer is etched.
2. The structure of , further comprising a patterned resist layer deposited above the masking layer, wherein the patterned resist layer is used to etch the masking layer.
claim 1
3. The structure of , further comprising an adhesion layer between the first dielectric layer and the metal layer.
claim 1
4. The structure of , further comprising an adhesion layer between the metal layer and the masking layer.
claim 1
5. The structure of , wherein the masking layer is patterned using a photolithographic process.
claim 1
6. The structure of , further comprising a second conformal dielectric layer deposited over the first dielectric layer, the metal layer, and the masking layer.
claim 1
7. The structure of , further comprising a second dielectric layer deposited over the first dielectric layer, the metal layer, and the masking layer.
claim 1
8. An integrated circuit structure, comprising:
a first dielectric layer;
a Cu metal layer deposited above the dielectric layer; and
a patterned hardmask layer of a dielectric material, the hardmask layer being deposited above the metal layer,
wherein the patterned masking layer used as an etch pattern for the Cu metal layer, and
wherein the patterned hardmask layer does not expose the metal layer.
9. The structure of , further comprising a patterned resist layer, the resist layer being deposited above the masking layer, wherein the patterned resist layer is used to etch the masking layer.
claim 8
10. The structure of , further comprising an adhesion layer between the first dielectric layer and the metal layer.
claim 8
11. The structure of , further comprising an adhesion layer between the metal layer and the masking layer.
claim 8
12. The structure of , wherein the masking layer is patterned using a photolithographic process.
claim 8
13. The structure of , further comprising a second conformal dielectric layer deposited over the first dielectric layer, the metal layer, and the masking layer.
claim 8
14. The structure of , further comprising a second dielectric layer deposited over the first dielectric layer, the metal layer, and the masking layer.
claim 8
15. A fabrication method, comprising the steps of:
forming a first layer of a dielectric material;
forming a metal layer above the first layer of dielectric material;
forming a masking layer above the metal layer;
forming a patterned resist layer above the masking layer;
etching the masking layer according to the patterned resist layer, providing a patterned masking layer, without exposing the metal layer; and
etching the metal layer, according to the patterned masking layer, with a plasma etching process.
16. The method of , further comprising the step of, after the etching step, depositing a second layer of the dielectric material over the etched metal layer.
claim 15
17. The method of , wherein the masking layer of a material selected from a group consisting of SiO2 and Si3N4.
claim 15
18. The method of , further comprising the step of, after the depositing a first layer step, depositing a first adhesion layer on the first layer of dielectric material.
claim 15
19. The method of , further comprising the step of, after the depositing a metal layer step, depositing a second adhesion layer on the metal layer.
claim 15
20. The method of , wherein the dielectric material and the masking layer are the same material.
claim 15
21. The method of , wherein the second layer is conformal.
claim 16
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US09/318,474 US6355979B2 (en) | 1999-05-25 | 1999-05-25 | Hard mask for copper plasma etch |
US09/969,194 US6797640B2 (en) | 1999-05-25 | 2001-10-02 | Method of utilizing hard mask for copper plasma etch |
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US09/318,474 US6355979B2 (en) | 1999-05-25 | 1999-05-25 | Hard mask for copper plasma etch |
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US09/969,194 Continuation US6797640B2 (en) | 1999-05-25 | 2001-10-02 | Method of utilizing hard mask for copper plasma etch |
US09/969,194 Division US6797640B2 (en) | 1999-05-25 | 2001-10-02 | Method of utilizing hard mask for copper plasma etch |
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US6355979B2 US6355979B2 (en) | 2002-03-12 |
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US09/318,474 Expired - Lifetime US6355979B2 (en) | 1999-05-25 | 1999-05-25 | Hard mask for copper plasma etch |
US09/969,194 Expired - Lifetime US6797640B2 (en) | 1999-05-25 | 2001-10-02 | Method of utilizing hard mask for copper plasma etch |
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Also Published As
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US6797640B2 (en) | 2004-09-28 |
US20020048952A1 (en) | 2002-04-25 |
US6355979B2 (en) | 2002-03-12 |
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