Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
  • C23G—CLEANING OR DE-GREASING OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY CHEMICAL METHODS OTHER THAN ELECTROLYSIS
  • C23G1/00—Cleaning or pickling metallic material with solutions or molten salts
  • C23G1/02—Cleaning or pickling metallic material with solutions or molten salts with acid solutions
  • C23G1/04—Cleaning or pickling metallic material with solutions or molten salts with acid solutions using inhibitors
  • C23G1/06—Cleaning or pickling metallic material with solutions or molten salts with acid solutions using inhibitors organic inhibitors
  • C23G1/061—Cleaning or pickling metallic material with solutions or molten salts with acid solutions using inhibitors organic inhibitors nitrogen-containing compounds
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
  • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
  • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
  • G03F7/26—Processing photosensitive materials; Apparatus therefor
  • G03F7/30—Imagewise removal using liquid means
  • G03F7/32—Liquid compositions therefor, e.g. developers
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
  • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
  • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
  • G03F7/26—Processing photosensitive materials; Apparatus therefor
  • G03F7/42—Stripping or agents therefor
  • G03F7/422—Stripping or agents therefor using liquids only
  • G03F7/425—Stripping or agents therefor using liquids only containing mineral alkaline compounds; containing organic basic compounds, e.g. quaternary ammonium compounds; containing heterocyclic basic compounds containing nitrogen
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K3/00—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
  • H05K3/22—Secondary treatment of printed circuits
  • H05K3/26—Cleaning or polishing of the conductive pattern
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
  • C11D—DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
  • C11D2111/00—Cleaning compositions characterised by the objects to be cleaned; Cleaning compositions characterised by non-standard cleaning or washing processes
  • C11D2111/10—Objects to be cleaned
  • C11D2111/14—Hard surfaces
  • C11D2111/22—Electronic devices, e.g. PCBs or semiconductors
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits covered by H05K3/00
  • H05K2203/07—Treatments involving liquids, e.g. plating, rinsing
  • H05K2203/0779—Treatments involving liquids, e.g. plating, rinsing characterised by the specific liquids involved
  • H05K2203/0783—Using solvent, e.g. for cleaning; Regulating solvent content of pastes or coatings for adjusting the viscosity
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits covered by H05K3/00
  • H05K2203/12—Using specific substances
  • H05K2203/121—Metallo-organic compounds
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits covered by H05K3/00
  • H05K2203/12—Using specific substances
  • H05K2203/122—Organic non-polymeric compounds, e.g. oil, wax or thiol

Definitions

• This invention relates to methods and cleaning compositions for cleaning microelectronic substrates, and particularly to such cleaning compositions useful with and having improved compatibility with microelectronic substrates characterized by silicon dioxide, sensitive low- ⁇ or high- ⁇ dielectrics and copper metallization, as well as substrates of Al or AI(Cu) metallizations.
• the invention also relates to the use of such cleaning compositions for stripping photoresists, cleaning residues from plasma process generated organic, organometallic and inorganic compounds, cleaning residues from planarization processes such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), and used as an additive in planarization slurry residues.
• CMP chemical mechanical polishing
• photoresist strippers and residue removers have been proposed for use in the microelectronics field as downstream or back end of the manufacturing line cleaners.
• a thin film of photoresist is deposited on a wafer substrate, and then circuit design is imaged on the thin film.
• the unpolymerized resist is removed with a photoresist developer.
• the resulting image is then transferred to the underlying material, which is generally a dielectric or metal, by way of reactive plasma etch gases or chemical etchant solutions.
• the etchant gases or chemical etchant solutions selectively attack the photoresist-unprotected area of the substrate.
• photoresist, etching gas and etched material byproducts are deposited as residues around or on the sidewall of the etched openings on the substrate.
• the resist mask must be removed from the protected area of the wafer so that the final finishing operation can take place. This can be accomplished in a plasma ashing step by the use of suitable plasma ashing gases or wet chemical strippers. Finding a suitable cleaning composition for removal of this resist mask material without adversely affecting, e.g., corroding, dissolving or dulling, the metal circuitry has also proven problematic.
• the current back end cleaners show a wide range of compatibility with certain, sensitive dielectrics and metallizations, ranging from totally unacceptable to marginally satisfactory. Many of the current strippers or residue cleaners are not acceptable for advanced interconnect materials such as porous and low- ⁇ dielectrics and copper metallizations. Additionally, the typical alkaline cleaning solutions employed are overly aggressive towards porous and low- ⁇ and high- ⁇ dielectrics and/or copper metallizations. Moreover, many of these alkaline cleaning compositions contain organic solvents that show poor product stability, especially at higher pH ranges and at higher process temperatures.
• Oxidizers have been used in cleaning compositions in primarily aqueous form.
• Oxidizers such as the commonly used hydrogen peroxide and peracids, are known to react readily or decompose easily, especially in organic solvent matrices that have been generally employed in stripping compositions. In such instances the oxidizing agent is consumed and becomes unavailable for its intended use.
• microelectronic cleaning composiitions containing oxidizers often show poor product stability, especially in the presence of significant amounts of 10 wt% or more of organic solvents, and at higher pH ranges and high process temperatures.
• the use of stabilizers and solvents often tie up the oxidizing agent resulting in diminished capabilities of performing effective oxidation/reduction reactions employed in the cleaning process.
• organic solvent based microelectronic cleaning compositions that are stable in strong alkaline conditions of pH >9 , at high temperatures of 60° C or greater, and in the presence of strong oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide and the like and that are suitable for back end cleaning operations, which compositions are effective cleaners and are applicable for stripping photoresists and cleaning residues from plasma process generated organic, organometallic and inorganic compounds, cleaning residues from planarization processes, such as CMP, and useful as additives in planarization slurry/liquids and which can be used for advanced interconnect materials employing copper metallizations, and porous or non-porous low- ⁇ ( i.e., a K value of 3 or less) or high- ⁇ (i.e., a K value of 20 or greater) dielectrics as well as useful for cleaning conventional devices, such as those with aluminum or aluminun(copper) metallizations containing silicon dioxide, low- ⁇ or high- ⁇ dielectrics.
• the cleaning composition of this invention will generally have from about 0.1 to about 30 wt% of strong alkaline base and from about 1 to about 99.9 wt% of the organic polar solvent with good hydrogen bonding capability.
• the cleaning compositions of this invention can also optionally contain water and/or compatible acids or alkaline bases, chelating agents, co-solvents, oxidizing agent stabilizing agents, metal corrosion inhibitors, surfactants, and fluoride compounds. The wt. percentages provided in this specification are based on the total weight of the cleaning composition.
• the novel back end cleaning composition of this invention will comprise one or more of any strong alkaline base and certain polar organic solvents.
• the cleaning compositions can be formulated into highly aqueous, semi-aqueous or organic solvent based formulations.
• the cleaning compositions can be used alone with other solvents only, or can be combined with bases and acids.
• the cleaning compositions of this invention can be used over a wide range of process/operating conditions of pH and temperature, and can be used to effectively remove photoresists, post plasma etch/ash residues, sacrificial light absorbing materials and anti-reflective coatings (ARC).
• ARC anti-reflective coatings
• the alkaline base can be present in an amount of from 0.1 to about 30 wt%, preferably in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 10 wt%, most preferably in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 5 wt%. Any suitable alkaline base may be employed in the cleaning compositions.
• the base is preferably ammonia hydroxide or an ammonia or non-ammonia derived base.
• the base is preferably a non-ammonia derived base and when the composition is intended to be used to clean aluminum containing structures the alkaline base is preferably ammonium hydroxide, a ammonia derived base, or a non-ammonia derived base in combination with a corrosion-inhibiting co-solvent and/or corrosion-inhibiting agent, as disclosed hereinafter.
• non-ammonia derived bases there may be mentioned tetraalkylammonium hydroxides such as those of the formula R 4 N + OH " where each R is independently a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl groups, preferably of 1 to 22 carbon atoms and more preferably 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
• tetraalkylammonium hydroxides such as those of the formula R 4 N + OH " where each R is independently a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl groups, preferably of 1 to 22 carbon atoms and more preferably 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
• tetramethylammonium hydroxide tertrabutylammonium hydroxide, choline hydroxide, and the like.
• Inorganic bases such as for example potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and the like may also be used as the alkaline base.
• the organic solvent is a polar organic solvent with hydrogen bonding capability and which is minimally or non-reactive with the oxidizing agent.
• organic solvents include amides, sulfones, sulfolenes, selenones, and saturated alcohols.
• sulfolane a polar organic solvent with hydrogen bonding capability and which is minimally or non-reactive with the oxidizing agent.
• organic solvents include amides, sulfones, sulfolenes, selenones, and saturated alcohols.
• sulfolane amides, sulfones, sulfolenes, selenones, and saturated alcohols.
• the organic solvent component can include one or more of the solvents and is generally present in the composition in an amount of from about 1 to about 99.9 wt%, preferably in an amount of from about 10 to about 90 wt%, and most preferably in an amount of from about 30 to 80 wt%.
• These solvents are resistant to acidic and alkaline conditions and will not bind with oxidizing agents too tightly. Additionally, when the formulation of this invention are combined with a oxidizing agent they are capable of stabilizing the oxidizing agent, such as hydrogen peroxide, by forming stable complexes through interaction such as hydrogen bonding.
• Water can be present in the cleaning composition and when present can be present in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 98 wt%, preferably in an amount of from about 10 to about 60 wt%, most preferably in an amount of from about 15 to about 50 wt%.
• the water can be present as part of the aqueous portion of the other components and/or as additional added water.
• the cleaning composition of this invention can also be employed under acid pH conditions and any suitable acid component can be employed in the necessary amount sufficient to provide the acidic pH to the composition, such as for example HCI or HF.
• the cleaning composition may also optionally include one or more corrosion-inhibiting co-solvents.
• Preferred corrosion-inhibiting co-solvents useful in the compositions of this invention are those of the general formula W-ICR ⁇ -Y
• R., and R 2 are each independently selected from H, alkyl, preferably alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, aryl, preferably aryl of from 3 to 14 carbon atoms, OR 3 and S0 2 R 4 ; n is a numeral of from 2 to 6, preferably 2 or 3; W and Y are each independently selected from OR 3 , and S0 2 R ; and R 3 and R 4 , are each independently selected from H, alkyl, preferably alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and aryl, preferably aryl of from 3 to 14 carbon atoms.
• corrosion-inhibiting co-solvents there may be mentioned, for example, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol and glycerol and the like.
• a saturated alcohol may be present as a co-solvent.
• the co-solvents may be present in the composition in an amount of from 0 to about 80 wt%, preferably from about 1 to about 50 wt%, most preferably from about 1 to 30 wt%.
• compositions of this invention may also contain other corrosion- inhibiting agents, preferably aryl compounds containing two or more OH, OR 5 and/or SO 2 R 6 groups bonded directly to the aromatic ring, where R 5 , and.R 6 are each independently alkyl, preferably alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or aryl, preferably aryl of from 6 to 14 carbon atoms.
• R 5 , and.R 6 are each independently alkyl, preferably alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or aryl, preferably aryl of from 6 to 14 carbon atoms.
• Such preferred corrosion-inhibiting agents there may be mentioned catechol, pyrogallol, gallic acid, resorcinol and the like.
• Such other corrosion-inhibiting agents may be present in an amount of from 0 to about 15 wt%, preferably from about 0.1 to about 10 wt%, most preferably from about 0.5 to about 5 wt%.
• Organic or inorganic chelating or metal complexing agents are not required, but offer substantial benefits, such as for example, improved product stability.
• suitable chelating or complexing agents include but are not limited to trans-1 ,2-cyclohexanediamine tetraacetic acid (CyDTA), ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), stannates, pyrophosphates, alkylidene-diphosphonic acid derivatives (e.g. ethane-1-hydroxy-1 ,1-diphosphonate), phosphonates containing ethylenediamine, diethylenetriamine or triethylenetetramine functional moieties [e,g.
• ethylenediamine tetra(methylene phosphonic acid) (EDTMP), diethylenetriamine penta(methylene phosphonic acid), triethylenetetramine hexa(methylene phosphonic acid).
• the chelating agent will be present in the composition in an amount of from 0 to about 5 wt%, preferably from about 0.1 to about 2 wt%.
• Metal chelating or complexing agents of various phosphonates, such as ethylenediamine tetra(methylene phosphonic acid) (EDTMP) offer much improved stabilization of the cleaning compositions of the cleaning compositions of this invention when they are combined with oxidizing agents at acidic and alkaline conditions and thus are generally preferred.
• metal corrosion inhibitors such as benzotriazole
• benzotriazole may be employed in an amount of from 0 to about 5 wt%, preferably from about 0.1 to 2 Wt%.
• the cleaning compositions optionally may also contain surfactants, such as for example dimethyl hexynol (Suriynol-61), ethoxylated tetramethyl decynediol
• the surfactant will generally be present in an amount of from 0 to about 5 wt%, preferably 0.1 to about 3 wt%.
• the cleaning compositions may also optionally contain fluoride compounds in cleaning composition, such as for example, tetramethylammonium fluoride, tetrabutylammonium fluoride, and ammonium fluoride.
• fluoride compounds include, for example fluoroborates, tetrabutylammonium fluoroborates, aluminum hexafluorides, antimony fluoride and the like.
• the fluoride components will be present in an amount of from 0 to 10 wt%, preferably from about 0.1 to 5 wt%.
• the cleaning compositions of this invention can be employed in combination with oxidizing agents, as discussed hereinafter, to form additional cleaning and stripping compositions.
• Such compositions can contain any oxidizing agent suitable for use in microelectronic cleaning compositions.
• oxidizing agents there may be mentioned, for example, peroxides, particularly hydrogen peroxide, molecular adducts of peroxyhydrates from hydrogen peroxides and oxyacids, zirconyl acetate and azo compounds, e.g., sodium percarbonate, sodium perborates, as well as periodates (IO 4 " ), perborates, permanganates (MnO 4 " ), hydrogen persulfates, persulfates and alkyloxyhalides, for example t-BuOCI.
• Other peroxy compounds from substitution reactions of H 2 O 2 and organic molecules may be employed but are less preferred.
• compositions of this invention include alkylperoxides, peroxyacids, diacyl peroxides and ketone peroxides. Similar substitution products of H 2 O 2 with inorganic molecules, such as peroxysulfuric acid, may also be employed.
• an oxidizing agent employed in the resulting cleaning compositions in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 30 wt%, preferably from about 0.1 to about 5 wt%, and most preferably in an amount of from about 0.5 to about 5 wt%.
• the preferred oxidizing agent is hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) ⁇ preferably employed as a 3 to 30% aqueous solution.
• EDTMP ethylenediamine tetra(methylene phosphonic acid)
• NH 4 OH ammonium hydroxide
• CH choline hydroxide
• the copper etch rate for cleaning compositions of this invention are demonstrated by the etch rate data in the following Table 5.
• the etch rate was determined for Compositions A, B (modified) and E of Table 1 utilizing the following test procedure.
• Pieces of copper foil of approximately 13 x 50 mm were employed. The weight of the foil pieces was measured. After cleaning the foil pieces with 2- propanol, distilled water and acetone and the foil pieces are dried in a drying oven. The cleaned, dried foil pieces were then placed in loosely capped bottles of preheated cleaning compositions of the invention and placed in a vacuum oven for a period of from two to twenty-four hours at the indicated temperature. Following treatment and removal from the oven and bottles, the cleaned foils were rinsed with copious amounts of distilled water and dried in a drying oven for about 1 hour and then permitted to cool to room temperature, and then the etch rate determined based on weight loss or weight change.
• interlayer dielectric (ILD) etch rates for Compositions A and B of Table 1 of this invention against various dielectrics were evaluated by the following test procedure.
• the film thickness of the wafer pieces is measured using a Rudolph Interferometer.
• the wafer pieces (with ILD material deposited on silicon wafers) were immersed in the designated cleaning compositions at the indicated temperature for 30 minutes, followed by rinsing with de-ionized water and drying under nitrogen flow/stream. The thickness was then measured again following the treatment and the etch rates were then calculated based on the change in film thickness, which are produced by the indicated treatments.
• the IDL etch rates with Composition A were as set forth in Table 6 and the IDL etch rates with Composition B were as set forth in Table 7.
• compositions of this invention are illustrated by the following test in which a microelectronic structure that comprised a wafer of the following structure, namely a post trench etched sample of photoresist/anti-reflective coating (ARC)/porous carbon doped oxide, was immersed in a cleaning solution of Composition A of Table 1 at 50° C for 20 minutes, then water rinsed, dried and the cleaning determined by SEM inspection. The results were that the composition cleaned most of the ARC with only minor etching of porous carbon doped oxide. While the invention has been described herein with reference to the specific embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated that changes, modification and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive concept disclosed herein. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such changes, modification and variations that fall with the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Metallurgy (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Detergent Compositions (AREA)
• Cleaning Or Drying Semiconductors (AREA)

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• 2003
  • 2003-05-27 PL PL374021A patent/PL207297B1/pl not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-05-27 KR KR1020047019579A patent/KR100958068B1/ko not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-05-27 CA CA002488737A patent/CA2488737A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-05-27 BR BR0311830-4A patent/BR0311830A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-05-27 RS YUP-1061/04A patent/RS106104A/sr unknown
  • 2003-05-27 AU AU2003240827A patent/AU2003240827A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-05-27 US US10/515,372 patent/US8906838B2/en active Active
  • 2003-05-27 TW TW092114287A patent/TWI330766B/zh not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-05-27 JP JP2004511911A patent/JP4330529B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-05-27 EP EP03731423A patent/EP1512050A2/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2003-05-27 CN CN038130262A patent/CN1659480A/zh active Pending
  • 2003-05-27 CN CN2011100761494A patent/CN102135735A/zh active Pending
  • 2003-05-27 WO PCT/US2003/016829 patent/WO2003104901A2/en not_active Ceased
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• 2004
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  • 2004-12-06 IL IL165581A patent/IL165581A/en active IP Right Grant
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• 2005
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