# US 12,009,254 B2 · Contact resistance between via and conductive line

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- Number: US 12,009,254 B2
- Document ID: US12009254B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/745,127
- Filed: 2022-05-16
- Published: 2022-09-01
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2019-09-17
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Chun-Yuan Chen; Shih-Chuan Chiu; Jia-Chuan You; Chia-Hao Chang; Tien-Lu Lin; Yu-Ming Lin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12009254B2

## CPC

- H10W 20/062: {by smoothing of conductive parts, e.g. by planarisation}
- H10P 52/403: {of conductive or resistive materials}
- H10W 20/056: {by filling conductive material into holes, grooves or trenches}
- H10W 20/081: {by forming openings in the dielectric parts}
- H10W 20/42: Vias, e.g. via plugs
- H10W 20/435: {Cross-sectional shapes or dispositions of interconnections}
- H10W 20/4403: {based on metals, e.g. alloys, metal silicides (H10W20/4484 takes precedence)}
- H10W 20/4432: {the principal metal being a noble metal, e.g. gold}
- H10W 20/47: comprising two or more dielectric layers having different properties, e.g. different dielectric constants
- H10W 20/4441: {the principal metal being a refractory metal}
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A method includes forming a first conductive feature on a substrate, forming a via that contacts the first conductive feature, the via comprising a conductive material, performing a Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) process to a top surface of the via, depositing an Interlayer Dielectric (ILD) layer on the via, forming a trench within the ILD layer to expose the via, and filling the trench with a second conductive feature that contacts the via, the second conductive feature comprising a same material as the conductive material.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
forming a first dielectric layer on a substrate;
forming a first conductive feature within the first dielectric layer;
planarizing a top surface of the first conductive feature;
forming a second dielectric layer on the first dielectric layer and the first conductive feature, wherein the second dielectric layer includes an etch stop layer disposed directly on the first dielectric layer, a dielectric material layer disposed directly on the etch stop layer and a hard mask layer disposed directly on the dielectric material layer;
forming a first trench in the second dielectric layer that exposes the first conductive feature; and
forming a metal material within the first trench to form a second conductive feature within the first trench such that the metal material completely fills the first trench and physically contacts the first conductive feature, wherein the metal material of the second conductive feature is formed within the first trench without a barrier layer being disposed within the first trench prior to the forming of the metal material within the first trench to form the second conductive feature, wherein the metal material has a first sidewall and an opposing second sidewall, wherein the etch stop layer physically contacts the first and second sidewalls of the metal material, wherein the dielectric material layer physically contacts the first and second sidewalls of the metal material, and wherein the hard mask layer physically contacts the first and second sidewalls of the metal material.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
forming a third dielectric layer on the substrate prior to forming the first dielectric layer on the substrate;
forming a second trench within the third dielectric layer; and
forming a third conductive feature in the second trench, wherein the first conductive feature physically contacts the third conductive feature after the forming of the first conductive feature within the first dielectric layer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the forming of the third dielectric layer on the substrate prior to forming the first dielectric layer on the substrate includes:
forming a first oxide layer on the substrate having a first thickness;
forming a nitride layer directly on the first oxide layer having a second thickness that is different than the first thickness; and
forming a second oxide layer directly on the nitride layer, and
wherein the third conductive feature physically contacts the first oxide layer, the nitride layer and the second oxide layer after the forming of the first third conductive feature in the second trench.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first dielectric layer includes a first nitride layer and a first oxide layer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first conductive feature includes the metal material.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the metal material includes ruthenium.

### Claim 7

A method comprising:
forming a first oxide layer over a substrate;
forming a first nitride layer over the substrate;
forming a first conductive feature extending through and directly contacting the first oxide layer and the first nitride layer;
forming a second oxide layer over the first conductive feature;
forming a second nitride layer over the first conductive feature;
forming a via extending through and directly contacting the second oxide layer and the second nitride layer;
forming a third dielectric layer over the via;
forming a second conductive feature extending through the third dielectric layer to the via such that the second conductive feature directly contacts the third dielectric layer and the via, wherein the second conductive feature is formed of the same metal material throughout the second conductive feature, wherein the forming of the second conductive feature includes forming the metal material within the third dielectric layer without a barrier layer being disposed around the metal material such that the metal material directly contacts the third dielectric layer and the via; and
forming a third nitride layer directly on the first oxide layer, wherein the third nitride layer directly contacts the first conductive feature after the forming of the second conductive feature extending through the third dielectric layer to the via.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the second conductive feature and the via are formed of the same metal material.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the first oxide layer has a different thickness than the second oxide layer, and
wherein the first nitride layer has a different thickness than the second nitride layer.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the second nitride layer is thicker than the first nitride layer and wherein the first oxide layer is thicker than the second oxide layer.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the via is wider than the second conductive feature along a first direction and the second conductive feature is wider than the via in a second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the forming of the third dielectric layer includes:
forming an etch stop layer directly on the second oxide dielectric layer, and
forming a low-k dielectric layer directly on the etch stop layer.

### Claim 13 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7,
wherein the first nitride layer directly contacts the first oxide layer, and
wherein the third nitride layer is thicker than the first nitride layer.

### Claim 14

A method comprising:
forming a first dielectric layer on a substrate, wherein the forming of the first dielectric layer on the substrate includes forming a first nitride layer on the substrate;
forming a first conductive feature within the first dielectric layer, wherein the first nitride layer directly contacts and covers a bottommost surface of the first conductive feature after the forming of the first conductive feature within the first dielectric layer, the bottommost surface of the first conductive feature facing the substrate;
forming a second dielectric layer on the first dielectric layer;
forming a via within the second dielectric layer such that the via directly contacts the second dielectric layer and the first conductive feature;
forming a third dielectric layer on the second dielectric layer; and
forming a metal layer within the third dielectric layer without a barrier layer being disposed around the metal layer such that the metal layer directly contacts the third dielectric layer and the via, the metal layer being formed of the same material throughout the metal layer.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the metal layer and the via are formed entirely of the same metal material.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the first conductive feature is electrically isolated from the substrate after the forming of the first conductive feature within the first dielectric layer.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the first conductive feature has a top surface facing away from the substrate, and
wherein the via and the second dielectric layer directly contact the top surface of the first conductive feature after the forming of the via within the second dielectric layer.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the forming of the third dielectric layer on the second dielectric layer includes:
forming an etch stop layer directly on the second dielectric layer;
forming a dielectric material layer directly on the etch stop layer; and
forming a hard mask layer directly on the dielectric material layer.

### Claim 19 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the forming of the first dielectric layer on the substrate further includes forming a first oxide layer directly on the first nitride layer such that the first nitride layer is positioned closer to the substrate than the first oxide layer.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the forming of the first dielectric layer on the substrate includes:
forming a first nitride layer directly on the substrate; and
forming a first oxide layer directly on the first nitride layer,
wherein the forming of the first conductive feature within the first dielectric layer includes:
forming a trench through the first oxide layer to expose a top surface of the first nitride layer, the top surface of the nitride layer facing away from the substrate; and
forming the first conductive feature within the trench directly on the top surface of the nitride layer.