Oxide removal for contact plugs
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorChao-Chun Wang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming an electronic component over a substrate; forming a first insulating layer over the electronic component; forming a contact plug extending through the first insulating layer to the electronic component, wherein the contact plug includes a first portion formed of a conductive material and a second portion formed of an oxide of the conductive material disposed over the first portion; performing a treatment to expose the contact plug and the first insulating layer to a gas mixture of N2 and NH3; after performing the treatment, forming a second insulating layer over the contact plug and the first insulating layer; and forming an interconnect in the second insulating layer and in contact with the contact plug.
Claims20
A method of forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- forming an electronic component over a substrate;
- forming a first insulating layer over the electronic component;
- forming a contact plug extending through the first insulating layer to the electronic component, wherein the contact plug comprises a first portion formed of a conductive material and a second portion formed of an oxide of the conductive material disposed over the first portion;
- performing a treatment to expose the contact plug and the first insulating layer to a gas mixture of N2 and NH3, wherein a concentration ratio of N2 to NH3 in the gas mixture is 2 to 16, wherein the treatment converts an upper portion of the first insulating layer to a second insulating layer, wherein the second insulating layer comprises silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or a combination thereof;
- after performing the treatment, forming a third insulating layer over the contact plug and the first insulating layer;
- and
- forming an interconnect in the third insulating layer and in contact with the contact plug.
A method of forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- forming a first conductive feature and a second conductive feature over a substrate;
- forming a first insulating layer covering the first conductive feature and the second conductive feature;
- forming a first contact plug in the first insulating layer and in contact with the first conductive feature, the first contact plug being formed of a conductive material, the first contact plug having a first oxidized upper surface, the first oxidized upper surface of the first contact plug being formed of an oxide of the conductive material;
- performing a first treatment, wherein the first treatment comprises exposing the first oxidized upper surface of the first contact plug and an upper surface of the first insulating layer to a first gas mixture of N2 and NH3;
- after performing the first treatment, forming a second contact plug in the first insulating layer and in contact with the second conductive feature, the second contact plug being formed of the conductive material, the second contact plug having a second oxidized upper surface, the second oxidized upper surface of the second contact plug being formed of the oxide of the conductive material;
- and
- performing a second treatment to the second contact plug, wherein the second treatment exposes the second oxidized upper surface of the second contact plug to a second gas mixture of N2 and NH3.
A method of forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- forming a first insulating layer and a first structure in the first insulating layer, the first structure comprising a first conductive material layer and a first oxide layer over the first conductive material layer, the first conductive material layer comprising a first material, the first oxide layer comprising an oxide of the first material;
- performing a first treatment, wherein the first treatment comprises exposing the first oxide layer to a gas mixture of N2 and NH3, wherein the first treatment nitridizes an upper surface of the first insulating layer;
- after performing the first treatment, forming a second insulating layer over the first structure and the first insulating layer;
- and
- forming a first interconnect in the second insulating layer, the first interconnect being in electrical contact with the first conductive material layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.