Selective & damage free Cu cleaning process for pre-dep, post etch/CMP

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates generally to methods for fabricating microelectronic layers within microelectronic fabrications. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods for fabricating residue free microelectronic structures comprising copper containing microelectronic layers within microelectronic fabrications.

#2. Description of the Related Art

#The objects, features and advantages of the present invention are understood within the context of the Description of the Preferred Embodiments, as set forth below. The Description of the Preferred Embodiments is understood within the context of the accompanying drawings, which form a material part of this disclosure, wherein:

#FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show a series of schematic cross-sectional diagrams illustrating the results of progressive stages in forming a microelectronic fabrication having formed therein a microelectronic structure having formed therein a copper containing conductor layer in accord with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 6, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 show a series of schematic cross-sectional diagrams illustrating the results of forming a microelectronic fabrication having formed therein a microelectronic structure having formed therein a pair of copper containing conductor layers in accord with an alternate preferred embodiment of the present invention.

#The present invention provides a method for forming within a microelectronic fabrication a microelectronic structure comprising a copper containing layer, where the microelectronic structure is formed absent a copper containing residue layer formed upon a portion of the microelectronic structure other than the copper containing layer. The present invention realizes the foregoing object by stripping from a non-copper containing layer within the microelectronic structure a copper containing residue layer while employing a stripper composition comprising a non-aqueous coordinating solvent and a halogen radical producing specie.

#The present invention may be employed in forming a microelectronic structure comprising a copper containing layer, where the microelectronic structure is formed absent a copper containing residue formed upon a portion of the microelectronic structure other than the copper containing layer within a microelectronic fabrication selected from the group including but not limited to integrated circuit microelectronic fabrications, ceramic substrate microelectronic fabrications, solar cell optoelectronic microelectronic fabrications, sensor image array optoelectronic microelectronic fabrications and display image array optoelectronic microelectronic fabrications.

#Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrates the present invention within the context of stripping copper containing residue layers at least in part from passivation dielectric layers within microelectronic fabrications, the present invention may be employed for stripping from microelectronic layers including but not limited to microelectronic conductor layers, microelectronic semiconductor layers and microelectronic dielectric layers copper containing residue layers.