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US 2006/0138661 A1Published application
Agglomeration control using early transition metal alloys
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorYonjun Hu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Structures and methods of fabricating portions of integrated circuit devices to reduce agglomeration tendencies of high surface-energy metals used in interconnects and contacts. Early transition metals having relatively low surface energies are chosen to form stable crystalline compounds rich in the high surface-energy metal. Agglomeration control layers containing such alloy compounds facilitate adhesion between the high surface-energy metal and an underlying layer of the integrated circuit device, such as a diffusion barrier layer. These agglomeration control layers may be nitrided to improve robustness at higher temperatures.
Claims33
An interconnect of an integrated circuit device, comprising:
- a diffusion barrier layer;
- a layer of a metal alloy nitride on the diffusion barrier layer, wherein the layer of metal alloy nitride comprises a first metal component, a second metal component that can form a crystalline compound with the first metal component, and nitrogen, wherein the second metal component has a surface energy lower than a surface energy of the first metal component, and wherein the layer of metal alloy nitride is rich in the first metal component;
- and
- a second metal layer on the layer of metal alloy nitride, wherein the second metal layer comprises the first metal component.
1 more element
An interconnect of an integrated circuit device, comprising:
- a layer of titanium nitride;
- a nitrided metal layer on the layer of titanium nitride, wherein the nitrided metal layer comprises a nitride metal alloy compound containing a first metal component, a second metal component and nitrogen, wherein the second metal component is selected from the group consisting of Group IIIA and Group IVA elements, and wherein an atomic ratio of the first metal component to the second metal component in the nitrided metal layer is greater than one;
- and
- a metal layer on the nitrided metal layer, wherein the metal layer comprises the first metal component.
1 more element
A portion of an integrated circuit device, comprising:
- a dielectric layer on a base layer;
- a titanium nitride layer overlying the dielectric layer;
- a layer of a metal alloy nitride on the titanium nitride layer, wherein the layer of metal alloy nitride comprises copper, a metal component that can form a crystalline compound with the copper, and nitrogen, wherein the metal component is selected from the group consisting of scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, titanium, zirconium and hafnium, and wherein an atomic ratio of copper to the metal component in the layer of metal alloy nitride is greater than one;
- and
- a copper layer on the layer of metal alloy nitride.
2 more elements
A portion of an integrated circuit device, comprising:
- a layer of titanium nitride;
- a nitrided metal layer on the layer of titanium nitride, wherein the nitrided metal layer is of the form MTxNy, where M is a first metal component, T is a Group IIIA or Group IVA transition metal, N is nitrogen, x is an atomic fraction of T, y is an atomic fraction of N, and x and y are each less than one;
- and
- a metal layer on the nitrided metal layer, wherein the metal layer comprises the first metal component.
1 more element
A portion of an integrated circuit device, comprising:
- a layer of titanium nitride;
- a nitrided metal layer on the layer of titanium nitride, wherein the nitrided metal layer is of the form MTxNy, where M is a first metal component, T is a Group IIIA or Group IVA transition metal, N is nitrogen, x is an atomic fraction of T, y is an atomic fraction of N, x is less than approximately 0.1 and y is less than approximately 0.9;
- and
- a metal layer on the nitrided metal layer, wherein the metal layer comprises the first metal component.
1 more element
A portion of an integrated circuit device, comprising:
- a layer of titanium nitride;
- a nitrided metal layer on the layer of titanium nitride, wherein the nitrided metal layer is of the form CuTxNy, where Cu is copper, T is a Group IIIA or Group IVA transition metal, N is nitrogen, x is an atomic fraction of T, y is an atomic fraction of N, and x and y are each less than one;
- and
- a metal layer on the nitrided metal layer, wherein the metal layer comprises copper.
1 more element
An interconnect of an integrated circuit device, comprising:
- a diffusion barrier layer;
- a layer of a metal alloy nitride on the diffusion barrier layer, wherein the layer of metal alloy nitride comprises a first metal component, a second metal component that can form a crystalline compound with the first metal component, and nitrogen, wherein the second metal component has a surface energy lower than a surface energy of the first metal component, and wherein the layer of metal alloy nitride is rich in the first metal component;
- and
- a second metal layer on the layer of metal alloy nitride, wherein the second metal layer comprises the first metal component;
- wherein the first metal component is selected from the group consisting of silver, gold, palladium, platinum, rhenium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium.
2 more elements
An interconnect of an integrated circuit device, comprising:
- a layer of titanium nitride;
- a nitrided metal layer on the layer of titanium nitride, wherein the nitrided metal layer comprises a nitride metal alloy compound containing a first metal component and a second metal component and nitrogen, wherein the first metal component is selected from the group consisting of silver, gold, palladium, platinum, rhenium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium, wherein the second metal component is selected from the group consisting of Group IIIA and Group IVA elements, and wherein an atomic ratio of the first metal component to the second metal component in the nitrided metal layer is greater than one;
- and
- a metal layer on the nitrided metal layer, wherein the metal layer comprises the first metal component.
1 more element
A portion of an integrated circuit device, comprising:
- a dielectric layer on a base layer;
- a titanium nitride layer overlying the dielectric layer;
- a layer of a metal alloy nitride on the titanium nitride layer, wherein the layer of metal alloy nitride comprises copper, a metal component that can form a crystalline compound with the copper, and nitrogen, wherein the metal component is selected from the group consisting of scandium and yttrium, and wherein an atomic ratio of copper to the metal component in the layer of metal alloy nitride is greater than one;
- and
- a copper layer on the layer of metal alloy nitride.
2 more elements
A portion of an integrated circuit device, comprising:
- a dielectric layer on a base layer;
- a titanium nitride layer overlying the dielectric layer;
- a metal layer on the titanium nitride layer, wherein the metal layer comprises a copper-rich alloy selected from the group consisting of Cu4Sc, Cu6Y, Cu4Ti, Cu3Ti and Cu5Zr;
- and
- a copper layer on the metal layer.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.