Composition and process for element displacement metal passivation

Abstract

A composition and process suitable for the passivation of metal lines, layers or surfaces, particularly for the passivation of copper in the fabrication of integrated circuit devices on wafer substrates. The process includes providing a novel composition solution in contact with a copper line, layer or surface on a substrate as the copper is subjected to chemical mechanical planarization (CMP). The composition includes reactive cations of a displacement metal which are suspended in solution and spontaneously displace the copper atoms in the copper in an oxidation/reduction reaction. The oxidized and displaced copper cations are carried away by the composition solution, and the newly-incorporated metal atoms in the copper substantially inhibit or prevent growth of copper oxides in the copper.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.