# US 2008/0075835 A1 · Integrated substrate processing in a vacuum processing tool

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- Number: US 2008/0075835 A1
- Document ID: US20080075835A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 11/526,767
- Filed: 2006-09-26
- Published: 2008-03-27
- Earliest claimed: 2006-09-26
- Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited
- Inventors: Tadahiro Ishizaka; Masamichi Hara; Yasushi Mizusawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080075835A1

## CPC

- C23C 16/54: Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating
- C23C 14/566: {using a load-lock chamber}
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)

## Abstract

A method and system are provided for integrated substrate processing in Cu metallization. The method includes providing a substrate in a vacuum processing tool containing a plurality of processing systems configured to process the substrate and a substrate transfer system configured to transfer the substrate under vacuum conditions between the plurality of processing systems, and performing an integrated deposition process on the substrate. The plurality of processing systems and the substrate transfer system maintain a base pressure of background gases at 6.8×10−8 Torr or lower, preferably 5×10−8 Torr or lower, during the integrated deposition process. According to one embodiment, the integrated process includes depositing a barrier metal layer on the substrate, and depositing a Cu layer on the barrier metal layer. According to another embodiment, the integrated process further includes depositing a depositing a Ru layer on the barrier metal layer, and depositing a Cu layer on the Ru layer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of integrated substrate processing, comprising:
providing a substrate in a vacuum processing tool comprising a plurality of processing systems configured to process the substrate, and a substrate transfer system configured to transfer the substrate under vacuum conditions between the plurality of processing systems; and
performing an integrated deposition process on the substrate, wherein the plurality of processing systems and the substrate transfer system maintain a base pressure of background gases at 6.8×10−8 Torr, or lower, during the integrated deposition process, the integrated deposition process comprising:
depositing a barrier metal layer on the substrate, and
depositing a Cu layer on the barrier metal layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of processing systems and the substrate transfer system maintain a base pressure of background gases at 5×10−8 Torr, or lower.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the barrier metal layer comprises TaN, TaCN, TaC, Ta, TiN, Ti, WN, or W, or a combination of two or more thereof.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the performing comprises:
depositing a barrier metal layer on the substrate in a first processing system,
transferring the substrate from the first processing system to a second processing system using the substrate transfer system, and
depositing a Cu layer on the barrier metal layer in the second processing system.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the performing comprises:
depositing a first barrier metal layer on the substrate in a first processing system,
depositing a second barrier metal layer on the first barrier metal layer in the first processing system,
transferring the substrate from the first processing system to a second processing system using the substrate transfer system, and
depositing a Cu layer on the second barrier metal layer in the second processing system.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the first barrier metal layer comprises TaN, TaCN, TaC, TiN, WN, or W, or a combination of two or more thereof, and the second barrier metal layer comprises Ta or Ti.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the performing comprises:
depositing a first barrier metal layer on the substrate in a first processing system,
transferring the substrate from the first processing system to a second processing system using the substrate transfer system,
depositing a second barrier metal layer on the first barrier metal layer in the second processing system,
transferring the substrate from the second processing system to a third processing system using the substrate transfer system, and
depositing a Cu layer on the second barrier metal layer in the third processing system.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the first barrier metal layer comprises TaN, TaCN, TaC, or a combination of two or more thereof, and the second barrier metal layer comprises Ta.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising plating Cu onto the Cu layer.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the background gases comprise H2O, O2, and N2.

### Claim 11

A method of integrated substrate processing, comprising:
providing a substrate in a vacuum processing tool comprising a plurality of processing systems configured to process the substrate and a substrate transfer system configured to transfer the substrate under vacuum between the plurality of processing systems; and
performing an integrated deposition process on the substrate, wherein the plurality of processing systems and the substrate transfer system maintain a base pressure of background gases at 6.8 x 10-8 Torr, or lower, during the integrated deposition process, the integrated deposition process comprising:
depositing a barrier metal layer on the substrate, and
depositing a Ru metal layer on the barrier metal layer.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of processing systems and the substrate transfer system maintain a base pressure of background gases at 5×10−8 Torr, or lower.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the barrier metal layer comprises TaN, TaCN, TaC, Ta, TiN, Ti, WN, or W, or a combination of two or more thereof.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the performing comprises:
depositing a barrier metal layer on the substrate in a first processing system,
transferring the substrate from the first processing system to a second processing system using the substrate transfer system, and
depositing a Ru layer on the barrier metal layer in the second processing system.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the performing further comprises:
transferring the substrate from the second processing system to a third processing system, and
depositing a Cu layer on the Ru layer in the third processing system.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the barrier metal layer comprises TaN, TaCN, TaC, Ta, TiN, Ti, WN, or W, or a combination of two or more thereof.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the performing comprises:
depositing a first barrier metal layer on the substrate in a first processing system,
depositing a second barrier metal layer on the first barrier metal layer in the first processing system,
transferring the substrate from the first processing system to a second processing system using the substrate transfer system, and
depositing a Ru layer on the second barrier metal layer in the second processing system.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the performing further comprises:
transferring the substrate from the second processing system to a third processing system using the substrate transfer system, and
depositing a Cu layer on the Ru layer in the third processing system.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the first barrier metal layer comprises TaN, TaCN, TaC, TaN, Ta, WN, or W, or a combination of two or more thereof, and the second barrier metal layer comprises Ta.

### Claim 20 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the performing comprises:
depositing a first barrier metal layer on the substrate in a first processing system,
transferring the substrate from the first processing system to a second processing system using the substrate transfer system,
depositing a second barrier metal layer on the first barrier metal layer in the second processing system,
transferring the substrate from the second processing system to a third processing system using the substrate transfer system, and
depositing a Ru layer on the second barrier metal layer in the third processing system.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein the performing further comprises:
transferring the substrate from the third processing system to a fourth processing system using the substrate transfer system, and
depositing a Cu layer on the Ru layer in the fourth processing system.

### Claim 22 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein the first barrier metal layer comprises TaN, TaCN, TaC, TiN, WN, or W, or a combination of two or more thereof, and the second barrier metal layer comprises Ta or Ti.

### Claim 23 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising plating Cu onto the substrate.

### Claim 24 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the background gases comprise H2O, O2, and N2.

### Claim 25 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the Ru metal layer is deposited by a TCVD process using a process gas comprising Ru3(CO)12 and CO.

### Claim 26

A vacuum processing tool, comprising:
a plurality of processing systems configured to perform an integrated deposition process on a substrate, the plurality of processing systems including one or more processing systems configured to deposit a barrier layer and one or more additional processing systems configured to deposit a Cu layer, a Ru layer, or both; and
a substrate transfer system configured for transferring the substrate under vacuum between the plurality of processing systems, wherein the plurality of processing systems and the substrate transfer system are configured to maintain a base pressure of background gases at 6.8×10−8 Torr, or lower, during the integrated deposition process.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The vacuum processing tool of claim 26, wherein the plurality of processing systems and the substrate transfer system maintain a base pressure of background gases at 5×10−8 Torr, or lower.