Barrier layers in trenches and vias
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsBenjamin D. Briggs, Lawrence A. Clevenger, Cornelius Brown Peethala, Michael Rizzolo, Chih-Chao Yang
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Abstract
A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes forming at least one trench in a dielectric layer, forming a barrier layer on a bottom of said at least one trench, sidewalls of said at least one trench and a top surface of the dielectric layer, the barrier layer having a non-uniform thickness, and selectively thinning at least a first portion of the barrier layer using one or more cycles comprising forming an oxidized layer in the first portion of the barrier layer using a neutral beam oxidation and removing the oxidized layer using an etching process.
Claims20
A method of forming a semiconductor structure, comprising:
- forming at least one trench in a dielectric layer;
- forming a barrier layer on a bottom of said at least one trench, sidewalls of said at least one trench and a top surface of the dielectric layer, the barrier layer having a non-uniform thickness;
- and
- selectively thinning at least a first portion of the barrier layer using one or more cycles comprising forming an oxidized layer in the first portion of the barrier layer using a neutral beam oxidation and removing the oxidized layer using an etching process.
A semiconductor structure, comprising:
- a dielectric layer having at least one trench formed therein;
- and
- a barrier layer formed on a bottom of said at least one trench, sidewalls of said at least one trench and a top surface of the dielectric layer;
- wherein said at least one trench comprises a flared top gap opening and additional area at the bottom such that a top of said at least one trench and the bottom of said at least one trench are wider than sidewalls of said at least one trench;
- wherein a thickness of the barrier layer on the bottom of said at least one trench and a thickness of the barrier layer on the top surface of the dielectric layer is controlled using one or more cycles comprising forming an oxidized layer using a neutral beam oxidation and removing the oxidized layer using an etching process, such that the thickness of the barrier layer on the bottom of said at least one trench and the thickness of the barrier layer on the top surface of the dielectric layer is substantially the same as the thickness of the barrier layer on the sidewalls of said at least one trench.
A method of forming a semiconductor structure, comprising:
- forming at least one trench in a dielectric layer;
- depositing a barrier layer in said at least one trench and on a top surface of the dielectric layer using physical vapor deposition, the physical vapor deposition modifying a profile of said at least one trench such that said at least one trench comprises a flared top gap opening and additional area at the bottom such that a top of said at least one trench and the bottom of said at least one trench are wider than sidewalls of said at least one trench;
- and
- controlling a thickness of the barrier layer by selectively thinning one or more portions of the barrier layer using one or more cycles comprising forming an oxidized layer using a neutral beam oxidation and removing the oxidized layer using an etching process.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.