# US 2018/0025988 A1 · Simultaneous formation of liner and metal conductor

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- Number: US 2018/0025988 A1
- Document ID: US20180025988A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/217,429
- Filed: 2016-07-22
- Published: 2018-01-25
- Earliest claimed: 2016-07-22
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: Daniel C. Edelstein; Chih-Chao Yang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180025988A1

## CPC

- H10W 20/43: Layouts of interconnections
- H10W 20/059: {by reflowing or applying pressure}
- H10W 20/076: {in via holes or trenches}
- H10W 20/081: {by forming openings in the dielectric parts}
- H10W 20/096: {by contacting with gases, liquids or plasmas}
- H10W 20/425: {Barrier, adhesion or liner layers}
- H10W 20/4403: {based on metals, e.g. alloys, metal silicides (H10W20/4484 takes precedence)}
- H10W 20/4407: {Aluminium alloys}
- H10W 20/4437: {the principal metal being a transition metal}
- H10P 32/20: Diffusion for doping of insulating layers
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

An advanced metal conductor structure and a method for constructing the structure are described. A method for fabricating an advanced metal conductor structure provides a conductive line pattern including a set of conductive line trenches in a dielectric layer. Each conductive line trench of the conductive line pattern has parallel vertical sidewalls and a horizontal bottom. A surface treatment of the dielectric layer is performed. The surface treatment produces an element enriched surface layer in which a concentration of a selected element in a surface portion of the parallel sidewalls and horizontal bottoms of the conductive line trenches is increased. A metal layer is deposited on the element enriched surface layer. A thermal anneal process is then performed which simultaneously reflows the metal layer to fill the conductive line trenches and causes a chemical change at interfaces of the metal layer and the element enriched surface layer creating a liner which is an alloy of the metal and selected element. Another aspect of the invention is a device which is created by the method.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for fabricating an advanced metal conductor structure comprising:
providing a conductive line pattern including a set of conductive line trenches in a dielectric layer, each conductive line trench of the conductive line pattern having parallel vertical sidewalls and a horizontal bottom;
performing a surface treatment of the dielectric layer, the surface treatment producing an element enriched surface layer in which a concentration of a selected element in a surface portion of the parallel sidewalls and horizontal bottoms of the conductive line trenches is increased;
depositing a metal layer on the element enriched surface layer; and
performing a thermal anneal which simultaneously reflows the metal layer to fill the conductive line trenches and causes a chemical change at interfaces of the metal layer and the element enriched surface layer creating a liner which is an alloy of the metal and selected element.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the metal layer is comprised of aluminum and the selected element is nitrogen.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the surface treatment is a nitridation process which increases the concentration of nitrogen in the element enriched surface layer and the liner is comprised of an alloy selected from the group consisting of AlN and Al(N, Si).

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the metal layer is comprised of a metal selected from the group consisting of Al, Co, Ru, Ir, Rh, and Ni.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected element is selected from the group consisting of N, Si, C, and O.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the thermal anneal is carried out in a furnace between a temperature range between 100-500 degrees Centigrade in a neutral ambient.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising removing excess aluminum on field areas of the dielectric layer using a planarization process.

### Claim 8 (depends on 3)

The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the nitridation process is selected from the group of a plasma nitrididation process and a thermal nitridation process.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the planarization process is a chemical mechanical polishing process.

### Claim at position 10

10-16. (canceled)