Conductive feature formation and structure
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsYu Shih WANG, Chun-I TSAI, Shian Wei MAO, Ken-Yu CHANG, Ming-Hsing TSAI, Wei-Jung LIN
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Abstract
Generally, the present disclosure provides example embodiments relating to conductive features, such as metal contacts, vias, lines, etc., and methods for forming those conductive features. In an embodiment, a barrier layer is formed along a sidewall. A portion of the barrier layer along the sidewall is etched back. After etching back the portion of the barrier layer, an upper portion of the barrier layer along the sidewall is smoothed. A conductive material is formed along the barrier layer and over the smoothed upper portion of the barrier layer.
Claims21
A method comprising:
- forming a barrier layer along a sidewall;
- etching back a portion of the barrier layer along the sidewall, wherein etching back the portion of the barrier layer exposes an upper portion of the sidewall;
- after etching back the portion of the barrier layer, smoothing an upper portion of the barrier layer along the sidewall;
- and
- forming a conductive material along the barrier layer, over the smoothed upper portion of the barrier layer, and along the upper portion of the sidewall.
-14. (canceled)
A method comprising:
- forming a dielectric layer over a semiconductor substrate;
- forming an opening through the dielectric layer;
- after forming the opening, forming a barrier layer conformally in the opening, the barrier layer extending along an uppermost sidewall of the opening;
- after forming the barrier layer, removing a first upper portion of the barrier layer from the uppermost sidewall of the opening, a remaining upper portion of the barrier layer being in the opening after removing the first upper portion of the barrier layer;
- after removing the first upper portion of the barrier layer, etching a portion of the barrier layer;
- and
- forming a conductive material on the barrier layer in the opening, a top surface of the conductive material being coplanar with a top surface of the dielectric layer, the conductive material having a portion above the remaining upper portion of the barrier layer.
A method comprising:
- forming a first dielectric layer over a semiconductor substrate;
- forming an opening through the first dielectric layer;
- forming a barrier layer in the opening;
- forming a second dielectric layer over the barrier layer in the opening, wherein an upper portion of the barrier layer along an upper sidewall of the opening is exposed;
- removing the upper portion of the barrier layer from the upper sidewall of the opening;
- removing the second dielectric layer;
- after removing the second dielectric layer, etching an upper portion of the barrier layer;
- and
- forming a conductive material on the barrier layer in the opening, the conductive material extending over an upper surface of the barrier layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.