Surface planarizing methods for integrated circuit devices
AssigneeAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc.
InventorKaren Reinhardt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved method of planarizing a side surface of a partially completed integrated circuit device comprises, in sequence, the steps of depositing on the side surface a spin-on glass coating; partially curing the coating; back etching the coating to remove portions thereof which overlie insulation-encapsulated electrically conductive portions of the device; and then subjecting the remaining coating portions, which are disposed within and level off previously depressed portions of the side surface, to an oxygen plasma final curing process, preferably utilizing a downstream stripper type oxygen plasma generator. By performing the back etching step prior to the oxygen plasma curing step, undesirable cracking of the remaining coating portions is advantageously avoided.
Claims7
In a method of planarizing a side surface of a partially completed integrated circuit device including the steps of coating the side surface with a spin-on glass material, subjecting the glass coating to a final curing process, and back etching the glass coating, the improvement wherein said step of back etching the glass coating is performed prior to said step of subjecting the glass coating to a final curing process.
An improved method of planarizing a side surface of a partially completed integrated circuit device, said side surface having a spaced apart series of depressed first sections, and a series of second sections disposed over imbedded electrically conductive portions of the device, said method comprising, in the sequence set forth below, the steps of:
- depositing a spin-on glass coating on said first and second sections of said side surface;
- partially curing the glass coating;
- back etching the partially cured coating to remove the portions thereof disposed on said second sections of said side surface;
- and
- utilizing an oxygen plasma process to finish-cure the partially cured coating portions left in said depressed first sections of said side surface after the completion of said back etching step.
A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit device comprising, in the sequence set forth below, the steps of:
- providing an integrated circuit device substructure having a side surface with a spaced apart series of depressed first sections, and a series of second sections disposed over insulation-encapsulated first electrically conductive portions of the substructure;
- depositing on said side surface a spin-on glass coating which covers said first and second sections of said side surface;
- hot plate baking the glass coating;
- nitrogen furnace curing the glass coating;
- back etching the glass coating to remove the portions thereof previously deposited on said second sections of said side surface;
- oxygen plasma curing the remaining glass coating portions;
- depositing a first insulative coating on said side surface after said oxygen plasma curing step;
- positioning on said first insulative coating electrically conductive circuitry which extends, at predetermined locations, through said first insulative coating and said second sections of said side surface into operative contact with said insulation-encapsulated first electrically conductive portions of the substructure;
- and
- covering said electrically conductive circuitry with a second insulative coating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.