Method for planarizing a copper interconnect structure
OwnerHui Chen, Chun Yan +1inventors
InventorsHui Chen, Chun Yan, Wai-Fan Yau
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Abstract
A method of planarizing a copper interconnect structure using an atomic layer removal (ALR) technique to planarize a copper layer. In one embodiment, the ALR process performs a plurality of cycles, each cycle having a period of forming a film of copper fluoride on the copper layer and a period of removing the film of copper fluoride. The ALR process is repeated until a barrier layer beneath the copper layer is then etched to expose a dielectric material. The remaining copper forms a conductive line that is substantially coplanar with the dielectric material.
Claims21
A method for planarizing a copper interconnect structure, comprising:
- applying a plurality of plasma processing cycles to the copper interconnect structure, wherein each plasma processing cycle comprises a period of exposing a portion of copper comprising the copper interconnect structure to a gas that forms a film of copper fluoride on the exposed copper portion and a period of removing the film of copper fluoride.
A computer-readable medium containing software that, when executed by a computer, causes a semiconductor substrate processing system to planarize a copper interconnect structure using a method comprising:
- applying a plurality of plasma processing cycles to the copper interconnect structure, wherein each plasma processing cycle comprises a period of exposing a copper layer to a gas forming a film of copper fluoride on said layer and a period of removing the film of copper fluoride.
A method for planarizing a copper interconnect structure, comprising:
- applying a plurality of plasma processing cycles to the copper interconnect structure, each plasma processing cycle including:
- a period of exposing a copper layer to a plasma comprising at least one of a fluorocarbon gas having a chemical structure CXFY (where x and y are integers), a hydro-fluorocarbon gas having a chemical structure CXFYHZ (where x, y, and z are integers), SF6 and NF3 to form a film of copper fluoride upon said layer of copper;
- and
- a period of removing the film of copper fluoride using a plasma comprising at least one of NH3, N2, and H2.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.