US 8,158,532 B2 · Topography reduction and control by selective accelerator removal

Abstract

Plating accelerator is applied selectively to a substantially-unfilled wide (e.g., low-aspect-ratio feature cavity. Then, plating of metal is conducted to fill the wide feature cavity and to form an embossed structure in which the height of a wide-feature metal protrusion over the metal-filled wide-feature cavity is higher than the height of metal over field regions. Most of the overburden metal is removed using non-contact techniques, such as chemical wet etching. Metal above the wide feature cavity protects the metal-filled wide-feature interconnect against dishing, and improved planarization techniques avoid erosion of the metal interconnect and dielectric insulating layer. In some embodiments, plating of metal onto a substrate is conducted to fill narrow (e.g., high-aspect-ratio feature cavities) in the dielectric layer before selective application of plating accelerator and filling of the wide feature cavity.

Claims70

Dependent claims

A method of forming a metal structure, comprising steps of:

(a) providing a substrate having a base layer and a substrate surface, said base layer including a wide feature cavity and a field, said wide feature cavity defining a wide-feature region, said field being adjacent to said wide feature cavity and defining a field region;
(b) exposing said substrate to a deposition accelerator so that both the field region and the wide-feature region are exposed to the deposition accelerator, without simultaneously depositing metal;
(c) ceasing exposing said substrate to a deposition accelerator;
(d) selectively removing at least a portion of said deposition accelerator from said field region using a spacially selective electrochemical reaction;
(e) then after all of steps (b), (c) and (d), exposing said substrate to a metal deposition solution;
(f) then conducting a wide-feature metal deposition, wherein said deposition accelerator increases a rate of metal deposition in said wide-feature region relative to a rate of metal deposition in said field region.

3 more elements

A method of forming a metal structure, comprising:

(a) providing a substrate having a base layer and a substrate surface, said base layer including a wide feature cavity and a field, said wide feature cavity defining a wide-feature region, said field being adjacent to said wide feature cavity and defining a field region;
(b) exposing at least said wide-feature region of said substrate to a deposition accelerator, without simultaneously depositing metal;
(c) ceasing exposing said substrate to the deposition accelerator;
(d) causing said deposition accelerator to become attached selectively to said substrate in said wide-feature region relative to said field region, without simultaneously depositing metal in said wide-feature region;
(e) then after all of steps (b), (c) and (d), exposing said substrate to a metal deposition solution;
(f) then conducting a wide-feature metal deposition, wherein said accelerator increases a rate of metal deposition in said wide-feature region relative to a rate of metal deposition in said field region;
(g) continuing said wide-feature metal deposition so that deposited metal in said wide-feature region comprises a wide-feature protrusion;
(h) isotropically removing deposited metal from said substrate until metal is substantially completely removed from said field region, and a wide-feature protrusion of metal remains in said wide-feature region;
(i) performing chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of said substrate surface to planarize said substrate surface;
and, wherein said base layer has a base field height of metal;
and
(j) after said CMP, isotropically removing deposited metal from said substrate until deposited metal in said wide-feature region is lower than said base field height, thereby forming a recess in said wide feature cavity.

9 more elements

A method of forming a metal structure, comprising:

(a) providing a substrate having a base layer and a substrate surface, said base layer including a wide feature cavity and a field, said wide feature cavity defining a wide-feature region, said field being adjacent to said wide feature cavity and defining a field region;
(b) exposing at least said wide-feature region of said substrate to a deposition accelerator, without simultaneously depositing metal;
(c) ceasing exposing said substrate to the deposition accelerator;
(d) causing said deposition accelerator to become attached selectively to said substrate in said wide-feature region relative to said field region, without simultaneously depositing metal in said wide-feature region;
(e) then after all of steps (b), (c) and (d), exposing said substrate to a metal deposition solution;
(f) then conducting a wide-feature metal deposition, wherein said accelerator increases a rate of metal deposition in said wide-feature region relative to a rate of metal deposition in said field region;
wherein:
said base layer further includes a narrow feature cavity defining a narrow-feature region, said narrow feature cavity having a higher aspect ratio than said wide feature cavity;
and further comprising:
before said step (b), exposing said substrate to a narrow-feature deposition solution;
then before said step (b), conducting a narrow-feature metal deposition using said narrow-feature deposition solution to deposit metal on said substrate in at least said narrow feature cavity;
and
then before said step (b), ceasing exposure of said substrate to said narrow-feature deposition solution.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

11/602,128Filed 20 Nov 2006 · continuation in part

Priority

20 Oct 2003

Published

US 2009/0277867 A112 Nov 2009

Granted

17 Apr 2012

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification24 codes

C25D 17/14
Electrodes , e.g. composition, counter electrode: for pad-plating
B23H 5/08
Electrochemical machining combined with mechanical working, e.g. grinding or honing: electrolytic grinding
C25D 5/02
Electroplating characterised by the process; Pretreatment or after-treatment of workpieces: electroplating of selected surface areas
C25D 5/06
Electroplating with moving electrodes: brush or pad plating

Family

Application10/690,084Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 20 Oct 2003

Application10/693,223Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 24 Oct 2003

Application10/739,822Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 17 Dec 2003

Application10/824,069Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 13 Apr 2004

Application60/724,209Us provisional application · filed 5 Oct 2005

Application60/737,978Us provisional application · filed 19 Nov 2005

Application11/544,957Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 5 Oct 2006

US 2009/0277867 A1Pre-grant publication · published 12 Nov 2009

US 7,799,200 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 7,405,163 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 7,449,098 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 7,338,908 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 7,189,647 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 2005/0282371 A1Published application

US 8,158,532 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Topography reduction and control by selective accelerator removal

Life of this patent

Topography reduction and control by selective accelerator removal

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims70