Method of sealing an air gap in a layer of a semiconductor structure and semiconductor structure
AssigneeFreescale Semiconductor, Inc.
InventorsGreg Braeckelmann, Marius Orlowski, Andreas Wild
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Abstract
Providing a first layer of a semiconductor structure having at least one air gap between conductive lines formed in the first layer. The air gap extends into the first layer from a first surface of the first layer. A barrier dielectric material over the first surface and the air gap is selected to have a dielectric constant less than 3.5 and to provide a barrier to prevent chemicals entering the at least one air gap. An air gap can extend from a first surface of the first layer to at least a portion of side surfaces of the at least two conductive lines to expose at least a portion of the side surfaces.
Claims20
A semiconductor device structure comprising:
- a first layer having at least one air gap for providing isolation between at least two conductive lines formed in the first layer, the at least one air gap extending into the first layer from a first surface of the first layer;
- a first dielectric layer over the first surface of the first layer, the first dielectric layer closes the at least one air gap;
- a barrier layer of a first barrier dielectric material over the first dielectric layer that is conformal, the barrier layer having a thickness in the range of 1-10 nm, a dielectric constant less than 3.5, and is a barrier that prevents chemicals entering the at least one air gap;
- and
- a second dielectric layer over the barrier layer having at least one air gap for providing isolation between at least two conductive lines formed in the second dielectric layer.
A semiconductor device structure comprising:
- a first layer having at least one air gap for providing isolation between at least two conductive lines formed in the first layer, the at least one air gap extending into the first layer from a first surface of the first layer, and extending to the at least two conductive lines to expose surfaces of the at least two conductive lines;
- a first barrier layer of a first barrier dielectric material over the exposed surfaces of each of the at least two conductive lines;
- a dielectric layer over the first surface of the first layer that closes the at least one air gap, the first barrier layer between the at least two conductive lines and the dielectric layer;
- a second barrier layer of a second barrier dielectric material over the dielectric layer that is conformal to the dielectric layer, the second barrier layer having a thickness in the range of 1-10 nm, the second barrier dielectric material having a dielectric constant less than 3.5, wherein the second barrier dielectric material prevents chemicals entering the at least one air gap;
- and
- wherein the first barrier dielectric material is one of the following:
- fluorine doped silicon dioxide;
- carbon doped silicon dioxide;
- organic polymeric dielectrics;
- parylene;
- amorphous carbon;
- hydrogenated carbon (a-H:C);
- fluorinated amorphous carbon (a-F:C)n.
A semiconductor device structure comprising:
- a first layer of the semiconductor device structure having at least one air gap that isolates at least two conductive lines formed in the first layer, the at least one air gap extending into the first layer from a first surface of the first layer, and extending to the at least two conductive lines to expose surfaces of the at least two conductive lines;
- a first barrier layer of a first barrier dielectric material over the exposed surfaces of each of the at least two conductive lines;
- a dielectric layer on the first surface of the first layer such that the dielectric layer closes the at least one air gap, the first barrier layer between the at least two conductive lines and the dielectric layer;
- and
- a second barrier layer of a second barrier dielectric material over the dielectric layer that is conformal to the dielectric layer, the second barrier layer having a thickness in the range of 1-10 nm, the second barrier dielectric material being selected to have a dielectric constant less than 3.5 and to provide a barrier that prevents chemicals from entering the at least one air gap,
- wherein the second barrier dielectric material and the first barrier dielectric material are the same.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.