Methods for fabricating semiconductor devices having through electrodes

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device having a through electrode, the method comprising:

• providing a substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface;
• forming a via hole which partially penetrates the substrate and opens towards the upper surface of the substrate;
• forming a via isolation layer covering an inner surface of the via hole;
• forming a metal layer covering the via isolation layer by a physical vapor deposition, wherein the metal layer has a first surface along a first portion of at sidewall of the via hole at an entrance of the via hole adjacent to the upper surface of the substrate and a second surface smoother than the first surface along a second portion of the sidewall of the via hole at a floor of the via hole adjacent to the lower surface of the substrate;
• annealing the metal layer in-situ;
• and
• forming the through electrode filling the via hole by an electroplating using the metal layer,
• wherein the first surface of the metal layer comprises a plurality of deviations in thickness from an average thickness of the first surface of the metal layer that are larger than a plurality of deviations in thickness of the second surface of the metal layer from an average thickness of the second surface of the metal layer,
• wherein the first surface of the metal layer extends substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the substrate along the first portion of the sidewall of the via hole,
• wherein the second surface of the metal layer extends substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the substrate along the second portion of the sidewall of the via hole, and
• wherein a portion of the metal layer having the first surface has a first thickness and another portion of the metal layer having the second surface has a second thickness less than the first thickness.

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device having a through electrode, comprising:

• forming a via hole partially penetrating a substrate wherein an entrance of the via hole is on a top surface of the substrate;
• forming an insulation layer to cover an inner surface of the via hole;
• forming a seed layer using a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process to cover the insulation layer, the seed layer having an uneven thickness and an irregular surface roughness along a sidewall of the via hole, the sidewall extending substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate;
• annealing the seed layer in-situ at a temperature of about 150° C. to 350° C. and under a pressure less than an atmospheric pressure without a vacuum break relative to forming the seed layer;
• forming the through electrode to fill the via hole provided with the insulation layer and seed layer;
• and
• recessing a bottom surface of the substrate to expose the through electrode,
• wherein a first portion of the seed layer comprises a plurality of deviations in thickness from an average thickness of the first portion of the seed layer that are larger than a plurality of deviations in thickness of a second portion of the seed layer from an average thickness of the second portion of the seed layer,
• wherein the first portion of the seed layer extends substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate along a first portion of the sidewall of the via hole,
• wherein the second portion of the seed layer extends substantially perpendicular to the to surface of the substrate along a second portion of the sidewall of the via hole,
• wherein the seed layer has a first thickness at an entrance of the via hole adjacent to the top surface of the substrate and a second thickness less than the first thickness at a floor of the via hole adjacent to the bottom surface of the substrate,
• wherein the first thickness is measured along the first portion of the seed layer that extends substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate along the first portion of the sidewall of the via hole, and
• wherein the second thickness is measured along the second portion of the seed layer that extends substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate along the second portion of the sidewall of the via hole.