Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080202426 | AMPULE TRAY FOR AND METHOD OF PRECURSOR SURFACE AREA - A high conductance, multi-tray film precursor evaporation system coupled with a high conductance vapor delivery system is described for increasing deposition rate by increasing exposed surface area of film precursor. The multi-tray film precursor evaporation system includes one or more trays. Each tray is configured to support and retain a solid precursor, and permit the flow of a carrier gas. Furthermore, each tray comprises precursor stabilization elements designed to maintain a substantially level solid precursor powder during transport of the multi-tray precursor evaporation system. | 08-28-2008 |
20080206982 | INTERCONNECT STRUCTURES WITH A METAL NITRIDE DIFFUSION BARRIER CONTAINING RUTHENIUM AND METHOD OF FORMING - A method for forming an interconnect structure for copper metallization and an interconnect structure containing a metal nitride diffusion barrier are described. The method includes providing a substrate having a micro-feature opening formed within a dielectric material and forming a metal nitride diffusion barrier containing ruthenium, nitrogen, and a nitride-forming metal over the surfaces of the micro-feature. The nitride-forming metal is selected from Groups IVB, VB, VIB, and VIIB of the Periodic Table, and the metal nitride diffusion barrier is formed by exposing the substrate to a precursor of the nitride-forming metal, a nitrogen precursor, and a ruthenium precursor. | 08-28-2008 |
20080241357 | METHOD FOR HEATING A SUBSTRATE PRIOR TO A VAPOR DEPOSITION PROCESS - A method for depositing a thin film on a substrate in a vapor deposition system is described. Prior to the deposition process, the substrate is provided within the vapor deposition system and coupled to an upper surface of a substrate holder within the vapor deposition system, whereby the substrate is heated to a deposition temperature in a first gaseous atmosphere. Thereafter, the first gaseous atmosphere is displaced by a second gaseous atmosphere, and the pressure is adjusted to a deposition pressure. The second gaseous atmosphere comprises a gaseous composition that is substantially the same as the carrier gas utilized to transport film precursor vapor to the substrate and the optional dilution gas utilized to dilute the carrier gas and film precursor vapor. | 10-02-2008 |
20080241379 | Method and apparatus for reducing substrate temperature variability - A method and apparatus for treating a substrate in a processing system. The processing system includes a process chamber having a pumping system configured to evacuate the process chamber, a substrate holder coupled to the process chamber and configured to support the substrate and heat the substrate, and a process gas delivery system coupled to the process chamber and configured to introduce a process gas to a process space above an upper surface of the substrate. Furthermore, the process chamber includes one or more apparatus surfaces in radiative communication with the upper surface of the substrate and having a low emissivity and/or high reflectivity. | 10-02-2008 |
20080241380 | METHOD FOR PERFORMING A VAPOR DEPOSITION PROCESS - A method for performing a vapor deposition process is described. The vapor deposition process involves the deposition of a thin film, such as a ruthenium (Ru), rhenium (Re) or rhodium (Rh) film, on a substrate using a solid-phase or liquid-phase precursor. The method facilitates the initiation of gas lines to supply dilution gas(es), carrier gas(es) and precursor vapor to the deposition system, the pre-heating and heating of the substrate, the pre-conditioning of the film precursor vaporization system, and the flow stabilization of the carrier gas(es) and the precursor vapor, for example. | 10-02-2008 |
20080241381 | METHOD FOR PRE-CONDITIONING A PRECURSOR VAPORIZATION SYSTEM FOR A VAPOR DEPOSITION PROCESS - A method for pre-conditioning a film precursor vaporization system configured to supply a film precursor vapor to a deposition system for performing a deposition process is described. Prior to the deposition process, the gas pressure within the film precursor vaporization system is adjusted to a pre-determined target pressure. For example, the gas pressure within the film precursor vaporization system can be adjusted to a pressure consistent with a flow of process gas containing the film precursor vapor and a carrier gas to the deposition system at a flow rate utilized during the deposition process without introducing the process gas to the deposition system prior to the deposition process. | 10-02-2008 |
20080242088 | METHOD OF FORMING LOW RESISTIVITY COPPER FILM STRUCTURES - A method for forming low (electrical) resistivity Cu film structures by depositing a metal nitride barrier film on a substrate, depositing a Ru film on the metal nitride barrier film, depositing a Cu seed layer on the Ru film, and depositing bulk Cu metal on the Cu seed layer. The method further includes heat treating the Ru film prior to the Cu seed layer deposition, heat treating the bulk Cu metal, or heat treating both the Ru film prior to the Cu seed layer deposition and the bulk Cu metal. According to one embodiment, a method is provided for forming low resistivity Cu interconnect structures for integrated circuits. | 10-02-2008 |
20090065939 | METHOD FOR INTEGRATING SELECTIVE RUTHENIUM DEPOSITION INTO MANUFACTURING OF A SEMICONDUCTIOR DEVICE - A method for integrating selective Ru metal deposition into manufacturing of semiconductor devices to improve electromigration and stress migration in bulk Cu. The method includes selectively depositing a Ru metal film on a metallization layer or on bulk Cu using a process gas containing Ru | 03-12-2009 |
20090087981 | VOID-FREE COPPER FILLING OF RECESSED FEATURES FOR SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES - A method is provided for void-free copper (Cu) filling of recessed features in a semiconductor device. The method includes providing a patterned substrate containing a recessed feature, depositing a barrier film on the patterned substrate, including in the recessed feature, depositing a Ru metal film on the barrier film, and depositing a discontinuous Cu seed layer on the Ru metal film, where the Cu seed layer partially covers the Ru metal film in the recessed feature. The method further includes exposing the substrate to an oxidation source gas that oxidizes the Cu seed layer and the portion of the Ru metal film not covered by the Cu seed layer, heat-treating the oxidized Cu seed layer and the oxidized Ru metal film under high vacuum conditions or in the presence of an inert gas to activate the oxidized Ru metal film for Cu plating, and filling the recessed feature with bulk Cu metal. The exposure to the oxidation source gas can be an air exposure commonly encountered in semiconductor device manufacturing prior to Cu plating. | 04-02-2009 |
20090130843 | METHOD OF FORMING LOW-RESISTIVITY RECESSED FEATURES IN COPPER METALLIZATION - A method is provided for forming low-resistivity recessed features containing a ruthenium (Ru) film integrated with bulk copper (Cu) metal. The method includes providing a patterned substrate containing a recessed feature, depositing a barrier film in the recessed feature in a barrier film deposition chamber, transferring the patterned substrate from the barrier film deposition chamber to a Ru metal deposition chamber, heat-treating the barrier film in the presence of a H | 05-21-2009 |
20090186481 | METHOD FOR INTEGRATING SELECTIVE LOW-TEMPERATURE RUTHENIUM DEPOSITION INTO COPPER METALLIZATION OF A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - A method for integrating low-temperature selective Ru metal deposition into manufacturing of semiconductor devices to improve electromigration and stress migration in bulk Cu metal. The method includes providing a patterned substrate containing a recessed feature in a dielectric layer, where the recessed feature is at least substantially filled with planarized bulk Cu metal, heat-treating the bulk Cu metal and the dielectric layer in the presence of H | 07-23-2009 |
20100015798 | METHOD FOR FORMING A RUTHENIUM METAL CAP LAYER - A method for integrating ruthenium (Ru) metal cap layers and modified Ru metal cap layers into copper (Cu) metallization of semiconductor devices to improve electromigration (EM) and stress migration (SM) in bulk Cu metal. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a planarized patterned substrate containing a Cu metal surface and a dielectric layer surface, depositing first Ru metal on the Cu metal surface, and depositing additional Ru metal on the dielectric layer surface, where the amount of the additional Ru metal is less than the amount of the first Ru metal. The method further includes at least substantially removing the additional Ru metal from the dielectric layer surface to improve the selective formation of a Ru metal cap layer on the Cu metal surface. Other embodiments further include incorporating one or more types of modifier elements into the dielectric layer surface, the Cu metal surface, the Ru metal cap layer, or a combination thereof. | 01-21-2010 |
20100320607 | INTERCONNECT STRUCTURES WITH A METAL NITRIDE DIFFUSION BARRIER CONTAINING RUTHENIUM - A method for forming an interconnect structure for copper metallization and an interconnect structure containing a metal nitride diffusion barrier are described. The method includes providing a substrate having a micro-feature opening formed within a dielectric material and forming a metal nitride diffusion barrier containing ruthenium, nitrogen, and a nitride-forming metal over the surfaces of the micro-feature. The nitride-forming metal is selected from Groups IVB, VB, VIB, and VIIB of the Periodic Table, and the metal nitride diffusion barrier is formed by exposing the substrate to a precursor of the nitride-forming metal, a nitrogen precursor, and a ruthenium precursor. | 12-23-2010 |