| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080280151 | COPPER DIFFUSION BARRIER - The invention concerns a method of forming a copper portion surrounded by an insulating material in an integrated circuit structure, the insulating material being a first oxide, the method having steps including forming a composite material over a region of the insulating material where the copper portion is to be formed, the composite material having first and second materials, annealing such that the second material reacts with the insulating material to form a second oxide that provides a diffusion barrier to copper; and depositing a copper layer over the composite material by electrochemical deposition to form the copper portion. | 11-13-2008 |
| 20090051033 | RELIABILITY IMPROVEMENT OF METAL-INTERCONNECT STRUCTURE BY CAPPING SPACERS - The present invention relates to a metal-interconnect structure for electrically connecting integrated-circuit elements in an integrated-circuit device. It solves several problems of operational reliability in damascene interconnect structures, due to corner effects and structural defects present at top edges of interconnect lines fabricated according to prior-art processing technologies. In alternative configurations of the metal interconnect structure, capping spacers ( | 02-26-2009 |
| 20090272565 | CONTROL OF CARBON NANOSTRUCTURE GROWTH IN AN INTERCONNECT STRUCTURE - An interconnect structure on a substrate is provided. The interconnect structure comprises electrically conductive interconnect elements on at least two interconnect levels on or above a substrate level. In the interconnect structure of the invention, at least one electrically conductive via connects a first interconnect element on one interconnect level or on the substrate level to a second interconnect element on a different interconnect level. The via extends in a via opening of a first dielectric layer and comprises an electrically conductive via material that contains electrically conductive cylindrical carbon nanostructures. At least one cover-layer segment reaches into a lateral extension of the via opening and defines a via aperture that is small enough to prevent a penetration of the carbon nanostructures through the via aperture. This structure enhances control of carbon nanostructure growth in a height direction during fabrication of the interconnect structure. | 11-05-2009 |
| 20090273085 | CuSiN/SiN DIFFUSION BARRIER FOR COPPER IN INTEGRATED-CIRCUIT DEVICES - The present invention relates to an integrated-circuit device that has at least one Copper-containing feature in a dielectric layer, and a diffusion-barrier layer stack arranged between the feature and the dielectric layer. The integrated-circuit device of the invention has a diffusion-barrier layer stack, which comprises, in a direction from the Copper-containing feature to the dielectric layer, a CuSiN layer and a SiN layer. This layer combination provides an efficient barrier for suppressing Copper diffusion from the feature into the dielectric layer. Furthermore, a CuSiN/SiN layer sequence provides an improved adhesion between the layers of the diffusion-barrier layer stack and the dielectric layer, and thus improves the electromigration performance of the integrated-circuit device during operation. Therefore, the reliability of device operation and the lifetime of the integrate-circuit device are improved in comparison with prior-art devices. The invention further relates to a method for fabricating such an integrated-circuit device. | 11-05-2009 |
| 20100044865 | FABRICATION OF A DIFFUSION BARRIER CAP ON COPPER CONTAINING CONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS - A method for fabricating a self-aligned diffusion-barrier cap on a Cu-containing conductive element in an integrated-circuit device comprises:—providing a substrate having a Cu-containing conductive element embedded laterally into a dielectric layer and having an exposed surface;—depositing a metal layer on the exposed surface of conductive element;—inducing diffusion of metal from the metal layer into a top section of the conductive element;—removing the remaining metal layer;—letting diffused metal in the top section of the conductive element and particles of a second constituent react with each other so as to build a compound covering the conductive element. The metal of the metal layer and the second constituent are chosen so that the compound forms a diffusion barrier against Cu diffusion. A reduction the dielectric constant of the dielectric material in an interconnect stack of an integrated-circuit device is achieved. | 02-25-2010 |
| 20100059889 | ADHESION OF DIFFUSION BARRIER ON COPPER-CONTAINING INTERCONNECT ELEMENT - The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a semiconductor device. For improving the adhesion between a copper-containing interconnect element and a diffusion barrier on top of it, a first dielectric layer ( | 03-11-2010 |
| 20100120243 | FORMATION OF A RELIABLE DIFFUSION-BARRIER CAP ON A CU-CONTAINING INTERCONNECT ELEMENT HAVING GRAINS WITH DIFFERENT CRYSTAL ORIENTATIONS - The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a diffusion-barrier cap on a Cu-containing interconnect element that has crystallites of at least two different crystal orientations, comprises selectively incorporating Si into only a first set of crystallites with at least one first crystal orientation, employing first process conditions, and subsequently selectively forming a first adhesion-layer portion comprising CuSi and a first diffusion-barrier-layer portion only on the first set of crystallites, thus forming a first barrier-cap portion, and subsequently selectively incorporating Si into only the second set of crystallites, employing second process conditions that differ from the first process conditions, and forming a second barrier-cap portion comprising a Si-containing second diffusion-barrier layer portion on the second set of crystallites of the interconnect element. The processing improves the properties of the diffusion-barrier cap and secures a continuous formation of a diffusion-barrier layer on the interconnect element. | 05-13-2010 |
| 20110006430 | COPPER DIFFUSION BARRIER - The invention concerns a method of forming a copper portion surrounded by an insulating material in an integrated circuit structure, the insulating material being a first oxide, the method having steps including forming a composite material over a region of the insulating material where the copper portion is to be formed, the composite material having first and second materials, annealing such that the second material reacts with the insulating material to form a second oxide that provides a diffusion barrier to copper; and depositing a copper layer over the composite material by electrochemical deposition to form the copper portion. | 01-13-2011 |
| 20110080686 | MIM CAPACITOR - A method of forming a metal-insulator-metal capacitor having top and bottom plates separated by a dielectric layer, one of the top and bottom plates having at least one protrusion extending into a corresponding cavity in the other of the top and bottom plates, the method including the steps of growing one or more nanofibers on a base surface. | 04-07-2011 |
