Intel Corporation

Bruce J Tufts

Ebony L Mays

Jennifer O'Loughlin

Andrew W Ott

Disclosed herein are methods for manufacturing IC components using bottom-up fill of openings with a dielectric material. In one aspect, an exemplary method includes, first, depositing a solid dielectric liner on the inner surfaces of the openings using a non-flowable process, and subsequently filling the remaining empty volume of the openings with a fill dielectric using a flowable process. Such a combination method may maximize the individual strengths of the non-flowable and flowable processes due to the synergetic effect achieved by their combined use, while reducing their respective drawbacks. Assemblies and devices manufactured using such methods are disclosed as well.

Filling openings by combining non-flowable and flowable processes

The present invention discloses a method including: determining whether a surface of a dielectric layer is reactive; activating the surface if the surface is not reactive; performing a cycle on the surface, the cycle including: reacting the surface with a metal; and activating the metal. The present invention also discloses a structure including: a substrate; a first interlayer dielectric located over the substrate; a first adhesion promoter layer located over the first interlayer dielectric; an etch stop layer located over the first adhesion promoter layer; a second adhesion promoter layer located over the etch stop layer; and a second interlayer dielectric located over the second adhesion promoter layer.

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Banks, OR, United States of America

Bruce J Tufts