Intel Corporation

Chin-Chang Cheng

Valery M Dubin

Ruth Amy Brain

Ramanan Chebiam

Makarem A Hussein

Christopher D Thomas

Phi L Nguyen

Kevin O'Brien

Harsono S Simka

Peter K Moon

Juan E Dominguez

Sridhar Balakrishnan

Steven W Johnston

Ting Zhong

Arnel M Fajardo

Hok-Kin Choi

Vani Thirumala

Vincent R Caillouette

Damian Whitney

An apparatus and method for forming catalyst particles to grow nanotubes is disclosed. In addition, an apparatus and method for forming nanotubes using the catalytic particles is also disclosed. The particles formed may have different diameters depending upon how they are formed. Once formed, the particles are deposited on a substrate. Once deposited, the mobility of the particles is restricted and nanotubes and/or nanotube portions are grown on the particles. Nanotube portions having different diameters may be formed and the portions may be connected to form nanotubes with different diameters along the length of the nanotube.

Nanotube growth and device formation

A method for forming a copper interconnect is described. An opening in a dielectric layer disposed on a substrate is formed. A barrier layer is formed on the opening. A seed layer is formed on the barrier layer. The seed layer includes a noble metal copper alloy, the copper having less than 50% of the atomic weight of the noble metal copper alloy.

Method of making a bottomless via

Methods of fabricating interconnect structures utilizing barrier material layers formed with an electroless deposition technique utilizing a coupling agent complexed with a catalytic metal and structures formed thereby. The fabrication fundamentally comprises providing a dielectric material layer having an opening extending into the dielectric material from a first surface thereof, bonding the coupling agent to the dielectric material within the opening, and electrolessly depositing the barrier material layer, wherein the electrolessly deposited barrier material layer material adheres to the catalytic metal of the coupling agent.

Conformal electroless deposition of barrier layer materials

Electroless plating systems and methods are described herein.

Electroless plating systems and methods

In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for depositing a barrier layer on a substrate having a trench, depositing a liner layer on the barrier layer that includes a surface oxide, electrolessly depositing a copper seed layer on the liner layer, where the surface oxide is reduced in-situ in an electroless bath, depositing a bulk metal layer on the copper seed layer. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Treating a liner layer to reduce surface oxides

A multiple stage method of electrolessly depositing a metal layer is presented. This method may have the two main stages of first forming a thin metal layer on a metal surface using an electroless plating solution containing activating agents that are highly reactive reducing agents, and second, forming a bulk metal layer over the thin metal layer by using an electroless plating solution containing mildly reactive reducing agents. Through this two stage method, the use of highly reactive reducing agents that may cause the formation of contaminant particles may be minimized. By minimizing the formation of contaminant particles in the electroless plating solution, the lifetime of the solution may be extended and the current leakage between metal interconnect lines may be reduced.

Multiple stage electroless deposition of a metal layer

A method of depositing a metal cladding on conductors in a damascene process is described. The potential between, for instance, cobalt ions in electroless solution and the surface of an ILD between the conductors is adjusted so as to repel the metal from the ILD.

Method for improving selectivity of electroless metal deposition

A system and method for storing a solution containing a subset of a group consisting of a metal ion, a complexing agent, an ammonium salt, and a strong base and then nearer to a time of use in an electroless deposition process, using the solution to form an electroless deposition solution containing the entire group. In one embodiment of the invention, the metal ion includes a cobalt ion, the complexing agent includes citric acid, the ammonium salt includes ammonium chloride, and the strong base includes tetramethylammonium hydroxide.

Preparation of electroless deposition solutions

Multiple level interconnect structures and methods for fabricating the interconnect structures are disclosed. The interconnect structures may contain an interconnect line, an electrolessly deposited metal layer formed over the interconnect line, a via formed over the metal layer, and a second interconnect line formed over the via. Often the metal layer contains a cobalt or nickel alloy and provides an etch stop layer for formation of an opening corresponding to the via. The metal layer may provide protection to the underlying interconnect line and may replace a traditional protective dielectric layer. The metal layer is conductive, rather than dielectric, and provides a shunt for passage of electrical current between the via and the interconnect line. Similar metal layers may also be used within the interconnect structures as via liner layers and via plugs.

Use of conductive electrolessly deposited etch stop layers, liner layers and via plugs in interconnect structures

Interconnect structures containing conductive electrolessly deposited etch stop layers, liner layers, and via plugs

An apparatus for electroless spray deposition of a metal layer on a substrate, e.g., a Co shunt or barrier layer on a Cu layer on a semiconductor wafer, includes a processing chamber to hold the substrate, the processing chamber including at least one section movable between an open position to allow the substrate to be introduced into and removed from the processing chamber and a closed position to seal the processing chamber to allow for pressurization of the processing chamber. The processing chamber has an inlet to provide pressurizing gas, an exhaust line to exhaust pressurizing gas, a pressure regulator to regulate pressure there-within, and a sprayer to spray an electroless plating solution onto the substrate. A method for electroless spray deposition includes providing the in a processing chamber, sealing the processing chamber, pressurizing the processing chamber, regulating the pressure, and spraying an electroless plating solution onto the substrate.

Apparatus and method for electroless spray deposition

A method of treating an electroless plating waste is provided. The waste is contained and an ability of a reducing agent to reduce a metal of the waste is decreased, for example by adding a stabilizing chemical or by exposing the waste to an anode to which a positive voltage is applied. Poisonous and explosive gases evolve from the waste, which are vented. Upon completion, the waste is drained.

Growing community of inventors

Portland, OR, United States of America

Chin-Chang Cheng