Intel Corporation

Cutek Research, Inc.

Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Sematech, Inc.

Cornell Research Foundation Inc.

Blue29 Corporation

Steag Cutek Systems, Inc.

Chiu H Ting

Valery M Dubin

William H Holtkamp

Bin Zhao

Prahalad K Vasudev

Igor C Ivanov

Robin W Cheung

Artur Kolics

Wen C Ko

Nicolai Petrov

William Baerg

Yosef Shacham-Diamand

Peter Cho

Frank Lin

Jonathan Xiaohang Zhang

Milan Paunovic

Mei Zhu

Joseph B Wytman

Kenneth J Lowery

J C Tzeng

Pei-Lin Pai

Yosi Shacham-Diamand

Richard W Brodowski

Zbigniew P Sobczak

Arthur Kolics

Yosi Schacham-Diamand

Melvin Desilva

Yosef Schacham-Diamand

Igor Ivanov

Tanya Andryushchenko

Byron B Siu

Terence T Hwa

Thomas G Rucker

The present invention discloses a station, e.g., for IC fabrication with a flexible configuration. It consists of an array of processing chambers, which are grouped into processing modules and arranged in a two-dimensional fashion, in vertical levels and horizontal rows, and is capable of operating independent of each other. Each processing chamber can perform electroless deposition and other related processing steps sequentially on a wafer with more than one processing fluid without having to remove it from the chamber. The system is served by a single common industrial robot, which may have random access to all the working chambers and cells of the storage unit for transporting wafers between the wafer cassettes and inlet/outlets ports of any of the chemical processing chambers. The station occupies a service-room floor space and a clean-room floor space. The processing modules and the main chemical management unit connected to the local chemical supply unit occupy a service-room floor space, while the robot and the wafer storage cassettes are located in a clean room. Thus, in distinction to the known cluster-tool machines, the station of the invention makes it possible to transfer part of the units from the expensive clean-room area to less-expensive service area.

Spatially-arranged chemical processing station

An electroless deposition solution of the invention for forming an alkali-metal-free coating on a substrate comprises a first-metal ion source for producing first-metal ions, a pH adjuster in the form of a hydroxide for adjusting the pH of the solution, a reducing agent, which reduces the first-metal ions into the first metal on the substrate, a complexing agent for keeping the first-metal ions in the solution, and a source of ions of a second element for generation of second-metal ions that improve the corrosion resistance of the aforementioned coating. The method of the invention consists of the following steps: preparing hydroxides of a metal such as Ni and Co by means of a complexing reaction, in which solutions of hydroxides of Ni and Co are obtained by displacing hydroxyl ions OHbeyond the external boundary of ligands of mono- or polydental complexants; preparing a complex composition based on a tungsten oxide WOor a phosphorous tungstic acid, such as H[P(WO)], as well as on the use of tungsten compounds for improving anti-corrosive properties of the deposited films; mixing the aforementioned solutions of salts of Co, Ni, or W and maintaining under a temperatures within the range of 20&#xb0; C. to 100&#xb0; C.; and carrying out deposition from the obtained mixed solution.

Solution composition and method for electroless deposition of coatings free of alkali metals

The present invention relates to compositions and a method for electroless formation of alkaline-metal-free coatings on the basis of cobalt and composition of cobalt with tungsten and phosphorus, which have high resistance to oxidation and stability of electrical characteristics, when the Co&#x2014;Cu system layer is used in IC chips. The composition of the electroless solution contains more than one reducing agents, one of which can catalyze the initial electroless deposition layer of cobalt on copper (called initiator), while the other maintains deposition of cobalt on the aforementioned initial layer as the process is continued. Small amount (100-5000 ppm) of elements from the initiator also builds into the electroless film, which is expected to further improve the barrier properties of the resultant film compared to the deposition bath without initiator. Such coating may find application in semiconductor manufacturing where properties of deposited films and controllability of the composition and physical and chemical characteristics of the deposited films may be critically important.

Activation-free electroless solution for deposition of cobalt and method for deposition of cobalt capping/passivation layer on copper

The method for selective deposition of Co&mdash;W&mdash;P system films onto copper with palladium-free activation consists of creating hydrogen-rich complexes on the metal surface prior to deposition. More specifically, the method consists of creating the aforementioned complexes on the copper surfaces prior to electroless deposition of a Co&mdash;W&mdash;P system films. This is achieved by contacting the copper surface with reducing agents for a short period of time and under an elevated temperature. Such reducing agents comprise a hypophosphorous-acid-based or borane-based reducing agents such as dimethylamine borane. Hypophosphorous acid is preferred since it is more compatible with the electroless deposition solution.

Method for electroless deposition of phosphorus-containing metal films onto copper with palladium-free activation

A dual damascene method of fabricating an interconnection level of conductive lines and connecting vias etches a via opening in a first insulating layer. A photoresist layer that the defines the conductive wiring is deposited and patterned on the first insulating layer after the via opening has been created. The via opening and the conductive wire opening in the resist layer are then filled with the conductive material, such as copper. The resist layer may then be removed and a second insulating layer provided over the first insulating layer.

Metallized interconnection structure

Methods for electrochemically polishing copper films on semiconductor substrates use an alkaline solution with a pH in the range of about 8.0 to 10.5. A constant current density of from 5 to 100 amperes per square foot is applied to an electrochemical cell formed by an electrode, the alkaline solution and the copper film. Copper is removed at a rate of from 500 to 10,000 angstroms per minute. The end point for the electro-polishing is detected by a sudden change in applied voltage. The alkaline polishing solution may also contain copper ions so that when the current direction is reversed, copper is deposited onto the copper film. Furthermore, this copper deposition will occur selectively on the exposed copper surface but not on the exposed barrier layer surface. Hence, the method can compensate for dishing and erosion by re-depositing copper in regions after too much copper was removed from those regions.

Electrochemical methods for polishing copper films on semiconductor substrates

A multiple station processing chamber used to deposit and/or remove a material on a semiconductor wafer is described. The multiple station processing chamber is comprised of two or more processing stations at which the wafer is exposed to a processing fluid. The processing stations are positioned within the chamber such that the wafer may be moved from station to station while remaining within the chamber. Each station of the multiple station processing chamber may have a fluid containment ring used for containment, disposal, and/or reuse of the electrolyte used to process the wafer at that particular processing station. The wafer is brought to the first processing station on a wafer support and exposed to a first processing fluid, which is then diverted into fluid containment ring for the first processing station. The wafer is then moved to a second processing chamber where the process is repeated with a second processing fluid.

Method for depositing and/or removing material on a substrate

A method for fabricating copper-aluminum metallization utilizing the technique of electroless copper deposition is described. The method provides a self-encapsulated copper-aluminum metallization structure.

Copper-aluminum metallization

Multiple station processing chamber and method for depositing and/or removing material on a substrate

A fluid containment ring for use in a processing chamber used to deposit a material onto a semiconductor wafer and/or remove material from a wafer by subjecting the wafer to an electric field and an electrolyte is described. The fluid containment ring is located at the base of the processing chamber in close proximity to the outside edge of the wafer being processed in the processing chamber. After each processing step is completed, the used electrolyte is diverted from the processing chamber into the fluid containment ring for containment such that no electrolyte contacts the unprocessed side (or back) of the wafer. One or more drains coupled to the fluid containment ring provide means for disposal and/or recirculation of the electrolyte.

Method and apparatus for the disposal of processing fluid used to deposit and/or remove material on a substrate

A processing chamber for depositing and/or removing material onto/from a semiconductor wafer when the wafer is subjected to an electrolyte and in an electric field, and in which the electrolyte is introduced and/or evacuated from a closely confined containment region. A hollow sleeve is utilized to form a containment chamber for holding the electrolyte. A wafer residing on a support is moved vertically upward to engage the sleeve to form an enclosing floor for the containment chamber. One electrode is disposed within the containment chamber while the opposite electrode is comprised of several electrodes distributed around the circumference of the wafer. The electrodes are also protected from the electrolyte when the support is raised and engaged to the sleeve. In one embodiment, the support and the sleeve are stationary during processing, while in another embodiment, both are rotated or oscillated during processing.

Introducing and reclaiming liquid in a wafer processing chamber

Metallized interconnection structure and method of making the same

A processing chamber for depositing and/or removing material onto/from a semiconductor wafer when the wafer is subjected to an electrolyte and in an electric field, and in which a rotating anode is used to agitate and distribute the electrolyte. A hollow sleeve is utilized to form a containment chamber for holding the electrolyte. A wafer residing on a support is moved vertically upward to engage the sleeve to form an enclosing floor for the containment chamber. One electrode is disposed within the containment chamber while the opposite electrode is comprised of several electrodes distributed around the circumference of the wafer. The electrodes are also protected from the electrolyte when the support is raised and engaged to the sleeve. In one embodiment, the support and the sleeve are stationary during processing, while a rotating anode is used to agitate and distribute the electrolyte. With a stationary sleeve, fluid feed and evacuation lines can be coupled through the sleeve to access the containment chamber.

Rotating anode for a wafer processing chamber

An apparatus and method for customizing electrode contact placement on a semiconductor wafer while depositing and/or removing a material on a semiconductor wafer. The present invention is a adapter having at least one opening through which at least one electrode contacts the semiconductor wafer. The adapter may be designed to have multiple openings at specified locations on the adapter, thus allowing multiple electrode contacts with the semiconductor wafer at pre-specified locations. A conductive sheet may couple with the adapter to carry an electrical current from an electrical conductor to the electrode contacts placed within the openings of the adapter.

Apparatus and method utilizing an electrode adapter for customized

An apparatus and method for providing an integrated processing system allowing for the isolation of non-compatible processes used to deposit a material onto a semiconductor wafer and/or remove material from a wafer is described. The integrated processing system of the present invention is comprised of a first processing chamber for processing a substrate in a first environment coupled to a second processing chamber for processing a substrate in a second environment. A connecting interface coupled to the first and second processing chambers allows the first and second processing chambers to be isolated from each other as needed. Further, the connecting interface allows a wafer to be transferred from the first processing chamber to the second processing chamber within a controlled environment. The first and second processing chambers may be or may include cluster tools.

Integrated vacuum and plating cluster system

Growing community of inventors

Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Chiu H Ting