Agere Systems Inc.

Deepak A Ramappa

Sailesh Mansinh Merchant

Kurt George Steiner

Minseok Oh

Daniele Gilkes

Damon Keith DeBusk

Robert Wayne Bradshaw

A silane passivation process, carried out in-situ together with the formation of a subsequent dielectric film, converts the exposed Cu surfaces of a Cu interconnect structure, to copper silicide. The copper silicide suppresses Cu diffusion and electromigration and serves as a barrier material in regions where contact to further conductive material is made. An entire copper surface of a copper interconnect structure may be silicided or a local portion of the surface silicided after an opening is formed in an overlying dielectric to expose a portion of the copper surface.

Copper silicide passivation for improved reliability

A method for determining copper contamination on a semiconductor wafer is disclosed. The minority carrier diffusion length is measured, then the wafer is activated by the application of optical or thermal energy. Likely the wafer is also contaminated with iron and thus it is necessary to separate the diffusion length effects caused by the iron from those caused by the copper, that is, both copper and iron contaminants cause a reduction in the minority carrier diffusion length. The applied energy causes the iron-boron pairs to dissociate and also causes the copper to form a metastable copper silicide state. After about 24 to 36 hours, the iron-boron pairs reform and therefore the iron contaminants no longer influence the diffusion length. At this point the diffusion length is measured again, which values are due solely to the copper contamination, since the copper remains in the silicide state. The copper contamination can be determined from the measured diffusion length values.

Method and apparatus for monitoring in-line copper contamination

A method and apparatus for the electroplating deposition of a metal onto a semiconductor wafer surface ( ), including vibrationally scrubbing the wafer surface ( ) during an electroplating process. At least one transducer ( ) is mounted to a wall ( ) of an electroplating tool chamber ( ). The transducer ( ) intermittently delivers sonic energy pulses lasting for one to two seconds to the electroplating solution during the electroplating process.

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Orlando, FL, United States of America

Deepak A Ramappa