Novellus Systems Incorporated

Elizabeth Apen

Jon Henri

Pramod Subramonium

Yongsik Yu

Zhiyuan Fang

Dan Vitkavage

Bart Jan Van Schravendijk

Girish Anant Dixit

Hui-Jung Wu

Keith Fox

Kaushik Chattopadhyay

Tom Mountsier

Kimberly Shafi

Films having high hermeticity and a low dielectric constant can be used as copper diffusion barrier films, etch stop films, CMP stop films and other hardmasks during IC fabrication. Hermetic films can protect the underlying layers, such as layers of metal and dielectric, from exposure to atmospheric moisture and oxygen, thereby preventing undesirable oxidation of metal surfaces and absorption of moisture by a dielectric. Specifically, a bi-layer film having a hermetic bottom layer composed of hydrogen doped carbon and a low dielectric constant (low-k) top layer composed of low-k silicon carbide (e.g., high carbon content hydrogen doped silicon carbide) can be employed. Such bi-layer film can be deposited by PECVD methods on a partially fabricated semiconductor substrate having exposed layers of dielectric and metal.

Diffusion barrier and etch stop films

Provided are methods of stabilizing an underlying dielectric diffusion barrier during deposition and ultraviolet (UV) processing of an overlying dielectric layer. Methods include modulating the optical properties reduces the effects of UV radiation on the dielectric diffusion barrier layer. The dielectric diffusion barrier can be made to absorb less UV radiation. A dielectric layer with UV absorbing properties may also be added on top of the diffusion barrier layer so less UV is transmitted. Both methods result in reduced interaction between UV radiation and the dielectric diffusion barrier.

Reducing UV and dielectric diffusion barrier interaction through the modulation of optical properties

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West Linn, OR, United States of America

Elizabeth Apen