Intel Corporation

Flavio Griggio

Tejaswi K Indukuri

Ruth Amy Brain

Yuriy V Shusterman

Christopher J Jezewski

James S Clarke

Ramanan Chebiam

Miriam Ruth Reshotko

Daniel B Bergstrom

Thomas N Marieb

Srijit Mukherjee

Zhiyong Ma

Daniel J Zierath

Gokul Malyavanatham

Philip Yashar

Rahim Kasim

John D Brooks

Radek P Chalupa

Gopinath Trichy

Jiun-Chan Yang

Inane Meric

Anthony V Mule

Nikholas G Toledo

Ramanan V Chebiam

Techniques are disclosed for providing cladded metal interconnects. Given an interconnect trench, a barrier layer is conformally deposited onto the bottom and sidewalls of the trench. A first layer of a bilayer adhesion liner is selectively deposited on the barrier layer, and a second layer of the bilayer adhesion liner is selectively deposited on the first layer. An interconnect metal is deposited into the trench above the bilayer adhesion liner. Any excess interconnect metal is recessed to get the top surface of the interconnect metal to a proper plane. Recessing the excess interconnect metal may include recessing previously deposited excess adhesion liner and barrier layer materials. The exposed top surface of the interconnect metal in the trench is then capped with the bilayer adhesion liner materials to provide a cladded metal interconnect core. In some embodiments, the adhesion liner is a single layer adhesion liner.

Cladded metal interconnects

Methods/structures of forming substrate tap structures are described. Those methods/structures may include forming a plurality of conductive interconnect structures on an epitaxial layer disposed on a substrate, wherein individual ones of the plurality of conductive interconnect structures are adjacent each other, forming a portion of a seed layer on at least one of the plurality of conductive interconnect structures, and forming a conductive trace on the seed layer.

Methods of forming substrate interconnect structures for enhanced thin seed conduction

An integrated circuit includes: a front end of line (FEOL) circuit including a transistor; and a back end of line circuit above the FEOL circuit and including insulator material having an interconnect feature therein. The interconnect feature includes: a core including copper; a first layer between the insulator material and the core, the first layer being distinct from the core; a second layer between the first layer and the core, the second layer being distinct from the first layer and the core, the second layer including a first metal and a second metal different from the first metal; and a capping member on the core and the second layer, the capping member including the second metal. In an embodiment, the first metal and the second metal are part of a solid solution in the second layer. In an embodiment, the first metal is ruthenium and the second metal is cobalt.

Copper interconnect cladding

In one embodiment, a conductive connector for a microelectronic component may be formed with a noble metal layer, acting as an adhesion/wetting layer, disposed between a barrier liner and a conductive fill material. In a further embodiment, the conductive connector may have a noble metal conductive fill material disposed directly on the barrier liner. The use of a noble metal as an adhesion/wetting layer or as a conductive fill material may improve gapfill and adhesion, which may result in the conductive connector being substantially free of voids, thereby improving the electrical performance of the conductive connector relative to conductive connectors without a noble metal as the adhesion/wetting layer or the conductive fill material.

Use of noble metals in the formation of conductive connectors

Disclosed herein are integrated circuit (IC) interconnects, as well as related devices and methods. For example, in some embodiments, an interconnect may include a first material and a second material distributed in the first material. A concentration of the second material may be greater proximate to the top surface than proximate to the bottom surface.

Integrated circuit interconnects

Techniques are disclosed for providing a decoupled via fill. Given a via trench, a first barrier layer is conformally deposited onto the bottom and sidewalls of the trench. A first metal fill is blanket deposited into the trench. The non-selective deposition is subsequently recessed so that only a portion of the trench is filled with the first metal. The previously deposited first barrier layer is removed along with the first metal, thereby re-exposing the upper sidewalls of the trench. A second barrier layer is conformally deposited onto the top of the first metal and the now re-exposed trench sidewalls. A second metal fill is blanket deposited into the remaining trench. Planarization and/or etching can be carried out as needed for subsequent processing. Thus, a methodology for filling high aspect ratio vias using a dual metal process is provided. Note, however, the first and second fill metals may be the same.

Decoupled via fill

Growing community of inventors

Portland, OR, United States of America

Flavio Griggio