Agere Systems Inc.

Agere Systems Guardian Corp.

Gerald W Gibson, Jr

Kurt George Steiner

Eduardo Jose Quinones

Susan Clay Vitkavage

Allen Yen

Daniel Joseph Vitkavage

Richard William Gregor

Steven Alan Lytle

Scott Jessen

Chun-Yung Sung

Gary Dabbaugh

Troy A Giniecki

A protruding spacer that protrudes above the top surface of a gate electrode structure provides enhanced resistance to exposure of the gate electrode during the etch process used to form self-aligned contacts. The protruding spacer may be formed using an amorphous carbon sacrificial layer as the top layer of the patterned gate electrode structure. Dielectric spacers are formed alongside the gate electrode structure, including alongside the sacrificial amorphous carbon layer. The dielectric spacers extend substantially to the top of the amorphous carbon layer. The amorphous carbon layer is then removed such that the remaining gate structure includes dielectric spacers that have a protruding section that protrudes above the top surface of the remaining gate structure. A nitride layer may be formed over the gate structure. Such a structure prevents exposure of the gate electrode during the formation of self-aligned contacts, and shorting, once the contact openings are filled.

Protruding spacers for self-aligned contacts

A split barrier layer enables copper interconnect wires to be used in conjunction with low-k dielectric films by preventing the diffusion of N&#x2014;H base groups into photoresists where they can render the photoresist insoluble. The split barrier layer is disposed between the copper and the low-k dielectric and includes a nitrogen-containing, oxygen-free film which contacts the copper, and an oxygen-containing, nitrogen-free film which contacts the low-k dielectric film. The nitrogen-containing film prevents the formation of undesirable copper oxides, and the oxygen-containing film prevents the diffusion of N&#x2014;H base groups into the low-k dielectric films. The oxygen-containing film may be an oxygen-doped silicon carbide film in an exemplary embodiment. In another embodiment, a film stack of low-k dielectric films includes an etch-stop layer and hardmask each formed of oxygen-doped silicon carbide. The hardmask and etch-stop layer enable the formation of a dual-damascene opening in the film stack, and the film structure of the present invention precludes N&#x2014;H base groups from diffusing from the low-k dielectric films and neutralizing acid catalysts in the photoresist used to define the dual damascene opening.

Split barrier layer including nitrogen-containing portion and oxygen-containing portion

The present invention provides a semiconductor device, including an interconnect and a capacitor, and a method of fabrication therefor. The method includes forming a damascene interconnect structure through an interlevel dielectric layer and a dielectric etch stop layer located under the interlevel dielectric, wherein the damascene interconnect structure contacts a first interconnect structure. The method further includes forming a metal-oxide-metal (MOM) capacitor damascene structure through the interlevel dielectric layer and terminating on the dielectric etch stop layer. The damascene structures, may in an alternative embodiment, be dual damascene structures. Furthermore, the damascene interconnect structure and the MOM capacitor may, in another embodiment, make up part of a larger integrated circuit.

Damascene structure having a metal-oxide-metal capacitor associated therewith

The present invention provides a method of fabricating a self-aligning contact opening comprising: (a) forming a dielectric layer over a semiconductor substrate and gate electrodes located on the semiconductor substrate, (b) forming a carbide liner over the dielectric layer, and (c) etching at least a portion the carbide liner to form a self-aligning contact opening between the gate electrodes.

Hydrogenated silicon carbide as a liner for self-aligning contact vias

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Orlando, FL, United States of America

Gerald W Gibson, Jr