Lucent Technologies Inc.

Agere Systems Inc.

Agere Systems Guardian Corp.

Joseph William Buckfeller

Sailesh Mansinh Merchant

Sailesh Chittipeddi

Siddhartha Bhowmik

Maxwell Walthour Lippitt, Iii

Timothy Daniel

Robert Francis Jones

Frank Minardi

William Daniel Bevers

James L Flack

Craig G Clabough

Steven Mark Anderson

Bennett J Ross

G Craig Clabough

Described herein are apparatuses, methods and systems to monitor the performance of one or more mass flow controllers that supply gases to deposition, etching, and other manufacturing processes. A bypass loop is provided in fluid connection from either the process line or the vent line. In the bypass loop is a flow detector, such as a digitized mass flow controller. The flow detector takes one or more measurements of flow of gas from a mass flow controller, and data from such one or more measurements is used to provide information about the accuracy and/or precision of the mass flow controller. Also disclosed are ways to correct for back pressure or back vacuum in the process line.

Bypass loop gas flow calibration

A physical vapor deposition process for maintaining the wafer below a critical temperature. The rate at which material particles are sputtered from the target and thus deposited on the wafer is controllable in response to power supplied to the target. Maintaining a desired deposition rate maintains the wafer temperature below the critical temperature.

Temperature optimization of a physical vapor deposition process to prevent extrusion into openings

A system and method for eliminating interconnect extrusions in vias that are formed during ionized metal plasma processing. By eliminating interconnect extrusions in vias, reliability failures and yield loss are decreased. The extrusions of interconnect metallization occur while wafers are subject to elevated temperatures that cause the internal stresses in the interconnect metallization to transit from a substantially tensile mode to a substantially compressive mode. By controlling the interconnect temperature to be below the temperature at which the interconnect transits from a tensile to a compressive mode, interconnect extrusions in vias are eliminated. The interconnect temperature is controlled by using an actively cooled pedestal in combination with a low temperature IMP deposition process. In addition, the IMP processing time may also be decreased to limit heating of the interconnect.

Method and system for eliminating extrusions in semiconductor vias

Improvements of the shielding of the reactor chamber in a radio frequency (RF) reactor are realized by providing dressed edges on the apertures found in the shield. These improvements to the reactor chamber lead to decreased defect density on processed wafers and eliminate the need for frequent cleaning of the reactor chamber.

Plasma confinement shield

A method is for cleaning via openings during manufacturing of integrated circuits. The method preferably comprises the steps of sputter cleaning the via opening at least once, and exposing the via opening to a reducing atmosphere at least once. The method may include alternatingly repeating the sputter cleaning and exposing steps. The step of sputter cleaning is preferably performed prior to the step of exposing, and a sputter cleaning may be performed after a last step of exposing the via opening to the reducing atmosphere. In one embodiment, the exposed metal portion comprises a metal compound, such as an oxide. Accordingly, the step of sputter cleaning removes at least a portion of the metal oxide, and the step of exposing comprises reducing at least a portion of the metal oxide. The invention is particularly applicable when the metal interconnection layer is a copper, as copper readily oxides at its exposed surface.

Method for cleaning via openings in integrated circuit manufacturing

A method of depositing aluminum or other metals so that vias are more completely filled is disclosed. The wafer or substrate is preheated to a temperature of approximately 200.degree. C. Then the wafer is placed in an ambient of approximately 350.degree. C. while metal deposition commences. The resulting metal layer has a gradually increasing grain size and exhibits improved via filling. Also disclosed is a method and apparatus (involving cooling of support structures) for deposition of an antireflective coating to prevent rainbowing or spiking of the coating into the underlying metal.

Method for depositing metal

A method of depositing aluminum or other metals so that vias are more completely filled is disclosed. The wafer or substrate is preheated to a temperature of approximately 200.degree. C. Then the wafer is placed in an ambient of approximately 350.degree. C. while metal deposition commences. The resulting metal layer has a gradually increasing grain size and exhibits improved via filling. Also disclosed is a method and apparatus (involving cooling of support structures) for deposition of an anti-reflective coating to prevent rainbowing or spiking of the coating into the underlying metal.

Growing community of inventors

Orlando, FL, United States of America

Joseph William Buckfeller