Applied Materials, Inc.

Lu Chen

Feng Chen

Xianmin Tang

Tae Hong Ha

Yuriy Melnik

Wenjing Xu

Seshadri Ganguli

Sang Ho Yu

Xiangjin Xie

Zhiyuan Wu

Hidehiro Kojiri

Christina L Engler

Rui Li

Kevin Kashefi

Alexander Jansen

Carmen Leal Cervantes

Mehul B Naik

He Ren

Son Truong Nguyen

Roey Shaviv

Suketu Arun Parikh

Lily L Pang

Cheng-Hsiung Matthew Tsai

Aravind Kamath

Gang Shen

Eda Tuncel

Tuoh-Bin Ng

Ge Qu

Yong Jin Kim

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to methods and materials for forming barrier layers with enhanced barrier performance and/or reduced via resistance. Some embodiments of the disclosure provide methods for passivating a metal surface by exposing the metal surface to a metal complex comprising an organic ligand with at least three carbon atoms and a double or triple bond that eta bonds with a central metal atom. Some embodiments provide barrier layers within vias which enable a reduction in resistance of at least 25% as a result of thinner barrier layers with equivalent barrier properties.

Methods and materials for enhanced barrier performance and reduced via resistance

Methods of forming copper interconnects are described. A doped tantalum nitride layer formed on a copper layer on a substrate has a first amount of dopant. The doped tantalum nitride layer is exposed to a plasma comprising one or more of helium or neon to form a treated doped tantalum nitride layer with a decreased amount of dopant. Apparatus for performing the methods are also described.

Impurity removal in doped ALD tantalum nitride

Methods of forming devices comprise forming a dielectric layer on a substrate, the dielectric layer comprising at least one feature defining a gap including sidewalls and a bottom. A self-assembled monolayer (SAM) is formed on the bottom of the gap, and a barrier layer is formed on the SAM before selectively depositing a metal liner on the barrier layer. The SAM is removed after selectively depositing the metal liner on the barrier layer.

Method of forming a metal liner for interconnect structures

Deposition methods and apparatus for conditioning a process kit to increase process kit lifetime are described. A nitride film formed on a process kit is exposed to conditioning process comprising nitrogen and hydrogen radicals to condition the nitride film to decrease particulate contamination from the process kit.

Conditioning treatment for ALD productivity

Provided are methods of forming vias with decreased resistance by selectively depositing a barrier layer on an insulating layer and not on a metallic surface. Some embodiments of the disclosure utilize a planar hydrocarbon to form a blocking layer on metallic surfaces. Deposition is performed to selectively deposit on the unblocked insulating surfaces.

Low resistance and high reliability metallization module

Methods and apparatus for forming a reverse selective etch stop layer are disclosed. Some embodiments of the disclosure provide interconnects with lower resistance than methods which utilize non-selective (e.g., blanket) etch stop layers. Some embodiments of the disclosure utilize reverse selective etch stop layers within a subtractive etch scheme. Some embodiments of the disclosure selectively deposit the etch stop layer by passivating the surface of the metal material.

Reverse selective etch stop layer

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate include cleaning and self-assembly monolayer (SAM) formation for subsequent reverse selective atomic layer deposition. An apparatus may include a process chamber with a processing volume and a substrate support including a pedestal, a remote plasma source fluidly coupled to the process chamber and configured to produce radicals or ionized gas mixture with radicals that flow into the processing volume to remove residue or oxides from a surface of the substrate, a first gas delivery system with a first ampoule configured to provide at least one first chemical into the processing volume to produce a SAM on the surface of the substrate, a heating system located in the pedestal and configured to heat a substrate by flowing gas on a backside of the substrate, and a vacuum system fluidly coupled to the process chamber and configured to control heating of the substrate.

Methods and apparatus for precleaning and treating wafer surfaces

Electronic devices and methods of forming electronic devices using a ruthenium or doped ruthenium liner and cap layer are described. A liner with a ruthenium layer and a cobalt layer is formed on a barrier layer. A conductive fill forms a second conductive line in contact with the first conductive line.

Ruthenium liner and cap for back-end-of-line

Ruthenium liner and cap for back-end-of-line applications

Methods for selectively depositing on non-metallic surfaces are disclosed. Some embodiments of the disclosure utilize an unsaturated hydrocarbon to form a blocking layer on metallic surfaces. Deposition is performed to selectively deposit on the unblocked non-metallic surfaces. Some embodiments of the disclosure relate to methods of forming metallic vias with decreased resistance.

Selective deposition on non-metallic surfaces

Described are methods for doping barrier layers such as tantalum (Ta), tantalum nitride (TaN), tantalum carbide (TaC), niobium (Nb), niobium nitride (NbN), manganese (Mn), manganese nitride (MnN), titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiN), molybdenum (Mo), and molybdenum nitride (MoN), and the like. Dopants may include one or more of one or more of ruthenium (Ru), manganese (Mn), niobium (Nb), cobalt (Co), vanadium (V), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), carbon (C), oxygen (O), silicon (Si), molybdenum (Mo), and the like. The doped barrier layer provides improved adhesion at a thickness of less than about 15 &#x212b;.

Doping of metal barrier layers

Electronic devices and methods with a barrier layer and methods of forming the barrier layer are described. A substrate can be exposed to a metal precursor (e.g., a tantalum precursor), a reactant (e.g., ammonia) and an optional plasma to form a first thickness of the barrier layer. An optional aluminum film can be formed on the first barrier layer and a second barrier layer is formed on the first barrier layer to form barrier layer with an aluminum inter-layer.

Barrier for copper metallization and methods of forming

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a first gas distribution assembly that includes a first gas passage for introducing a first process gas into a second gas passage that introduces the first process gas into a processing chamber and a second gas distribution assembly that includes a third gas passage for introducing a second process gas into a fourth gas passage that introduces the second process gas into the processing chamber. The first and second gas distribution assemblies are each adapted to be coupled to at least one chamber wall of the processing chamber. The first gas passage is shaped as a first ring positioned within the processing chamber above the second gas passage that is shaped as a second ring positioned within the processing chamber. The gas distribution assemblies may be designed to have complementary characteristic radial film growth rate profiles.

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Lu Chen