Texas Instruments Corporation

Patricia Beauregard Smith

Joseph D Luttmer

Rudy L York

Cecil J Davis

David Brian Aldrich

Mona M Eissa

Changming Jin

Jerome Lee Elkind

Larry D Hutchins

Jiong-Ping Lu

Antonio L P Rotondaro

Guoqiang Xing

Phillip D Matz

Sameer Kumar Ajmera

Julie S England

Stephen W Russell

Heungsoo Park

Girish Anant Dixit

Lee M Loewenstein

Rhett B Jucha

Dean W Freeman

Andrew McKerrow

Eden M Zielinski

Majid Movahed Mansoori

Phillip R Coffman

Shirin Siddiqui

Laura M Matz

Eric C Williams

Vinay Shah

Glennis J Orloff

Andrew J Mckerrow

A method of forming a semiconductor device including forming a low-k dielectric material over a substrate, depositing a liner on a portion of the low-k dielectric material, and exposing the liner to a plasma. The method also includes depositing a layer over the liner.

N2 based plasma treatment for enhanced sidewall smoothing and pore sealing of porous low-k dielectric films

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The present invention provides a photoresist removal process and a method for manufacturing an interconnect using the same. One embodiment of the photoresist removal process includes, among other steps, providing a low dielectric constant (k) substrate having a photoresist layer located thereover, and removing the photoresist layer using a plasma which incorporates a gas which includes hydrogen or deuterium and a small amount of oxygen less than about 20 volume percent of the gas. Another embodiment of the photoresist removal process includes, among other steps, providing a low dielectric constant (k) substrate having a photoresist layer located thereover, removing a bulk portion of the photoresist layer using a plasma which incorporates a gas which includes hydrogen or deuterium, and removing a small portion of the photoresist layer using a plasma which incorporates a gas which includes oxygen, wherein the order of the two removing steps is interchangeable.

Hydrogen and oxygen based photoresist removal process

According to one embodiment of the invention, a surface preparation method for selective and non-selective epitaxial growth includes providing a substrate having a gate region, a source region, and a drain region, etching a first portion of the source region and the drain region, and removing a second portion of the source region and the drain region by a plasma comprising a noble gas and oxygen.

Surface preparation method for selective and non-selective epitaxial growth

A pre-ECD surface treatment. After forming the barrier material () and seed layer (), the surface of the seed layer () is treated with an Hplasma to remove surface contamination (), reduce any CuO(), and improve wettability. The ECD copper film () is then formed over the seed layer ().

Process for defect reduction in electrochemical plating

A method () of fabricating an electronic device () formed on a semiconductor wafer. The method forms a layer () of a first material in a fixed position relative to the wafer. The first material has a dielectric constant less than 3.6. The method also forms a photoresist layer in () a fixed position relative to the layer of the first material. The method also forms at least one void () through the layer of the first material in response to the photoresist layer. Further, the method subjects () the semiconductor wafer to a plasma which incorporates a gas which includes hydrogen so as to remove the photoresist layer.

Hydrogen plasma photoresist strip and polymeric residue cleanup process for low dielectric constant materials

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of providing a semiconductor substrate (), forming a dielectric layer () over the semiconductor substrate (), and etching a trench structure () or a via structure () in the dielectric layer () to expose a portion of a surface of the semiconductor substrate (). The method also includes the steps of treating a surface () of the dielectric layer () with an adhesion solution, such as a reactive plasma including hydrogen, and forming a diffusion barrier layer () over the dielectric layer (). Moreover, the adhesion solution chemically interacts with the surface () of the dielectric layer () and enhances or increases adhesion between dielectric layer () and diffusion barrier layer ().

Semiconductor devices and methods of manufacturing such semiconductor devices

A process for removing resist () from a CDO dielectric material () that uses a non-damaging plasma in a reducing atmosphere under high power and using a structure () or other means to limit ions from the plasma from reaching the surface of the CDO material ().

Damage-free resist removal process for ultra-low-k processing

Another embodiment of the instant invention is a method of fabricating a conductive interconnect for providing an electrical connection between a first conductor and a second conductor for an electrical device formed in a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising the steps of: forming a dielectric layer (layerof FIG.) on the first conductor (conductorof FIG.), the dielectric layer having at least one opening which exposes the first conductor; forming a layer of an oxygen-sensitive material (layerof FIG.) on the dielectric layer, the oxygen-sensitive material substantially filling the opening in the dielectric layer and for providing an electrical contact to the first conductor; forming a photoresist layer on the oxygen-sensitive material, the photoresist layer having a pattern so as to expose portions of the oxygen-sensitive material; removing the exposed portions of the oxygen-sensitive material on the dielectric material, the removal step causing a residue to be formed on exposed surfaces of the remaining portions of the oxygen-sensitive material; and removing the photoresist layer by subjecting the photoresist layer with a hydrogen-containing gas incorporated into a plasma.

Hydrogen plasma photoresist strip and polymeric residue cleanup process for oxygen-sensitive materials

Hydrogen plasma photoresist strip and polymeric residue cleanup processs for low dielectric constant materials

An embodiment of the instant invention is a method of fabricating an electronic device formed on a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising the steps of: forming a layer of a first material (layerof FIG.) over the substrate; forming a photoresist layer (layerof FIG.) over the layer of the first material; patterning the layer of the first material; removing the photoresist layer after patterning the layer of the first material; and subjecting the semiconductor wafer to a plasma which incorporates a gas which includes hydrogen or deuterium so as to remove residue from the first material. Preferably, the step of removing the photoresist layer is performed by subjecting the semiconductor wafer to the plasma which incorporates a gas which substantially includes hydrogen or deuterium. The gas which includes hydrogen or deuterium is, preferably, comprised of a gas selected from the group consisting of: NH, NH, HS, CH, and deuterated forms of these gases, and may, additionally, include a forming gas. The forming gas is, preferably, comprised of a gas consisting of: argon, nitrogen, and any other inert gas.

Method for photoresist strip, sidewall polymer removal and passivation for aluminum metallization

A method of forming an integrated circuit including an organosilicate low dielectric constant insulating layer () formed of a substitution group depleted silicon oxide, such as an organosilicate glass, is disclosed. Subsequent plasma processing has been observed to break bonds in such an insulating layer (), resulting in molecules at the surface of the film with dangling bonds. Eventually, the damaged insulating layer () includes silanol molecules, which results in a degraded film. The disclosed method exposes the damaged insulating layer () to a thermally or plasma activated fluorine, hydrogen, or nitrogen, which reacts with the damaged molecules to form a passivated surface for the insulating layer ().

Chemical treatment of low-k dielectric films

A cleanup process that uses a dilute fluorine in oxygen chemistry in a downstream plasma tool to remove organic and inorganic polymeric residues ( ).

Dry process for post oxide etch residue removal

Cleaning methods are disclosed for removing sidewall polymers from interconnect vias or trenches, wherein a wafer is exposed to a plasma comprising hydrogen and an inert gas in a plasma cleaning chamber following etch-stop etching.

Growing community of inventors

Colleyville, TX, United States of America

Patricia Beauregard Smith