Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd (corporation)

Paul Kwok Ho

Subhash Gupta

Mei Sheng Zhou

Simon Yew-Meng Chooi

John Leonard Sudijono

Sudipto Ranendra Roy

Yakub Aliyu

Yi Liang Xu

Xu Yi

Mei-Sheng Zhou

Thomas Schuelke

Simon Choo I

A semiconductor chip having an exposed metal terminating pad thereover, and a separate substrate having a corresponding exposed metal bump thereover are provided. A conducting polymer plug is formed over the exposed metal terminating pad. A conforming interface layer is formed over the conducting polymer plug. The conducting polymer plug of the semiconductor chip is aligned with the corresponding metal bump. The conforming interface layer over the conducting polymer plug is mated with the corresponding metal bump. The conforming interface layer is thermally decomposed, adhering and permanently attaching the conducting polymer plug with the corresponding metal bump. Methods of forming and patterning a nickel carbonyl layer are also disclosed.

Method of copper/copper surface bonding using a conducting polymer for application in IC chip bonding

An inexpensive and safe copper removal method in the fabrication of integrated circuits is described. Copper is stripped or removed by a chemical mixture comprising an ammonium salt, an amine, and water. The rate of copper stripping can be controlled by varying the concentration of the ammonium salt component and the amount of water in the mixture. Also a novel chemical mixture for stripping copper and removing copper contamination is provided. The novel chemical mixture for removing or stripping copper comprises an ammonium salt, an amine, and water. For example, the novel chemical mixture may comprise ammonium fluoride, water, and ethylenediamine in a ratio of 1:1:1.

Method for stripping copper in damascene interconnects

A method of forming a metal plug, comprising the following steps. An etched dielectric layer, over a conductive layer, over a semiconductor structure are provided. The etched dielectric layer having a via hole and an exposed periphery. The etched dielectric layer is treated with at least one alkaline earth element source to form an in-situ metal barrier layer within the dielectric layer exposed periphery. A metal plug is formed within the via hole wherein the in-situ metal barrier layer prevents diffusion of the metal from the metal plug into the dielectric oxide layer.

Method to thin down copper barriers in deep submicron geometries by using alkaline earth element, barrier additives, or self assembly technique

A new method to avoid post-etch cleaning in a metallization process is described. An insulating layer is formed over a first metal line in a dielectric layer overlying a semiconductor substrate. A via opening is etched through the insulating layer to the first metal line whereby a polymer forms on sidewalls of the via opening. The polymer is treated with a fluorinating agent whereby the polymer is converted to an inert layer. Thereafter, a second metal line is formed within the via opening wherein the inert layer acts is as a barrier layer to complete the metallization process in the fabrication of an integrated circuit device.

Process without post-etch cleaning-converting polymer and by-products into an inert layer

A method of removing copper contamination from a semiconductor wafer, comprising the following steps. A semiconductor wafer having copper contamination thereon is provided. An oxidizing radical containing downstream plasma is provided from a first source (alternatively halogen (F , Cl , or Br ) may be used as on oxidizing agent). A vaporized chelating agent is provided from a second source. The oxidizing radical containing downstream plasma and vaporized chelating agent are mixed to form an oxidizing radical containing downstream plasma/vaporized chelating agent mixture. The mixture is directed to the copper contamination so that the mixture reacts with the copper contamination to form a volatile product. The volatile product is removed from the proximity of the wafer.

Method to remove copper contamination by using downstream oxygen and chelating agent plasma

A semiconductor chip having an exposed metal terminating pad thereover, and a separate substrate having a corresponding exposed metal track thereover are provided. A metal bump is formed over the exposed metal terminating pad. A photosensitive resin plug is formed over the metal bump. The metal bump of the semiconductor chip is aligned with the corresponding metal track on the separate substrate. The photosensitive resin plug over the metal bump is mated with the corresponding the metal track. The photosensitive resin plug is exposed to UV light to cure the photosensitive resin plug, permanently attaching the metal bump of the semiconductor chip to the corresponding metal track of the separate substrate.

Method of fabricating copper metal bumps for flip-chip or chip-on-board IC bonding on terminating copper pads

A method for reducing copper diffusion into an inorganic dielectric layer adjacent to a copper structure by doping the inorganic dielectric layer with a reducing agent (e.g. phosphorous, sulfur, or both) during plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The resulting doped inorganic dielectric layer can reduce copper diffusion without a barrier layer reducing fabrication cost and cycle time, as well as reducing RC delay.

Method for minimizing copper diffusion by doping an inorganic dielectric layer with a reducing agent

A method of cleaning elemental copper, cobalt, or nickel from the surface of equipment hardware without corroding or damaging the equipment parts and surfaces in the event of wafer breakage and non-wafer breakage is described. A solution comprising an alkyldione peroxide, a stabilizing agent, and alcohols is used to oxidize the metal and form soluble complexes which are removed by the cleaning solution. Also, a novel alkyldione peroxide solution for cleaning elemental copper, cobalt, or nickel from the surface of equipment hardware in the event of wafer breakage and non-wafer breakage is provided.

Alkyldione peroxides as cleaning solutions for wafer fabs

A method of cleaning elemental copper, cobalt, or nickel from the surface of equipment hardware without corroding or damaging the equipment parts and surfaces in the event of wafer breakage and non-wafer breakage is described. A solution includes an alkyldione peroxide, a stabilizing agent, and alcohols is used to oxidize the metal and form soluble complexes which are removed by the cleaning solution. Also, a alkyldione peroxide solution for cleaning elemental copper, cobalt, or nickel from the surface of equipment hardware in the event of wafer breakage and non-wafer breakage is provided.

Cleaning metal surfaces with alkyldione peroxides

A method for forming a patterned layer within a microelectronics fabrication. There is first provided a substrate. There is then formed over the substrate a blanket chlorine containing plasma etchable layer. There is then formed upon the blanket chlorine containing plasma etchable layer a blanket hard mask layer. There is then formed upon the blanket hard mask layer a patterned photoresist layer. There is then etched the blanket hard mask layer to form a patterned hard mask layer while employing a first plasma etch method in conjunction with the patterned photoresist layer as a first etch mask layer. There is then etched the blanket chlorine containing plasma etchable layer to form a patterned chlorine containing plasma etchable layer while employing a second plasma etch method in conjunction with at least the patterned hard mask layer as a second etch mask layer. The second plasma etch method employs a second etchant gas composition which upon plasma activation forms a chlorine containing etchant species and a sidewall passivation layer forming species. The patterned chlorine containing plasma etchable layer has incident to the second plasma etch method a sidewall passivation layer formed upon a sidewall of the patterned chlorine containing plasma etchable layer. Finally, there is then stripped from the sidewall of the patterned chlorine containing plasma etchable layer the sidewall passivation layer while sequentially oxidizing the sidewall of the patterned chlorine containing plasma etchable layer to form an oxidized chlorine containing plasma etchable material sidewall layer upon a partially oxidized patterned chlorine containing plasma etchable layer while employing a third plasma etch method. The third plasma etch method employs a third etchant gas composition which upon plasma activation forms an oxygen containing oxidizing species.

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Singapore, Singapore

Paul Kwok Ho