Cvc Products, Inc.

Veeco Instruments Inc.

Randhir S Bubber

Ajit P Paranjpe

Mehrdad M Moslehi

Lino A Velo

Sanjay Gopinath

Thomas R Omstead

David R Campbell, Sr

Boris Relja

David M Leet

Ming Mao

Jinsong Wang

Jacques C S Kools

Thomas Andrew Schneider

A method and apparatus for fabricating a conformal thin film on a substrate are disclosed. The method includes introducing a gas from a gas inlet into an expansion volume associated with an atomic layer deposition (ALD) system. The gas is flowed through a diffuser plate adjacent to the expansion volume and a reaction chamber. The diffuser plate includes a protrusion located opposite the gas inlet and the protrusion reduces turbulence in the expansion volume.

Method and apparatus for fabricating a conformal thin film on a substrate

An atomic layer deposition (ALD) process deposits thin films for microelectronic structures, such as advanced gap and tunnel junction applications, by plasma annealing at varying film thicknesses to obtain desired intrinsic film stress and breakdown film strength. The primary advantage of the ALD process is the near 100% step coverage with properties that are uniform along sidewalls. The process provides smooth (R&#x2dc;2 &#x212b;), pure (impurities&#x3c;1 at. %), AlOfilms with improved breakdown strength (9&#x2013;10 MV/cm) with a commercially feasible throughput.

Atomic layer deposition for fabricating thin films

A microelectronic semiconductor interconnect structure barrier and method of deposition provide improved conductive barrier material properties for high-performance device interconnects. The barrier comprises a dopant selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, iridium, rhodium, and time. The barrier can comprises a refractory metal selected from the group consisting of tantalum, tungsten titanium, chromium, and cobalt, and can also comprise a third element selected from the group consisting of carbon, oxygen and nitrogen. The dopant and other barrier materials can be deposited by chemical-vapor deposition to achieve good step coverage and a relatively conformal thin film with a good nucleation surface for subsequent metallization such as copper metallization. In one embodiment, the barrier suppresses diffusion of copper into other layers of the device, including the inter-metal dielectric, pre-metal dielectric, and transistor structures.

Method for fabricating a semiconductor chip interconnect

A microelectronic semiconductor interconnect structure barrier and method of deposition provide improved conductive barrier material properties for high-performance device interconnects. The barrier includes a refractory metal such as cobalt, cobalt-based alloys, ruthenium or ruthenium-based alloys for promoting adhesion of copper. The barrier materials can be deposited by chemical-vapor deposition to achieve good step coverage and a relatively conformal thin film with a good nucleation surface for subsequent metallization such as copper metallization. In one embodiment, the barrier suppresses diffusion of copper into other layers of the device, including the inter-metal dielectric, pre-metal dielectric, and transistor structures.

Microelectronic interconnect material with adhesion promotion layer and fabrication method

A method for chemical-vapor deposition of a material film adds precursor decomposition by-product to the precursor flow to suppress premature gas-phase precursor decomposition and improve process repeatability and film quality. In one embodiment, CVD cobalt films are deposited with carbonyl precursors with reduced premature gas-phase reaction and particulate generation by the addition of excess carbon monoxide to the process chamber comprising the precursor flow. The addition of carbon monoxide not only suppresses gas-phase reaction but also improves cobalt film purity. The addition of excess carbon monoxide to CVD cobalt precursor flow provides repeatable deposition of glue and nucleation layers to support CVD copper, and is extendable to the deposition of high purity CVD cobalt for other applications and with other precursors, and also extendable for CVD CoSi films and other cobalt-containing applications.

Method of chemical-vapor deposition of a material

A microelectronic semiconductor interconnect structure barrier and method of deposition provide improved conductive barrier material properties for high-performance device interconnects. The barrier comprises a dopant selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, iridium, rhodium, and tin. The barrier can comprise a refractory metal selected from the group consisting of tantalum, tungsten titanium, chromium, and cobalt, and can also comprise a third element selected from the group consisting of carbon, oxygen and nitrogen. The dopant and other barrier materials can be deposited by chemical-vapor deposition to achieve good step coverage and a relatively conformal thin film with a good nucleation surface for subsequent metallization such as copper metallization in one embodiment, the barrier suppresses diffusion of copper into other layers of the device, including the inter-metal dielectric, pre-metal dielectric, and transistor structures.

Semiconductor chip interconnect barrier material and fabrication method

A method and apparatus are disclosed for depositing a tantalum-containing diffusion barrier, such as a TaN barrier layer, by dissolving a tantalum-bearing organometallic precursor, such as PEMAT or PDEAT, in an inert, low viscosity, high molecular weight, low volatility solvent, such as octane, heptane, decane or toluene. The precursor-solvent solution is vaporized and flowed over a substrate to deposit the barrier. The precursor solution has a viscosity substantially similar to that of the solvent by maintaining the ratio of precursor to solvent at a generally low value, such as approximately 10% precursor. The boiling point of the solvent is substantially similar to the boiling point of the precursor, such as within 50% of the precursor boiling point at one atmosphere, to enhance repeatability of barrier film quality. Resistivity of the barrier film is reduced by flowing a reactive gas with the precursor flow, the reactive gas reducing the carbon content of the barrier film, or by co-deposition of a resistivity-lowering metallic dopant with the precursor solution. Alternatively, resistivity is reduced by controlling the nitrogen content of the film by a post-deposition plasma treatment of the barrier with a reducing gas.

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San Ramon, CA, United States of America

Randhir S Bubber