Novellus Systems Incorporated

Seyang Park

Jonathan David Reid

Seshasayee Varadarajan

Steven T Mayer

Bryan L Buckalew

Thomas Anand Ponnuswamy

Zhian He

Eric G Webb

Natalia V Doubina

Bryan Pennington

Jon Reid

Johanes H Sukamto

Glenn Ibarreta

Patrick Breling

An apparatus for electroplating a layer of metal on the surface of a wafer includes an ionically resistive ionically permeable element located in close proximity of the wafer (preferably within 5 mm of the wafer surface) which serves to modulate ionic current at the wafer surface, and a second cathode configured to divert a portion of current from the wafer surface. The ionically resistive ionically permeable element in a preferred embodiment is a disk made of a resistive material having a plurality of perforations formed therein, such that perforations do not form communicating channels within the body of the disk. The provided configuration effectively redistributes ionic current in the plating system allowing plating of uniform metal layers and mitigating the terminal effect.

Method and apparatus for electroplating

A two-step semiconductor electroplating process deposits copper onto wafers coated with a semi-noble metal in manner that is uniform across the wafer and free of voids. A plating bath nucleates copper uniformly and conformably at a high density in a very thin film. A second bath fills the features. A unique pulsed waveform enhances the nucleation density and reduces resistivity of the very thin film deposited in the nucleation operation. The process produces a thinner and conformal copper seed film than traditional PVD copper seed processes.

Two step process for uniform across wafer deposition and void free filling on ruthenium coated wafers

A ruthenium-containing thin film is formed. Typically, the ruthenium-containing thin film has a thickness in a range of about from 1 nm to 20 nm. The ruthenium-containing thin film is annealed in an oxygen-free atmosphere, for example, in Nforming gas, at a temperature in a range of about from 100&#xb0; C. to 500&#xb0; C. for a total time duration of about from 10 seconds to 1000 seconds. Thereafter, copper or other metal is deposited by electroplating or electroless plating onto the annealed ruthenium-containing thin film. In some embodiments, the ruthenium-containing thin film is also treated by UV radiation.

Anneal of ruthenium seed layer to improve copper plating

Methods are provided for electrochemically depositing copper on a work piece. One method includes the step of depositing overlying the work piece a barrier layer having a surface and subjecting the barrier layer surface to a surface treatment adapted to facilitate deposition of copper on the barrier layer. Copper then is electrochemically deposited overlying the barrier layer.

Methods for the electrochemical deposition of copper onto a barrier layer of a work piece

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Beaverton, OR, United States of America

Seyang Park