International Business Machines Corporation

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Infineon Technologies Ag

Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Engelhard Corporation

Tessera Intellectual Properties, Inc.

Tien-Jen Cheng

Mukta G Farooq

David E Eichstadt

John Anthony Fitzsimmons

Roger Allan Quon

Jonathan H Griffith

Sarah Huffsmith Knickerbocker

Kamalesh K Srivastava

Keith Kwong Hon Wong

Kevin Shawn Petrarca

Zhengwen O Li

Richard Paul Volant

Julie C Biggs

Ajay Prabhakar Giri

Huilong Zhu

George Frederick Walker

Subhash Laxman Shinde

Randolph F Knarr

William Edward Sablinski

John Ulrich Knickerbocker

Timothy Joseph Dalton

Wolfgang Sauter

Christopher Vincent Jahnes

Roy Rongqing Yu

Junjing Bao

Chandrasekhar Narayan

Naftali Eliahu Lustig

Eric D Perfecto

Lewis Sigmund Goldmann

William E Bernier

Marie S Cole

Lisa A Fanti

Anton Nenadic

Hyeok-Sang Oh

Ashwani K Malhotra

John R Pennacchia

Andrew Lu

Bum-Ki Moon

Woo-Jin Jang

Minseok Oh

Tasha E Lopez

David J Welsh

David K Anderson

Blessen Samuel

Ji-Hong Choi

Todd M Fowler

Peter Alfred Gruber

Emanuel Israel Cooper

Abhishek Dube

Panayotis Constantinou Andricacos

Raymond R Horton

Stephan Grunow

Rosemary A Previti-Kelly

Ronald Dean Goldblatt

Keith Kwong-Hon Wong

Erik J Roggeman

Roger A Quinn

David B Shields

The present invention provides a stabilized fine textured metal microstructure that constitutes a durable activated surface usable for bonding a 3D stacked chip. A fine-grain layer that resists self anneal enables metal to metal bonding at moderate time and temperature and wider process flexibility.

Metal to metal bonding for stacked (3D) integrated circuits

A method for cleaning a deposition chamber includes forming a deposited layer over an interior surface of the deposition chamber, wherein the deposited layer has a deposited layer stress and a deposited layer modulus; forming a cleaning layer over the deposited layer, wherein a material comprising the cleaning layer is selected such that the cleaning layer adheres to the deposited layer, and has a cleaning layer stress and a cleaning layer modulus, wherein the cleaning layer stress is higher than the deposited layer stress, and wherein the cleaning layer modulus is higher than the deposited layer modulus; and removing the deposited layer and the cleaning layer from the interior of the deposition chamber.

Deposition chamber cleaning method including stressed cleaning layer

The invention is directed to a method for removing copper oxide from a copper surface to provide a clean copper surface, wherein the method involves exposing the copper surface containing copper oxide thereon to an anhydrous vapor containing a carboxylic acid compound therein, wherein the anhydrous vapor is generated from an anhydrous organic solution containing the carboxylic acid and one or more solvents selected from hydrocarbon and ether solvents.

Method for removing copper oxide layer

A metal interconnect structure provides high adhesive strength between copper atoms in a copper-containing structure and a self-aligned copper encapsulation layer, which is selectively deposited only on exposed copper surfaces. A lower level metal interconnect structure comprises a first dielectric material layer and a copper-containing structure embedded in a lower metallic liner. After a planarization process that forms the copper-containing structure, a material that forms Cu&#x2014;S bonds with exposed surfaces of the copper-containing structure is applied to the surface of the copper-containing structure. The material is selectively deposited only on exposed Cu surfaces, thereby forming a self-aligned copper encapsulation layer, and provides a high adhesion strength to the copper surface underneath. A dielectric cap layer and an upper level metal interconnect structure can be subsequently formed on the copper encapsulation layer.

Selective copper encapsulation layer deposition

In a BEOL process, UV radiation is used in a curing process of ultra low-k (ULK) dielectrics. This radiation penetrates through the ULK material and reaches the cap film underneath it. The interaction between the UV light and the film leads to a change the properties of the cap film. Of particular concern is the change in the stress state of the cap from compressive to tensile stress. This leads to a weaker dielectric-cap interface and mechanical failure of the ULK film. A layer of nanoparticles is inserted between the cap and the ULK film. The nanoparticles absorb the UV light before it can damage the cap film, thus maintaining the mechanical integrity of the ULK dielectric.

Semiconductor having interconnects with improved mechanical properties by insertion of nanoparticles

Methods of forming integrated circuit devices include forming an interlayer insulating layer having a trench therein, on a substrate and forming an electrical interconnect (e.g., Cu damascene interconnect) in the trench. An upper surface of the interlayer insulating layer is recessed to expose sidewalls of the electrical interconnect. An electrically insulating first capping pattern is formed on the recessed upper surface of the interlayer insulating layer and on the exposed sidewalls of the electrical interconnect, but is removed from an upper surface of the electrical interconnect. A metal diffusion barrier layer is formed on an upper surface of the electrical interconnect, however, the first capping pattern is used to block formation of the metal diffusion barrier layer on the sidewalls of the electrical interconnect. This metal diffusion barrier layer may be formed using an electroless plating technique.

Methods of forming integrated circuit devices having damascene interconnects therein with metal diffusion barrier layers and devices formed thereby

Method of improving mechanical properties of semiconductor interconnects with nanoparticles

A dielectric layer is patterned with at least one line trough and/or at least one via cavity. A metallic nitride liner is formed on the surfaces of the patterned dielectric layer. A metal liner is formed on the surface of the metallic nitride liner. A conformal copper nitride layer is formed directly on the metal liner by atomic layer deposition (ALD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). A Cu seed layer is formed directly on the conformal copper nitride layer. The at least one line trough and/or the at least one via cavity are filled with an electroplated material. The direct contact between the conformal copper nitride layer and the Cu seed layer provides enhanced adhesion strength. The conformal copper nitride layer may be annealed to covert an exposed outer portion into a contiguous Cu layer, which may be employed to reduce the thickness of the Cu seed layer.

Conformal adhesion promoter liner for metal interconnects

Growing community of inventors

Bedford, NY, United States of America

Tien-Jen Cheng