The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 11, 1994
Filed:
Nov. 12, 1991
Cornell Research Foundation, Ithaca, NY (US);
International Business Machines, Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
The present invention features low-temperature, self-encapsulated, copper interconnect lines on silicon substrates of Ultra-Large Scale Integration (ULSI) circuits. The interconnect lines are a product of a process that includes the following steps: (a) alloying the copper with titanium in an approximate 10 atomic weight percentage of titanium; (b) depositing a layer of the copper/titanium alloy upon a silicon dioxide/silicon substrate of a ULSI circuit; (c) patterning the copper/titanium layer to form interconnect lines on the substrate; (d) forming a titanium rich surface film on the copper interconnect lines by rapid heating of the copper/titanium interconnect lines at an approximate ramping rate of between 60.degree. and 80.degree. C./minute; and (e) nitriding the titanium rich surface of the interconnect lines in an ammonia atmosphere at low temperatures in an approximate range of between 450.degree. to 650.degree. C. for about 15 to 40 minutes, to form a titanium nitride encapsulating layer about said copper interconnect lines.