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:
Jun. 15, 1999
Filed:
Sep. 20, 1996
Tue Nguyen, Vancouver, WA (US);
Lawrence J Charneski, Vancouver, WA (US);
Lynn R Allen, Camas, WA (US);
Sharp Microelectronics Technology, Inc., Camas, WA (US);
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Osaka, JP;
Abstract
A method has been provided for improving the adhesion of Cu to a diffusion barrier material, such as TiN, in an integrated circuit substrate. The diffusion barrier is exposed to either a reactive oxygen species, or a plasma containing oxygen. A thin layer of the diffusion barrier is oxidized, typically less than 50 .ANG., in response to exposure to the oxygen environment. CVD copper is then deposited over the oxidized diffusion barrier surface. The oxide layer improves bonding between the copper and diffusion barrier surfaces. The oxide layer permits the control of tolerances in the diffusion barrier preparation processes, and copper precursor, to be relaxed. An integrated circuit comprising an oxide layer between the diffusion barrier and the copper layer is also provided.