Hydrogen passivation of chemical-mechanically polished copper-containing layers

Abstract

An embodiment of the instant invention is a method of forming an electronic device over a semiconductor substrate and having at least one level of metallic conductors, the method comprising the steps of: forming a dielectric layer over the semiconductor substrate, the dielectric layer having openings (step,of FIG.,); forming a layer of the metallic conductor on the dielectric layer (step,of FIG.,); removing a portion of the layer of the metallic conductor on the dielectric layer (step,of FIG.,); and subjecting the exposed metallic conductor to a plasma which contains hydrogen or deuterium so as to passivate the metallic conductor (step,of FIG.,). Preferably, the plasma contains a substance selected from the group consisting of: NH,, N,H,, H,S, and CH,, and the metallic conductors are comprised of a material selected from the group consisting of: copper, copper doped aluminum, Ag, Sn, Pb, Ti, Cr, Mg, Ta, and any combination thereof. The step of removing a portion of the layer of the metallic conductor is, preferably, performed by sputtering off a portion of the metallic conductor, chemical-mechanical polishing, etching, or a combination thereof.