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:
Dec. 04, 2001
Filed:
Feb. 23, 2000
Suzette K. Pangrle, Cupertino, CA (US);
Minh Van Ngo, Fremont, CA (US);
Susan Tovar, Gilroy, CA (US);
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Abstract
An insulating and capping structure of an integrated circuit is formed on a semiconductor wafer. An insulating layer is formed on the semiconductor wafer, and the insulating layer is comprised of a dielectric material having a low dielectric constant that is less than about 4.0 and having chemical bonds that are chemically reactive with a predetermined reactant. A reaction barrier layer is formed on the insulating layer, and the reaction barrier layer is comprised of a material that is not chemically reactive with the predetermined reactant. A capping layer is formed on the reaction barrier layer, and the capping layer is formed using the predetermined reactant. The reaction barrier layer prevents contact of the predetermined reactant with the insulating layer to prevent reaction of the predetermined reactant with the chemical bonds of the dielectric material of the insulating layer that are chemically reactive with the predetermined reactant such that the low dielectric constant of the dielectric material of the insulating layer is not increased by the formation of the capping layer. The present invention may be used to particular advantage when the predetermined reactant used for forming the capping layer and that is reactive with the insulating layer is oxygen plasma and when the reaction barrier layer is comprised of silicon nitride.