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:
Mar. 11, 2014
Filed:
Feb. 22, 2011
Yongsik Yu, Lake Oswego, OR (US);
Pramod Subramonium, Tigard, OR (US);
Zhiyuan Fang, West Linn, OR (US);
Jon Henri, West Linn, OR (US);
Elizabeth Apen, West Linn, OR (US);
Dan Vitkavage, Tualatin, OR (US);
Yongsik Yu, Lake Oswego, OR (US);
Pramod Subramonium, Tigard, OR (US);
Zhiyuan Fang, West Linn, OR (US);
Jon Henri, West Linn, OR (US);
Elizabeth Apen, West Linn, OR (US);
Dan Vitkavage, Tualatin, OR (US);
Novellus Systems, Inc., Fremont, CA (US);
Abstract
Films having high hermeticity and a low dielectric constant can be used as copper diffusion barrier films, etch stop films, CMP stop films and other hardmasks during IC fabrication. Hermetic films can protect the underlying layers, such as layers of metal and dielectric, from exposure to atmospheric moisture and oxygen, thereby preventing undesirable oxidation of metal surfaces and absorption of moisture by a dielectric. Specifically, a bi-layer film having a hermetic bottom layer composed of hydrogen doped carbon and a low dielectric constant (low-k) top layer composed of low-k silicon carbide (e.g., high carbon content hydrogen doped silicon carbide) can be employed. Such bi-layer film can be deposited by PECVD methods on a partially fabricated semiconductor substrate having exposed layers of dielectric and metal.