Appeal No. 2002-1992
Application 09/206,170
bordering open dielectric field on a semiconductor wafer surface.
Claims 1 and 17 are illustrative:
1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device on a
wafer, the method comprising:
forming a copper (Cu) or Cu alloy interconnection pattern
comprising a dense array of spaced apart Cu or Cu alloy lines
bordering an open dielectric field on a surface of the wafer; and
immersing the wafer in a chemical agent to remove a
sufficient amount of dielectric material from the open dielectric
field to prevent or substantially reduce formation and/or growth
of Cu or Cu alloy dendrites from the lines into the open
dielectric field.
17. A method of preventing or substantially reducing the
formation and/or growth of dendrites emanating from copper (Cu)
or Cu alloy lines into a bordering open dielectric field on a
wafer surface, the method comprising immersing the wafer in a
chemical agent to remove a portion of dielectric material from
the surface of the open dielectric field and from between the
lines.
THE REFERENCES
References relied upon by the examiner
Schonauer et al. (Schonauer ‘769) 5,662,769 Sep. 2, 1997
Grieger et al. (Grieger) 5,855,811 Jan. 5, 1999
(filed Oct. 3, 1996)
Chen et al. (Chen) 5,989,623 Nov. 23, 1999
(filed Aug. 19, 1997)
Reference relied upon by the board
Schonauer et al. (Schonauer ‘727) 6,162,727 Dec. 19, 2000
2
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