Appeal No. 1999-2596
Application No. 08/866,773
BACKGROUND
Appellants’ invention relates to a method for forming composite barrier layers within
integrated circuits. According to Appellants, the patterned barrier layer formed by the
claimed method has limited susceptibility to delamination due to the consumption of
titanium metal beneath the patterned barrier layer. Claim 4, which is representative of the
claimed invention, appears below:
4. A method for forming a patterned barrier layer upon an electrode contact
comprising:
providing a silicon substrate layer having an electrode contact region formed within the
silicon substrate layer;
forming over the silicon substrate layer a blanket titanium layer, the blanket titanium
layer contacting the electrode contact region of the silicon substrate layer;
processing thermally the blanket titanium layer in a nitrogen containing atmosphere to
form a titanium silicide layer in contact with the electrode contact region and a blanket
titanium nitride layer formed thereover, where the blanket titanium layer is completely
consumed in forming the titanium silicide layer and the blanket titanium nitride layer;
forming upon the blanket titanium nitride layer a blanket barrier layer;
forming over the blanket barrier layer a patterned photoresist layer formed of a
material which is susceptible to stripping within a photoresist stripper composition
comprising a hydroxyl/amine compound;
etching, while employing the patterned photoresist layer as an etch mask layer, the
blanket barrier layer to form a patterned barrier layer and the blanket titanium nitride layer to
form a patterned titanium nitride layer; and
stripping from the silicon substrate layer the patterned photoresist layer through use
of the photoresist stripper composition comprising the hydroxyl/amine compound, where
there is avoided delamination of the patterned barrier layer from the silicon substrate layer
by completely consuming the blanket titanium layer when forming the titanium silicide layer
and the blanket titanium nitride layer.
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