Appeal No. 2005-0998
Application No. 10/054,605
cited by the examiner such conductive films or coatings are
referred to as a “barrier layer,” a “diffusion barrier,” or a
“cap layer” in the field of semiconductor manufacturing. For
instance, see Hong et al. (col. 1, ll. 13-16), and Zhao et al.
(col. 8, ll. 7-11). The conductor element is typically composed
of copper.
Claim 18, which is one of two independent claims, is
illustrative of the subject matter at issue:
18. A method for forming conductors with high
electromigration resistance comprising
forming a layer of dielectric on a substrate,
forming at least one trench in said layer of
dielectric,
forming a metal liner in said trench,
forming a conductor on said metal liner filling said
trench,
forming a planarized upper surface of said conductor
planar with the upper surface of said layer of dielectric,
and
forming a conductive film over said upper surface of
said conductor, said conductive film forming a metal to
metal metallurgical bond
and wherein said conductive film has a thickness of 1
to 20 nanometers.
2
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