Appeal No. 2005-2014 Παγε 2
Application No. 09/792,737
BACKGROUND
The Appellants’ invention relates to a process of filling copper into a thin,
pre-formed interconnection hole. The process includes coating into the hole an
insulating barrier layer which includes a sidewall portion and a bottom portion. The
barrier layer may be composed of tantalum nitride and be deposited by chemical vapor
deposition, preferably by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Subsequently, a conformal
copper seed layer on the sidewall of the hole and the bottom barrier layer is removed.
(Brief, pp. 2-3). A copy of representative claims 1 and 41 appear below:
1. A process of filling copper into a vertical interconnection hole extending
through an inter-level dielectric layer formed in a substrate and having
sides and a bottom, comprising the steps of:
in a process comprising atomic layer deposition, coating sides and a
bottom of said hole with a barrier layer comprising tantalum nitride to a
thickness of no more than 2nm; and
sputtering a copper target opposed to said substrate under conditions
such that a copper layer is deposited on said sides of said hole while
simultaneously said barrier layer is removed from said bottom of said hole.
41. A process of filling copper into a vertical interconnection hole
extending through an inter-level dielectric layer formed in a substrate and
having sides and a bottom, comprising the steps of:
in a process comprising atomic layer deposition, coating at least sides
of said hole with a barrier layer comprising tantalum nitride to a thickness
of no more than 2nm; and
sputtering a copper target opposed to said substrate under conditions
such that a copper layer is deposited at least on said sides of said hole.
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007