Method and apparatus for filling interconnect structures

• US 10,006,144 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2013
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novellus Systems Incorporated (Lam Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Novellus Systems Incorporated (Lam Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Reid, Jonathan D., Zhu, Huanfeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Mendez, Zulmariam
• Application Number:
  US14/051,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20140138239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: 204242, 205169, 205182, 205291
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/001 Apparatus specially adapted for electrolytic coating of wafers, e.g. semiconductors or solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/008 Current shielding devices
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/12 Process control or regulation controlling or regulating in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 3/38 of copper
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 7/123 Semiconductors first coated with a seed layer or a conductive layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/2885 using an external electrical current, i.e. electro-deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6723 comprising at least one plating chamber electroless plating apparatuses C23C, electroplating apparatuses C25D
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76864 Thermal treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76882 Reflowing or applying of pressure to better fill the contact hole

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and systems for depositing copper and other metals are provided. In some implementations, a wafer substrate is provided to an apparatus. The wafer substrate has a surface with field regions and a feature. A copper layer is plated onto the surface of the wafer substrate. The copper layer is annealed to redistribute copper from regions of the wafer substrate to the feature. Implementations of the disclosed methods, apparatus, and systems allow for void-free bottom-up fill of features in a wafer substrate.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a plating chamber configured to hold an electrolyte;

a wafer substrate holder configured to hold a wafer substrate in the plating chamber, the wafer substrate including a surface having edge regions, field regions, and a feature; and

a controller including program instructions comprising;

(a) instructions for electroplating a copper layer onto the surface of the wafer substrate using the plating chamber, wherein the electroplating is performed in an electroplating solution having a resistivity higher than about 200 ohm-cm;

(b) instructions for annealing the copper layer, wherein the annealing reflows the copper in the copper layer and causes redistribution of the copper from the field regions of the wafer substrate to the feature; and

(c) instructions for repeating instructions (a) and (b) at least two times until an aspect ratio of the feature is reduced to less than a predetermined value.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an element including an ionically resistive body with perforations in the body such that the perforations do not form communicating channels within the body, wherein the perforations allow for transport of the electrolyte through the element, wherein the element is positioned to have a surface facing the surface of the wafer substrate.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the surface of the element having the ionically resistive body is located within about 10 millimeters from said surface of the wafer substrate when the wafer substrate is held by the wafer substrate holder; and

substantially all the perforations in the ionically resistive body have a principal dimension of an opening on the surface of the element facing the surface of the wafer substrate of no greater than about 5 millimeters, and wherein the porosity of the element is about 1 to 3%.

4. A system comprising the apparatus of claim 3 and a stepper.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the annealing the copper layer is at a temperature of about 150 to 400°

C.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the annealing the copper layer is for a duration of about 30 to 180 seconds.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the annealing the copper layer is performed in a reducing atmosphere.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the reducing atmosphere is selected from the group consisting of forming gas, atomic hydrogen, and other chemical reducing agents.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the surface of the wafer includes a liner layer over the field regions and the feature.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the program instructions of the controller further comprise:

instructions for annealing the liner layer in a reducing atmosphere prior to electroplating the copper layer.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the liner layer is selected from the group consisting of ruthenium (Ru), cobalt (Co), tungsten (W), osmium (Os), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), gold (Au), and rhodium (Rh).

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the copper layer includes a copper alloying element.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the copper layer is about 2 to 20 nanometers thick.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program instructions of the controller further comprise:

instructions for electroplating copper onto the copper layer to fill the feature after the annealing causes redistribution of the copper from the field regions of the wafer substrate to the feature such that an aspect ratio of the feature is about 2;

1 or less.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined value of the aspect ratio of the feature is about 2:

1 or less.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program instructions of the controller further comprise:

instructions for repeating operations (a) and (b) about 2 to 8 times.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program instructions of the controller further comprise:

instructions for electroplating a copper alloy layer onto the copper layer after annealing the copper layer.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the copper layer is continuous.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electroplating is performed at a temperature of about room temperature.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electroplating is performed at a temperature of about 50 to 90°

C.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the annealing is performed in a reducing atmosphere at a temperature of about 150 to 400°

C. for a duration of about 30 to 180 seconds.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electroplating is performed in an electroplating solution having a resistivity higher than about 1000 ohm-cm.

23. A non-transitory computer machine-readable medium having program instructions for control of an apparatus, the program instructions comprising:

(a) instructions for transporting a wafer substrate to modules associated with the apparatus, the wafer substrate including a surface with field regions and a feature;

(b) instructions for electroplating a copper layer onto the surface of the wafer substrate, wherein the electroplating is performed in an electroplating solution having a resistivity higher than about 200 ohm-cm;

(c) instructions for annealing the copper layer, wherein the annealing reflows the copper in the copper layer and causes redistribution of the copper from the field regions of the wafer substrate to the feature; and

(d) instructions for repeating instructions (b) and (c) at least two times until an aspect ratio of the feature is reduced to less than a predetermined value.