Apparatus for depositing seed layers

• US 20060166448A1
• Filed: 03/28/2006
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uri Cohen
• Original Assignee: Seed Layers Technologies LLC (General Patent Corporation)
• Inventors: Cohen, Uri
• Granted Patent: US 7,682,496 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/296
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/2855 by physical means, e.g. sputtering, evaporation H01L21/28518 - H01L21/28537 and H01L21/28568 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/28556 by chemical means, e.g. CVD, LPCVD, PECVD, laser CVD H01L21/28518 - H01L21/28537 and H01L21/28568 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76843 formed in openings in a dielectric
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76873 for electroplating
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2221/1089 Stacks of seed layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/528 Geometry or layout of the interconnection structure H01L27/0207 takes precedence; algorithms G06F30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/53209 based on metals, e.g. alloys, metal silicides H01L23/53285 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/53238 Additional layers associated with copper layers, e.g. adhesion, barrier, cladding layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/53252 Additional layers associated with noble-metal layers, e.g. adhesion, barrier, cladding layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus for depositing seed layers over a substrate, said substrate includes at least one opening surrounded by a field, the apparatus includes: (a) a CVD chamber adapted to deposit a CVD seed layer over the substrate; (b) a PVD chamber adapted to deposit a PVD seed layer over the substrate; and (c) a controller which includes recipe information, said recipe information includes deposition sequence and process parameters for operation of the deposition chambers, wherein the controller, in response to the recipe information, causes first the CVD chamber to deposit a CVD seed layer over the substrate and then causes the PVD chamber to deposit a PVD seed layer over the CVD seed layer, wherein (i) at least one of the seed layers comprises a material selected from a group consisting of Cu, Ag, or alloys comprising one or more of these metals, (ii) the CVD seed layer having a thickness of less than about 200 Å over the field, (iii) the PVD seed layer having a thickness from about 100 Å to about 2,000 Å over the field, (iv) the PVD seed layer is thicker than the CVD seed layer over the field, and (v) the controller causes the stopping of the deposition of the CVD and the PVD seed layers prior to filling the at least one opening, thereby leaving enough room for electroplating inside the at least one opening.

Claims

1. An apparatus for depositing seed layers over a substrate, said substrate comprising at least one opening surrounded by a field, the apparatus comprising:

a CVD chamber adapted to deposit a CVD seed layer over the substrate;

a PVD chamber adapted to deposit a PVD seed layer over the substrate; and

a controller which includes recipe information, said recipe information includes deposition sequence and process parameters for operation of the deposition chambers, wherein the controller, in response to the recipe information, first causes the CVD chamber to deposit a CVD seed layer over the substrate and then causes the PVD chamber to deposit a PVD seed layer over the CVD seed layer, wherein (a) at least one of the seed layers comprises a material selected from a group consisting of Cu, Ag, or alloys comprising one or more of these metals, (b) the CVD seed layer having a thickness of less than about 200 Å

over the field, (c) the PVD seed layer having a thickness from about 100 Å

to about 2,000 Å

over the field, (d) the PVD seed layer is thicker than the CVD seed layer over the field, and (e) the controller causes the stopping of the deposition of the CVD and the PVD seed layers prior to filling the at least one opening, thereby leaving enough room for electroplating inside the at least one opening.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the thickness of the CVD seed layer is less than about 100 Å

over the field.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the thickness of the CVD seed layer over the field is from about 20 Å

to about 100 Å and

the thickness of the PVD seed layer over the field is from about 300 Å

to about 1000 Å

.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the CVD chamber comprises an ALD chamber and the CVD seed layer comprises an ALD seed layer.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the thickness of the ALD seed layer is less than about 100 Å

over the field.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the thickness of the ALD seed layer over the field is from about 20 Å

to about 100 Å and

the thickness of the PVD seed layer over the field is from about 300 Å

to about 1000 Å

.

7. An apparatus for depositing seed layers on a substrate, said substrate comprising at least one opening surrounded by a field, the apparatus comprising:

a PVD chamber adapted to deposit a PVD seed layer over the substrate;

a CVD chamber adapted to deposit a CVD seed layer over the substrate; and

a controller which includes recipe information, said recipe information includes deposition sequence and process parameters for operation of the deposition chambers, wherein the controller, in response to the recipe information, first causes the PVD chamber to deposit a PVD seed layer over the substrate and then causes the CVD chamber to deposit a CVD seed layer over the PVD seed layer, wherein (a) at least one of said seed layers comprises a material selected from a group consisting of Cu, Ag, or alloys comprising one or more of these metals, (b) the PVD seed layer having a thickness of more than about 250 Å

over the field, (c) the CVD seed layer having a thickness of less than about 200 Å

over the field, and (d) the controller further causes the stopping of the deposition of the PVD and the CVD seed layers prior to filling the at least one opening, thereby leaving enough room for electroplating inside the at least one opening.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the thickness of the CVD seed layer is less than about 100 Å

over the field.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the thickness of the CVD seed layer over the field is from about 20 Å

to about 100 Å and

the thickness of the PVD seed layer over the field is from about 300 Å

to about 1,000 Å

.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the CVD chamber comprises an ALD chamber and the CVD seed layer comprises an ALD seed layer.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the thickness of the ALD seed layer is less than about 100 Å

over the field.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the thickness of the ALD seed layer over the field is from about 20 Å

to about 100 Å and

the thickness of the PVD seed layer over the field is from about 300 Å

to about 1,000 Å

.

13. An apparatus for depositing two or more PVD seed layers over a substrate in a single PVD chamber, the substrate including a patterned insulating layer which comprises at least one opening surrounded by a field, the at least one opening having sidewalls and bottom, and the apparatus comprising:

a PVD chamber adapted to deposit PVD seed layers over the substrate; and

a controller which includes recipe information, said recipe information includes deposition sequence and process parameters for operation of the PVD chamber, wherein the controller, in response to the recipe information, causes the PVD chamber to deposit a continuous PVD seed layer over the sidewalls and bottom of the at least one opening using a first set of deposition parameters, and causes the PVD chamber to deposit another PVD seed layer over the substrate, using a second set of deposition parameters, wherein (a) the second set of deposition parameters includes at least one deposition parameter which is different than in the first set of deposition parameters, (b) at least one of said seed layers comprises a material selected from a group consisting of Cu, Ag, or alloys comprising one or more of these metals, (c) the continuous PVD seed layer having a thickness greater than about 50 Å

over the field, (d) the combined seed layers provide a low electrical resistance path over the field to enable uniform plating across the substrate, and (e) the controller causes the stopping of the deposition of the continuous and the additional PVD seed layers prior to filling the at least one opening, thereby leaving enough room for electroplating inside the at least one opening.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the controller causes the deposition of said another PVD seed layer prior to the deposition of said continuous PVD seed layer.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the controller causes the deposition of said continuous PVD seed layer prior to the deposition of said another PVD seed layer.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the PVD chamber comprises a chamber selected from a group consisting of collimated sputtering chamber, Hollow Cathode Magnetron (HCM) sputtering chamber, Self Ionized Plasma (SIP) sputtering chamber, and Ionized Metal Plasma (IMP) sputtering chamber.

17. An apparatus for depositing PVD seed layers over a substrate, said substrate comprising at least one opening surrounded by a field, the at least one opening having sidewalls and bottom, and the apparatus comprising:

a first PVD chamber adapted to deposit a continuous PVD seed layer over the sidewalls and bottom of the at least one opening;

a second PVD chamber adapted to deposit PVD seed layers over the substrate; and

a controller which includes recipe information, said recipe information includes deposition sequence and process parameters for operation of the deposition chambers, wherein the controller, in response to the recipe information, causes the first PVD chamber to deposit a continuous PVD seed layer over the sidewalls and bottom of the at least one opening, using a first set of deposition parameters, and causes the second PVD chamber to deposit another PVD seed layer over the substrate, using a second set of deposition parameters, wherein (a) the second set of deposition parameters includes at least one deposition parameter which is different than in the first set of deposition parameters, (b) at least one of said seed layers comprises a material selected from a group consisting of Cu, Ag, or alloys comprising one or more of these metals, (c) the continuous PVD seed layer having a thickness greater than about 50 Å

over the field, (d) the combined seed layers provide a low electrical resistance path over the field to enable uniform plating across the substrate, and (e) the controller causes the stopping of the deposition of the continuous and the additional PVD seed layers prior to filling the at least one opening, thereby leaving enough room for electroplating inside the at least one opening.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the controller causes the deposition of said another PVD seed layer prior to the deposition of said continuous PVD seed layer.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the controller causes the deposition of said continuous PVD seed layer prior to the deposition of said another PVD seed layer.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein at least one of the PVD chambers comprises a chamber selected from a group consisting of collimated sputtering chamber, Hollow Cathode Magnetron (HCM) sputtering chamber, Self Ionized Plasma (SIP) sputtering chamber, and Ionized Metal Plasma (IMP) sputtering chamber.

21. An apparatus for depositing two or more CVD seed layers over a substrate, the substrate including at least one opening surrounded by a field, the at least one opening having sidewalls and bottom, and the apparatus comprising:

at least one CVD chamber adapted for depositing CVD seed layers over the substrate; and

a controller which includes recipe information, said recipe information includes deposition sequence and process parameters for operation of the deposition chambers, wherein the controller, in response to the recipe information, causes the at least one CVD chamber to deposit a first CVD seed layer over the sidewalls and bottom of the at least one opening, using a first set of deposition parameters, and causes the at least one CVD chamber to deposit a second CVD seed layer over the first CVD seed layer, using a second set of deposition parameters, wherein (a) the second set of deposition parameters includes at least one deposition parameter which is different than in the first set of deposition parameters, (b) at least one of said CVD seed layers comprises a material selected from a group consisting of Cu, Ag, or alloys comprising one or more of these metals, (c) at least one of said CVD seed layers having a thickness greater than about 50 Å

over the field, and (d) the controller causes the stopping of the deposition of the CVD seed layers prior to filling the at least one opening, thereby leaving enough room for electroplating inside the at least one opening.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said at least one CVD chamber comprises an ALD chamber and wherein at least one of said CVD seed layers comprises an ALD seed layer.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the thickness of the first CVD seed layer is more uniform than the thickness of the second CVD seed layer over the sidewall surfaces of the at least one opening.

24. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the thickness of the first CVD seed layer is less uniform than the thickness of the second CVD seed layer over the sidewall surfaces of the at least one opening.