METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING DEVICE FEATURES IN AN INTEGRATED ELECTROLESS DEPOSITION SYSTEM

• US 20070071888A1
• Filed: 09/21/2006
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Shanmugasundram, Arulkumar, Weidman, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US11/534,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20070071888A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/97.700
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1608 from pretreatment step, i.e. selective pre-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1619 Apparatus for electroless plating
• CPC Class Codes: C23F 3/00 Brightening metals by chemical means
• CPC Class Codes: C23F 3/04 Heavy metals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02074 the processing being a planarization of conductive layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02087 Cleaning of wafer edges
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/288 from a liquid, e.g. electrolytic deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6723 comprising at least one plating chamber electroless plating apparatuses C23C, electroplating apparatuses C25D
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76846 Layer combinations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76849 the layer being positioned on top of the main fill metal
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76879 by selective deposition of conductive material in the vias, e.g. selective C.V.D. on semiconductor material, plating plating on semiconductors in general H01L21/288
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09563 Metal filled via plated through-hole filled with insulating material H05K2201/0959
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/045 by making a conductive layer having a relief pattern, followed by abrading of the raised portions
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/422 characterised by electroless plating method; pretreatment therefor

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention generally provide a cluster tool that is configured to electrolessly fill features formed on a substrate. More particularly, embodiments of the invention are used to integrate the filling of an interconnect or contact level feature using an electroless fill process and material removal steps. A typical sequence for forming an interconnect includes depositing one or more non-conductive layers, etching at least one of the layer(s) to form one or more features therein, depositing a barrier layer in the feature(s) and depositing one or more conductive layers, such as copper, to fill the feature.

Claims

1. A method of processing a substrate in a substrate processing platform, comprising:

removing a portion of a layer formed on a surface of substrate using a material removal process; and

filing a feature formed on the substrate using an electroless deposition process after removing the portion of the layer formed on the surface of the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

cleaning the surface of the substrate subsequent to removing the portion of the layer formed on the surface of the substrate and prior to filling the feature, wherein cleaning comprises exposing a surface of a substrate to a liquid or a vapor selected from a group consisting of DI water, isopropyl alcohol, and an etchant solution.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the cleaning the surface of the substrate comprises vapor drying the substrate in a vapor dry chamber.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein removing a portion of a layer formed on a surface of substrate is performed by use of a process selected from a group consisting of a chemical mechanical polishing process, an electrochemical mechanical polishing process and an electropolishing process.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the adhesion-layer and barrier layer are removed during the material removal step.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein removing a portion of a layer formed on a surface of substrate comprises:

a first planarization step to remove the adhesion-layer; and

a second planarization step to remove the barrier layer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising depositing an electroless capping layer after filling the feature.

8. A method of processing a substrate in a substrate processing platform, comprising:

filing one or more recesses formed on a surface of the substrate with an electrolessly deposited metal layer; and

inhibiting the growth of the electrolessly deposited metal layer generally above the top of the recesses formed in the surface of the substrate using a first electrode, a counter electrode and a power supply that is adapted to bias the first electrode relative to the counter electrode, wherein the first electrode is in electrical communication with at least a portion of the metal layer during at least a portion of the electroless deposition process.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

cleaning the surface of the substrate filling the one or more recesses, wherein cleaning comprises exposing a surface of a substrate to a liquid or a vapor selected from a group consisting of DI water, isopropyl alcohol, and an etchant solution.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein inhibiting the growth of the electrolessly deposited metal layer includes the process of removing material using one of the processes selected from the group consisting of chemical mechanical polishing, electrochemical mechanical polishing and electropolishing.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising removing an adhesion-layer and/or a barrier layer from a field region of the substrate prior to filing one or more of the recesses.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein removing an adhesion-layer and/or a barrier layer is performed by use of a process selected from the group consisting of chemical mechanical polishing, electrochemical mechanical polishing and electropolishing.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising depositing an electroless capping layer after filling the one or more recesses.

14. A cluster tool that is adapted to fill a substrate feature on a surface of a substrate, comprising:

at least one material removal chamber that is adapted to preferentially remove a metal layer from a field region rather than one or more recessed features formed on the surface of a substrate; and

at least one electroless plating cell that is adapted to deposit an electrolessly deposited layer on a surface of the substrate.

15. The cluster tool of claim 14, wherein the material removal chamber is adapted to remove the metal layer using electrochemical activity and is selected from a group consisting of an electrochemical mechanical polishing chamber or electropolishing chamber.

16. The cluster tool of claim 14, wherein the electrolessly deposited layer is formed in at least one of the one or more recessed features.

17. The cluster tool of claim 14, further comprising:

at least one cleaning modules is selected from a group consisting of a SRD chamber, a vapor dry chamber and brush module; and

an edge bead removal chamber.

18. A cluster tool that is adapted to fill a substrate feature on a surface of a substrate, comprising:

at least one electroless plating cell that is adapted to deposit an electrolessly deposited layer on a surface of the substrate and preferentially inhibit growth the electrolessly deposited layer on a field region on the surface of a substrate; and

at least one cleaning module.

19. The cluster tool of claim 18, wherein the at least one electroless plating cell comprises:

a substrate support that is adapted to receive a substrate on a substrate receiving surface;

a power source that is adapted to bias a portion of the substrate relative to an electrode; and

an electroless plating solution source that is adapted to position an electroless plating solution between the portion of the substrate and the electrode.

20. The cluster tool of claim 19, wherein the power supply is adapted to anodically bias the portion of the substrate relative to the electrode.

21. The cluster tool of claim 18, further comprising:

The at least one cleaning module is selected from a group consisting of a SRD chamber, a vapor dry chamber and brush module; and

an edge bead removal chamber.