PATTERNED ELECTROLESS METALLIZATION PROCESSES FOR LARGE AREA ELECTRONICS

• US 20070190362A1
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: WEIDMAN, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US11/530,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20070190362A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/701
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/10 by deposition from the liquid phase
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/024 Deposition of sublayers, e.g. to promote adhesion of the coating C23C14/027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/04 Coating on selected surface areas, e.g. using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/08 Oxides C23C14/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/228 Gas flow assisted PVD deposition
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/0272 Deposition of sub-layers, e.g. to promote the adhesion of the main coating
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/04 Coating on selected surface areas, e.g. using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/40 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1608 from pretreatment step, i.e. selective pre-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/165 Multilayered product layered product B32B
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1893 with use of organic or inorganic compounds other than metals, first
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/2086 with use of organic or inorganic compounds other than metals, first
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/30 Activating or accelerating or sensitising with palladium or other noble metal
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/31 Coating with metals
• 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 21/28562 Selective deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/288 from a liquid, e.g. electrolytic deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/32051 Deposition of metallic or metal-silicide layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76838 characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the conductors etching for patterning the conductors H01L21/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76864 : Thermal treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76874 : for electroless plating
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02008 : for solar cells or solar cell modules
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/022425 : for solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0512 : made of a particular material or composition of materials
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/181 : by electroless plating adhesives therefor H05K3/387
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/389 : by the use of a coupling agent, e.g. silane
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 : Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

The present invention generally provides an apparatus and method for selectively forming a metallized feature, such as an electrical interconnect feature, on a electrically insulating surface of a substrate. The present invention also provides a method of forming a mechanically robust, adherent, oxidation resistant conductive layer selectively over either a defined pattern or as a conformal blanket film. Embodiments of the invention also generally provide a new chemistry, process, and apparatus to provide discrete or blanket electrochemically or electrolessly platable ruthenium or ruthenium dioxide containing adhesion and initiation layers. In general, aspects of the present invention can be used for flat panel display processing, semiconductor processing, solar cell device processing, or any other substrate processing, being particularly well suited for the application of stable adherent coating on glass as well as flexible plastic substrates. This invention may be especially useful for the formation of electrical interconnects on the surface of flat panel display or solar cell type substrates where the line sizes are generally larger than semiconductor devices or where the formed feature are not generally as dense.

Claims

1. A method of forming a conductive feature on the surface of a substrate, comprising:

depositing a coupling agent that contains a metal oxide precursor on a surface of a substrate; and

exposing the coupling agent and the surface of the substrate to a ruthenium tetroxide containing gas to form a ruthenium containing layer on the surface of the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising depositing a conductive layer on the ruthenium containing layer using an electroless deposition process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the coupling agent is a oxidizing catalytic precursor containing a metal selected from a group consisting of ruthenium, osmium, cobalt, rhodium, iridium, nickel, palladium, platinum, copper, gold, and silver.

4. The method of claim 2, where in the conductive layer is formed from a conductive material selected from a group consisting of copper, cobalt, nickel, ruthenium, palladium, platinum, silver, and gold.

5. The method of claim 1, where in the surface of the substrate is formed from a material selected from a group consisting of a silicon dioxide, glass, silicon nitride, oxynitride, carbon-doped silicon oxides, amorphous silicon, doped amorphous silicon, zinc oxide, indium tin oxide, transition metals, and polymeric materials.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the depositing the coupling agent comprises:

depositing the coupling agent to a desired region on the surface of a substrate; and

heating the substrate in a vacuum environment to a temperature below about 100°

C.

7. A method of forming a conductive feature on the surface of a substrate, comprising:

depositing an organic containing material on a surface of a substrate;

exposing the organic material and the surface of the substrate to a ruthenium tetroxide containing gas, wherein the ruthenium tetroxide oxidizes the organic material to selectively deposit a ruthenium containing layer on the surface of the substrate; and

depositing a conductive layer on the ruthenium containing layer using an electroless deposition process.

8. The method of claim 7, where in the organic containing material is an organosilane material.

9. The method of claim 7, where in the conductive layer is formed from a conductive material selected from a group consisting of copper, cobalt, nickel, ruthenium, palladium, platinum, silver, and gold.

10. The method of claim 7, where in the surface of the substrate is formed from a material selected from a group consisting of a silicon dioxide, glass, silicon nitride, oxynitride, carbon-doped silicon oxides, amorphous silicon, doped amorphous silicon, zinc oxide, indium tin oxide, transition metals, and polymeric materials.

11. A method of forming a conductive feature on the surface of a substrate, comprising:

depositing a liquid coupling agent that contains a metal oxide precursor on a surface of a substrate;

reducing the metal oxide precursor using a reducing agent; and

depositing a conductive layer on the ruthenium containing layer using an electroless deposition process.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the liquid coupling agent contains a high oxidation state metal selected from a group consisting of ruthenium, osmium, cobalt, rhodium, iridium, nickel, palladium, platinum, copper, gold, and silver.

13. The method of claim 11, where in the conductive layer is formed from a conductive material selected from a group consisting of copper, cobalt, nickel, ruthenium, palladium, platinum, silver, and gold.

14. The method of claim 11, where in the surface of the substrate is formed from a material selected from a group consisting of a silicon dioxide, glass, silicon nitride, oxynitride, carbon-doped silicon oxides, amorphous silicon, doped amorphous silicon, zinc oxide, indium tin oxide, transition metals, and polymeric materials.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the depositing the coupling agent comprises:

depositing the coupling agent to a desired region on the surface of a substrate; and

heating the substrate in a vacuum environment to a temperature below about 100°

C.

16. A method of selectively forming a layer on a surface of a substrate, comprising:

selectively applying a liquid coupling agent to a desired region on the surface of a substrate; and

forming a ruthenium containing layer within the desired region using a ruthenium tetroxide containing gas.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the liquid coupling agent comprises a metal alkoxide.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the metal in the metal alkoxide is selected from a group consisting of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, tungsten, silicon, germanium, tin, lead, aluminum, gallium, and indium.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the selectively applying the liquid coupling agent comprises:

depositing the liquid coupling agent to a desired region on the surface of a substrate; and

heating the substrate in a vacuum environment to a temperature below about 100°

C.

20. A layered metal oxide coating formed on a substrate, comprising:

a ruthenium containing coating formed by the decomposition of ruthenium tetroxide; and

a metal oxide coating formed by the decomposition of a vapor phase metal containing precursor.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the vapor phase metal containing precursor is selected from a group consisting of titanium isopropoxide, titanium tetrachloride, tetrakis diethylaminotitanium, tetrakis dimethylaminotitanium, tin isopropoxide, tetramethyltin, tetrakis-dimethylaminotin, tungsten (V) ethoxide, tungsten (VI) ethoxide, zirconium isopropoxide, zirconium tetrakis-dimethylaminddimethylamide, hafnium tetrakis-ethylmethylamindethylmethylamide, hafnium tetrakis-dimethylamide, hafnium tetra-t-butoxide, hafnium tetraethoxide, vanadium tri-isopropoxide oxide, niobium (V) ethoxide, tantalum (V) ethoxide, and trimethylaluminum.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the metal oxide contains an element selected from a group consisting of tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium, aluminum, hafnium, titanium, niobium, zirconium and tin.

23. A conductive coating formed on a substrate, comprising a mixed metal oxide coating deposited on a surface of the substrate by delivering a ruthenium tetroxide containing gas and a volatile metal oxide containing precursor to a surface of a substrate.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the volatile metal oxide containing precursor is selected from a group consisting of titanium isopropoxide, titanium tetrachloride, tetrakis diethylaminotitanium, tetrakis dimethylaminotitanium, tin isopropoxide, tetramethyltin, tetrakis-dimethylaminotin, tungsten (V) ethoxide, tungsten (VI) ethoxide, zirconium isopropoxide, zirconium tetrakis-dimethylaminddimethylamide, hafnium tetrakis-ethylmethylamindethylmethylamide, hafnium tetrakis-dimethylamide, hafnium tetra-t-butoxide, hafnium tetraethoxide, vanadium tri-isopropoxide oxide, niobium (V) ethoxide, tantalum (V) ethoxide, and trimethylaluminum.

25. A method of forming a conductive feature on the surface of a substrate, comprising:

forming a dielectric layer between two discrete devices formed on a substrate surface by depositing a polymeric material on the surface of the substrate;

exposing the dielectric layer to a ruthenium tetroxide containing gas, wherein the ruthenium tetroxide oxidizes the surface of the dielectric layer to form a ruthenium containing layer; and

depositing a conductive layer on the ruthenium containing layer using an electroless deposition process.