APPARATUS FOR UV DAMAGE REPAIR OF LOW K FILMS PRIOR TO COPPER BARRIER DEPOSITION
First Claim
1. A semiconductor substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
- a. a load lock;
b. a transport module having a load chamber, a transfer chamber, and a pass-through chamber located between the load chamber and the transfer chamber, the load chamber being coupled to the load lock;
c. a robot configured to transfer a wafer between the load lock and the load chamber;
d. a UV process module coupled at least one of the load chamber and the transfer chamber; and
e. a metal deposition process module coupled to the transfer chamber.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method for the ultraviolet (UV) treatment of carbon-containing low-k dielectric enables process-induced damage repair. A semiconductor substrate processing system may be configured to include degas and plasma pre-clean modules, UV process modules, copper diffusion barrier deposition modules and copper seed deposition modules such that the substrate is held under vacuum and is not exposed to ambient air after low k damage repair and before copper barrier layer deposition. Inventive methods provide for treatment of a damaged low-k dielectric on a semiconductor substrate with UV radiation to repair processing induced damage and barrier layer deposition prior breaking vacuum.
134 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A semiconductor substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
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a. a load lock; b. a transport module having a load chamber, a transfer chamber, and a pass-through chamber located between the load chamber and the transfer chamber, the load chamber being coupled to the load lock; c. a robot configured to transfer a wafer between the load lock and the load chamber; d. a UV process module coupled at least one of the load chamber and the transfer chamber; and e. a metal deposition process module coupled to the transfer chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 19)
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15. A method of forming a semiconductor device in a damascene processing, comprising:
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a. receiving in a semiconductor processing apparatus a semiconductor device substrate comprising a carbon-containing low-k dielectric layer having formed therein a feature; b. exposing the feature to UV radiation in a UV process module of the apparatus; and c. depositing a barrier layer on the wafer in a process module of the apparatus; and
,wherein the substrate is not exposed to ambient conditions after exposing to UV radiation and before depositing the barrier layer. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 20)
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Specification