Method of metalizing a semiconductor wafer

• US 5,747,360 A
• Filed: 05/11/1995
• Issued: 05/05/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Nulman, Jaim
• Primary Examiner(s): Niebling, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): BILODEAU, THOMA
• Application Number:
  US08/439,363
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 437/189, 437/190, 437/192, 437/194, 437/197, 437/198, 437/195, 437/203, 204/192.15, 204/192.17
• US Class Current: 438/648
• 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 21/76882 Reflowing or applying of pressure to better fill the contact hole
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/53223 Additional layers associated with aluminium 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 Impedance

Abstract

A method for metallizing semiconductor materials includes two processing steps. In the first step, a layer of an alloy of conductive metal, such as aluminum, and an Alloy Material such as hafnium, tantalum, magnesium, germanium, silicon, titanium, titanium nitride, tungsten and/or a composite of tungsten, is deposited on the surface in a single step from a single source. In the second step, a layer of the conductive metal is deposited over the alloy layer. Thus, using this method, metallization can be conveniently performed using two chambers.

Claims

1. A method of simultaneously metallizing the surface of a semiconductor wafer and filling contact-holes, comprising the steps in the order listed of:

providing a semiconductor wafer;

forming an insulating layer over the semiconductor wafer;

forming a contact-hole through the insulating layer;

depositing a layer of an alloy including copper and an Alloy Material, the alloy being deposited in a single step from a single target formed of both the copper and the Alloy Material, the deposition being continued for a time period such that only a portion of the contact-hole is filled with the layer of the alloy; and

depositing a layer of copper over the layer of alloy substantially filling the contact-hole thereby.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the layer of copper is a copper alloy.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the Alloy Material is selected from the group consisting of hafnium, tantalum, magnesium, germanium, silicon, titanium, titanium nitride, tungsten and a composite of tungsten.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of depositing the alloy layer is performed in a first chamber at a temperature ranging from about room temperature to less than about 300 degrees centigrade.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of depositing the layer of copper is performed in a second chamber at a temperature ranging from about room temperature to less than about 200 degrees centigrade, followed by increasing the temperature of the wafer to greater than 200 degrees centigrade.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the temperature of the wafer is increased to a range between about 400 degrees centigrade to about 600 degrees centigrade.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of depositing the layer of copper is performed at a temperature greater than about 200 degrees centigrade.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of depositing the layer of copper is performed at a temperature ranging from about 400 degrees centigrade to about 600 degrees centigrade.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of forming a barrier layer between the step of forming a contact-hole and the step of depositing a layer of an alloy.

10. A method of simultaneously metallizing the surface of semiconductor material and filling contact-holes, comprising the steps in the order list of:

providing a semiconductor wafer;

forming an insulating layer over the semiconductor wafer;

forming a contact-hole through the insulating layer;

in a first chamber, depositing on the surface of the semiconductor material a layer of an alloy including copper and an Alloy Material, the alloy being deposited in a single step and from a single target formed of both the copper and the Alloy Material, the deposition being continued for time period such that only a portion of the contact-hole is filled with the layer of the alloy; and

in a second chamber, depositing a layer of copper over the layer of alloy substantially filling the contact-hole thereby.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the layer of copper is a copper alloy.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the Alloy Material is selected from the group consisting of hafnium, tantalum, magnesium, germanium, silicon, titanium, titanium nitride, tungsten and a composite of tungsten.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of depositing the alloy layer is performed at a temperature ranging from about room temperature to less than about 200 degrees centigrade.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of depositing the layer of copper is performed at a temperature ranging from about room temperature to less than about 200 degrees centigrade, followed by increasing the temperature in the second chamber to greater than 200 degrees centigrade.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the temperature in the second chamber is increased to range from about 400 degrees centigrade to about 600 degrees centigrade.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of depositing the layer of copper is performed at a temperature greater than about 200 degrees centigrade.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of depositing the layer of copper is performed at a temperature ranging from about 400 degrees centigrade to about 600 degrees centigrade.

18. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of forming a barrier layer between the step of forming a contact-hole and the step of depositing on the surface of the semiconductor material a layer of an alloy.

19. A method of simultaneously metallizing the surface of a semiconductor wafer and filling contact-holes, comprising the steps in the order listed of:

providing a semiconductor wafer;

forming an insulating layer over the semiconductor wafer;

forming a contact-hole through the insulating layer;

depositing a layer of an alloy including aluminum and an Alloy Material, the alloy being deposited in a single step from a single target formed of both the aluminum and the Alloy Material, the deposition being continued for a time period such that only a portion of the contact-hole is filled with the layer of the alloy; and

depositing a layer of copper over the layer of alloy substantially filling the contact-hole thereby.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the layer of copper is a copper alloy.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the Alloy Material is selected from the group consisting of hafnium, tantalum, magnesium, germanium, silicon, titanium, titanium nitride, tungsten and a composite of tungsten.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of depositing the alloy layer is performed in a first chamber at a temperature ranging from about room temperature to less than about 300 degrees centigrade.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of depositing the layer of copper is performed in a second chamber at a temperature ranging from about room temperature to less than about 200 degrees centigrade, followed by increasing the temperature of the wafer to greater than 200 degrees centigrade.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the temperature of the wafer is increased to a range between about 400 degrees centigrade to about 600 degrees centigrade.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of depositing the layer of copper is performed at a temperature greater than about 200 degrees centigrade.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of depositing the layer of copper is performed at a temperature ranging from about 400 degrees centigrade to about 600 degrees centigrade.

27. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of forming a barrier layer between the step of forming a contact-hole and the step of depositing a layer of an alloy.