Semiconductor device having high aspect ratio contacts

• US 6,127,732 A
• Filed: 04/13/1998
• Issued: 10/03/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Sandhu, Gurtej, Batra, Shubneesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Hardy, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ortiz, Edgardo
• Application Number:
  US09/059,671
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 257/763, 257/548, 257/616, 257/770, 257/774, 257/775
• US Class Current: 257/763
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76877 Filling of holes, grooves or trenches, e.g. vias, with conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76882 Reflowing or applying of pressure to better fill the contact hole
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/53214 the principal metal being aluminium
• 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

Impurities are added to a conductor layer in a semiconductor process to prevent formation of void spaces and encourage complete filling of contacts. The impurities reduce the melting point and surface tension of a conductor layer, thereby improving filling characteristics during a reflow step. The impurities may be added at any time during the process, including during conductor deposition and/or reflow.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a substrate having a contact hole formed therein;

a conductive layer comprising a conductive material, the conductive layer including a first portion extending into and substantially filling the contact hole and a second portion having an exterior surface disposed exterior to the contact hole; and

an impurity layer disposed in the conductive layers, the impurity layer comprising an impurity that migrates toward the exterior surface at a temperature that is less than a melting point temperature of the conductive material such that the first portion of the conductive layer is substantially free of the impurity.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the impurity layer is of generally uniform thickness.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the conductive material is a metal that has a base comprising at least one of aluminum, copper, tungsten, titanium or a mixture thereof.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the conductive material is an aluminum based metal and the impurity comprises at least one of silicon, germanium, or a mixture thereof.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the temperature is from approximately 10% to approximately 60% below the melting point temperature of the conductive material.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a semiconductor memory device.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the semiconductor memory device is a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device.

21. The semiconductor device as recited in claim 1, wherein the impurity layer has a thickness of approximately 20% to approximately 80% of an overall thickness of the conductive layer.

8. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a substrate having a contact hole formed therein;

a conductor layer comprising a conductive material, the conductor layer extending into said contact hole;

a first impurity layer in said conductor layer, the first impurity layer comprising the conductive material and a first impurity, the first impurity layer having a melting point temperature and surface tension less than that of said conductive material; and

a second impurity layer in said conductor layer, the second impurity layer comprising the conductive material and a second impurity, the second impurity layer having a melting point temperature and surface tension less than that of said conductive material, the second impurity layer being separated from the first impurity layer by a portion of the conductive material that is substantially free of an impurity.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the conductive material is a metal that has a base comprising at least one of aluminum, copper, tungsten, titanium or a mixture thereof.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the conductive material is an aluminum based metal and at least one of the first and second impurities comprise at least one of silicon, germanium, fluorine, iodine, chlorine, titanium, tungsten, tantalum or a mixture thereof.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the first impurity layer and the second impurity layer comprise the same type of impurity.

12. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a semiconductor substrate having a first layer having a contact hole formed therein;

a layer of conductive material disposed in the contact hole;

an impurity layer disposed in the contact hole over the layer of conductive material, the impurity layer having a melting point temperature and surface tension less than that of the conductive material, the impurity layer migrating out of the contact hole and the layer of conductive material filling the contact hole in response to the layer of conductive material and the impurity layer being reflowed.

13. The semiconductor device as recited in claim 12, wherein the impurity layer comprises a mixture of the conductive material and an impurity.

14. The semiconductor device as recited in claim 12, wherein the impurity layer is of generally uniform thickness.

15. The semiconductor device as recited in claim 12, wherein the melting point temperature of the impurity layer is from approximately 10% to approximately 60% below the melting point temperature of the conductive material.

16. The semiconductor device as recited in claim 12, wherein the impurity layer has a thickness from approximately 20% to approximately 80% of an overall thickness of the layer of conductive material.

17. The semiconductor device as recited in claim 12, wherein the conductive material is a metal that has a base comprising at least one of aluminum, copper, tungsten, titanium, or a mixture thereof.

18. The semiconductor device as recited in claim 17, wherein the conductive material is an aluminum-based metal and the impurity layer comprises at least one of silicon, germanium, fluorine, iodine, chlorine, titanium, tungsten, tantalum, or a mixture thereof.

19. The semiconductor device as recited in claim 12, wherein the device is a semiconductor memory device.

20. The semiconductor device as recited in claim 19, wherein the semiconductor memory device is a dynamic random access (DRAM) device.