Interconnection structure and method for fabricating same

• US 6,436,814 B1
• Filed: 11/21/2000
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McDevitt, Thomas L., Horak, David V., Stamper, Anthony K., Klaasen, William A., Murray, Mark P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luu, Chuong A
• Application Number:
  US09/718,010
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 438/637, 438/638, 438/639, 438/640, 438/687, 438/618, 438/629, 438/646, 438/648
• US Class Current: 438/637
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76805 the opening being a via or contact hole penetrating the underlying conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76814 post-treatment or after-treatment, e.g. cleaning or removal of oxides on underlying conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76847 the layer being positioned within the main fill metal
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76877 Filling of holes, grooves or trenches, e.g. vias, with conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5226 Via connections in a multilevel interconnection structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/53238 Additional layers associated with copper layers, e.g. adhesion, barrier, cladding layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/53266 Additional layers associated with refractory-metal 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

Abstract

An interconnection structure preferably including one or more conductors that have a central region filled with an insulator, and a method of fabricating such an interconnection structure for preferably making an electrical connection to the conductor(s). The method preferably includes the steps of depositing and patterning a first insulator over a substrate to form an aperture opening to the substrate; depositing and polishing a first conductor to leave the first conductor in the aperture; depositing and patterning a second insulator to form an opening through the second insulator and a recess in the aperture; depositing one or more second conductors to line the opening and the recess, and to form a central region of the interconnection structure; depositing a third insulator to at least partially fill the central region; and making an electrical connection to the second conductor(s).

Claims

1. A method of forming an interconnection structure, the method comprising the steps of:

depositing and patterning a first insulator to form an aperture opening to a substrate;

depositing a first conductor and polishing the first conductor, thereby leaving the first conductor in the aperture;

depositing a second insulator and patterning the second insulator, the step of patterning the second insulator forming an opening through the second insulator and etching into the first conductor of the aperture, thereby forming a recess in the aperture;

depositing at least one second conductor, thereby lining the opening through the second insulator and the recess in the aperture, and thereby forming a central region of the interconnection structure;

depositing a third insulator, thereby at least partially filling the central region of the interconnection structure; and

making an electrical connection to the at least one second conductor.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of polishing the third insulator and the at least one second conductor to the second insulator.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of depositing an etch stop layer over the second insulator, wherein the step of patterning the second insulator comprises the steps of etching into the etch stop layer and the second insulator, thereby forming an opening through the etch stop layer and the second insulator;

etching into the first conductor of the aperture, thereby forming a recess in the aperture, and wherein the step of polishing the third insulator and the at least one second conductor to the second insulator comprises the step of polishing the third insulator and the at least one second conductor to the etch stop layer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of making an electrical connection to the at least one second conductor comprises the steps of:

depositing a fourth insulator;

patterning the fourth insulator;

selectively etching an opening through the fourth insulator stopping on the etch stop layer;

etching into the third insulator of the central region to remove a portion of the third insulator, thereby forming a hollow in the central region that exposes a portion of the at least one second conductor; and

depositing the at least one third conductor and polishing the at least one third conductor to the fourth insulator, thereby forming a protrusion of the at least one third conductor, and thereby filling the hollow in the central region.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one third conductor comprises a conformal conductor liner and a conformal conductor.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the conformal conductor comprises a copper seed layer and copper.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of etching an opening through the fourth insulator removes the etch stop layer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second conductor comprises tantalum, tantalum nitride, tungsten, tungsten nitride, titanium, titanium nitride, titanium tungsten, chromium, niobium, copper, aluminum, cobalt, copper alloy, aluminum alloy, or cobalt alloy.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second conductor comprises a first conformal conductor liner and a first conformal conductor.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said first conformal conductor liner and said first conformal conductor respectively comprise tantalum nitride/tantalum, tantalum/tantalum nitride, tantalum/copper, tantalum nitride/copper, tungsten nitride/tungsten, tungsten/tungsten nitride, titanium nitride/titanium, and titanium/titanium nitride.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said opening has a predetermined diameter and the ratio of the thickness of said at least one second conductor lining the opening to said diameter of the opening is approximately 0.25:

1.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the third insulator comprises spin on glass or oxide deposited by sub-atmospheric chemical vapor deposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, thermal chemical vapor deposition, or high density plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises the step of reflowing the third insulator.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of patterning the second insulator comprises the step of causing a non-selective fluorocarbon type etch down through the second insulator, thereby forming an opening through the second insulator, and the step of performing a wet clean, thereby opening up nonplanar high aspect ratio features of the first conductor of the aperture and forming a recess in the aperture.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of making an electrical connection to the at least one second conductor comprises the steps of:

depositing a fourth insulator;

patterning the fourth insulator;

etching an opening through the fourth insulator;

etching into the third insulator to remove a portion of the third insulator, thereby forming a protrusion of the at least one second conductor; and

depositing at least one third conductor and polishing the at least one third conductor to the fourth insulator, thereby filling the removed portion of the third insulator.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one third conductor comprises a conformal conductor liner and a conformal conductor.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the conformal conductor comprises a copper seed layer and copper.