Method of eliminating photoresist poisoning in damascene applications

• US 6,656,837 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2001
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Dworkin, Larry A., Xia, Li-Qun, Naik, Mehul, Xu, Ping
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Hoai
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOANG, QUOC DINH
• Application Number:
  US09/977,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20030077916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 438/623, 438/627, 438/676, 438/687, 438/931, 438/780
• US Class Current: 438/676
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/325 Silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/401 containing silicon
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/16 Coating processes; Apparatus therefor applying coatings to base materials in general B05; applying photosensitive compositions to base for photographic purposes G03C1/74
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02126 the material containing Si, O, and at least one of H, N, C, F, or other non-metal elements, e.g. SiOC, SiOC:H or SiONC
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02167 the material being a silicon carbide not containing oxygen, e.g. SiC, SiC:H or silicon carbonitrides H01L21/02126 and H01L21/0214 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/022 the layer being a laminate, i.e. composed of sublayers, e.g. stacks of alternating high-k metal oxides adhesion layers or buffer layers H01L21/02304, H01L21/02362
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02271 deposition by decomposition or reaction of gaseous or vapour phase compounds, i.e. chemical vapour deposition H01L21/02266 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0234 treatment by exposure to a plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3105 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31144 using masks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/312 Organic layers, e.g. photoresist H01L21/3105, H01L21/32 take precedence; photoresists per se G03C
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3148 Silicon Carbide layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/7681 involving one or more buried masks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76826 by contacting the layer with gases, liquids or plasmas
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76828 thermal treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76832 Multiple layers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 257/914 Polysilicon containing oxygen, nitrogen, or carbon, e.g. sipos

Abstract

A method is provided for processing a substrate including treating a surface of a dielectric layer comprising silicon and carbon by exposing the dielectric layer comprising silicon and carbon to a plasma of an inert gas, and depositing a photoresist on the dielectric layer comprising silicon and carbon. The dielectric layer may comprise a first dielectric layer comprising silicon, carbon, and nitrogen, and a second layer of nitrogen-free silicon and carbon containing material in situ on the first dielectric layer, and a third dielectric layer comprising silicon, oxygen, and carbon on the second dielectric layer.

Claims

1. A method for processing a substrate, comprising:

depositing a nitrogen-doped dielectric layer on the substrate;

depositing a dielectric layer comprising silicon and carbon on the nitrogen-doped dielectric layer;

treating a surface of the dielectric layer comprising silicon and carbon by exposing the dielectric layer comprising silicon and carbon to a plasma of an inert gas; and

depositing a photoresist on the dielectric layer comprising silicon and carbon.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

patterning and etching the photoresist layer to expose the dielectric layer comprising silicon and carbon; and

then

etching the dielectric layer comprising silicon and carbon to form at least a portion of a damascene definition.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising depositing one or more conductive materials in the damascene definition to form a damascene structure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the inert gas comprises argon, helium, neon, xenon, or krypton, or combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the processing gas is introduced into a processing chamber at a flow rate of about 3000 sccm or less.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plasma is generated at a power level between about 200 and about 800 watts.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein plasma is generated at a chamber pressure between about 3 Torr and about 12 Torr.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the substrate is maintained between about 300°

C. and about 450°

C. when exposing the dielectric layer comprising silicon and carbon to a plasma of a processing gas.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the dielectric layer comprising silicon and carbon is exposed to the plasma for between about 10 and about 100 seconds.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein exposing the dielectric layer comprising silicon and carbon to a plasma of an inert gas comprises introducing helium, argon, neon, xenon, krypton, or combinations thereof, into the processing chamber at a flow rate of about 3000 sccm or less, maintaining the processing chamber at a pressure of between about 7 Torr and about 10 Torr, maintaining the substrate temperature between about 300°

C. and about 450°

C., generating the plasma by supplying a power level for a 200 mm substrate between about 200 watts and about 800 watts to the processing chamber, and maintaining the plasma between about 40 and about 60 seconds.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer comprising silicon and carbon is nitrogen-free silicon carbide or silicon oxide.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer comprising silicon and carbon comprises a dielectric layer comprising silicon, oxygen, and carbon deposited on the substrate by chemical vapor deposition, wherein the dielectric layer comprising silicon, oxygen, and carbon has a carbon content between about 5 and about 30 atomic percent excluding hydrogen atoms.

13. A method for processing a substrate, comprising:

depositing a first dielectric layer comprising silicon, carbon, and nitrogen on the substrate;

depositing a nitrogen-free silicon containing material in situ on the dielectric layer;

depositing a second dielectric layer comprising silicon, oxygen, and carbon on the nitrogen-free silicon containing material by chemical vapor deposition; and

depositing a photoresist on the second dielectric layer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

treating a surface of the second dielectric layer by exposing the second dielectric layer to a plasma of a processing gas prior to depositing a photoresist on the dielectric layer comprising silicon, oxygen, and carbon.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein exposing the second dielectric layer to a plasma of a processing gas comprises introducing an inert gas of helium, argon, neon, xenon, krypton, or combinations thereof, into the processing chamber at a flow rate of about 3000 sccm or less, maintaining the processing chamber at a pressure of between about 7 Torr and about 10 Torr, maintaining the substrate temperature between about 300°

C. and about 450°

C., generating the plasma by supplying a power level for a 200 mm substrate between about 200 watts and about 800 watts to the processing chamber, and maintaining the plasma between about 40 and about 60 seconds.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

patterning and etching the photoresist layer to expose the second dielectric layer; and

etching the second dielectric layer to form at least a portion of a damascene definition.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising depositing one or more conductive materials in a portion of the damascene definition to form a damascene structure.