Method to plasma deposit on organic polymer dielectric film

• US 7,163,721 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2003
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Tegal Corp. (Rennova Health, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Zhihong, Nguyen, Tai Dung, Nguyen, Tue
• Primary Examiner(s): PADGETT, MARIANNE L
• Application Number:
  US10/360,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20040151844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 427/562, 427/563, 427/564, 427/569, 427/576, 427/578, 427/579, 427/255.36, 427/255.37, 427/255.31, 427/255.391, 427/255.392, 427/255.393, 427/255.394, 438/763, 438/764, 438/771, 438/776, 438/787, 438/788, 438/789, 438/790, 438/791, 438/792, 438/793, 438/794
• US Class Current: 427/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31058 of organic layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76843 formed in openings in a dielectric

Abstract

A method for protecting an organic polymer underlayer during a plasma assisted process of depositing a subsequent film on the organic polymer underlayer is disclosed. The method provides the deposition of a protective continuous layer using organic polymer damage-free technique in order to not damage the organic polymer underlayer and to protect the organic polymer underlayer during the plasma assisted process of depositing a subsequent film. The organic polymer damage-free technique is a non-plasma process, using only thermal energy and chemical reactions to deposit the continuous layer. The organic polymer damage-free technique can also be a plasma assisted process using a reduced plasma power low enough in order to not damage the organic polymer underlayer. This method is applicable to many organic polymer underlayers such as organic polymer is aromatic hydrocarbon, polytetrafluoroehtylene (PTFE), parylene, benzocyclobutene-based polymers (BCB), polyimide, fluorinated polyimide, fluorocarbon-based polymers, poly(arylene ether)-based polymers (PAE), cyclohexanone-based polymers, and to many plasma assisted deposition processes such as plasma enhanced CVD deposition, plasma enhanced ALD deposition and plasma enhanced NLD deposition of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, nitrided diffusion barrier such as TiN, TaN, WN, TiSiN, TaSiN, WSiN.

Claims

1. A method to protect an organic polymer dielectric underlayer during a plasma assisted process from damage to the dielectric in the form of physical etching by plasma excited species, the method comprising:

providing an organic polymer dielectric underlayer, the organic polymer dielectric underlayer being susceptible to be etched by plasma excited species;

depositing a protective continuous layer of inorganic material directly on the organic polymer dielectric underlayer using a first plasma power plasma assisted process, a first plasma power of the first plasma power plasma assisted process being selected in order to avoid damaging the organic polymer dielectric underlayer and the protective continuous layer to function as a protective layer during subsequent steps; and

depositing a second plasma power plasma assisted fun onto the protective layer, a second plasma power for depositing the second plasma power plasma assisted film being higher than the first plasma power, whereby the protective layer protects the organic polymer dielectric underlayer from being damaged by the plasma excited species,

whereby the organic polymer dielectric is protected from damage due to physical etching by plasma excited species.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein the first plasma power is between 100 W to 500 W.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein the second plasma power is between 600 W to 3000 W.

4. A method as in claim 1 wherein the organic polymer dielectric material is selected from a group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), parylene, benzocyclobutene-based polymers (BCB), polyimide, poly(arylene ether)-based polymers (PAE), and cyclohexanone-based polymers.

5. A method as in claim 1 wherein the inorganic material is selected from a group consisting of silicon-based materials, and metal based materials.

6. A method as in claim 1 wherein the thickness of the protective layer is between 1 monolayer and 10 monolayers.

7. A method as in claim 1 wherein the deposition process employs a metal organic precursor to deposit a metal-based film.

8. A method as in claim 7 wherein the metal organic precursor is TDMAT (tetrakis dimethyl amino titanium) to form a nitrided titanium film.

9. A method as in claim 1 wherein the deposition process employs TEOS (tetra ethyl ortho silicate) to form a silicon oxide film.

10. A method as in claim 1 wherein the deposition process is selected from a group consisting of PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition), PEALD (plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition), and PENLD (plasma enhanced nanolayer deposition) using plasma energy to excite the precursors.

11. A method as in claim 1 wherein the deposition process is a cyclic process using a sequence of metal organic precursor deposition and nitrogen-containing plasma treatment to form a nitrided metal film.

12. A method as in claim 1 wherein the deposition process is a cyclic process using a sequence of TDMAT precursor deposition and nitrogen plasma treatment to form a titanium nitride film.

13. A method as in claim 1 wherein the deposition process is a cyclic process using a sequence of TEOS precursor deposition and nitrogen or oxygen plasma treatment to form a silicon oxide film.

14. A method as in claim 1 wherein the deposition process is a PECVD process using TDMAT precursor to form a titanium nitride film.

15. A method as in claim 1 wherein the deposition process is a PECVD process using TEOS precursor to form a silicon oxide film.

16. A method as in claim 1 wherein the first power plasma assisted process and the second power plasma assisted process employ the same precursors.

17. A method as in claim 1 wherein the first power plasma assisted process and the second power plasma assisted process employ different precursors.