17850746. SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE INCLUDING BARRIER LAYER BETWEEN ELECTRODE LAYER AND UNDERLYING SUBSTRATE simplified abstract (Intel Corporation)

SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE INCLUDING BARRIER LAYER BETWEEN ELECTRODE LAYER AND UNDERLYING SUBSTRATE

Organization Name

Intel Corporation

Inventor(s)

Shafaat Ahmed of Albuquerque NM (US)

Gowtham Sriram Jawaharram of Rio Ranch NM (US)

Cyrus M. Fox of Rio Rancho NM (US)

Jose L. Cruz-campa of Albuquerque NM (US)

Kriti Agarwal of Albuquerque NM (US)

Jian Jiao of Hillsboro OR (US)

Hong Li of Albuquerque NM (US)

Bharat V. Krishnan of Albuquerque NM (US)

Ervin T. Hill, Iii of Edgewood NM (US)

SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE INCLUDING BARRIER LAYER BETWEEN ELECTRODE LAYER AND UNDERLYING SUBSTRATE - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 17850746 titled 'SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE INCLUDING BARRIER LAYER BETWEEN ELECTRODE LAYER AND UNDERLYING SUBSTRATE

Simplified Explanation

The abstract describes a semiconductor structure that includes a substrate with circuitry and a semiconductor stack on top of it. The stack consists of a first electrically conductive layer made of metal, which is connected to the circuitry of the substrate. There is also a second electrically conductive layer between the substrate and the first layer, made of either a refractory metal or a combination of silicon, carbon, and nitride. This second layer acts as a barrier to prevent intermixing between the metal of the first layer and the substrate material during the deposition process.

• The semiconductor structure includes a substrate with circuitry and a semiconductor stack.
• The stack consists of a first electrically conductive layer made of metal.
• There is a second electrically conductive layer between the substrate and the first layer.
• The second layer is made of either a refractory metal or a combination of silicon, carbon, and nitride.
• The second layer acts as a barrier to prevent intermixing between the metal of the first layer and the substrate material during deposition.

Potential Applications

• Semiconductor manufacturing
• Integrated circuit fabrication
• Electronics industry

Problems Solved

• Formation of intermixing regions between metal layers and substrate material during deposition
• Improved reliability and performance of semiconductor structures

Benefits

• Enhanced barrier properties to prevent intermixing
• Improved overall performance and reliability of semiconductor devices
• Simplified manufacturing process

Original Abstract Submitted

A semiconductor structure, system and method. The semiconductor structure comprises: a substrate including circuitry therein; and a semiconductor stack on the substrate, the semiconductor stack including: a first electrically conductive layer including a metal and electrically coupled to the circuitry of the substrate; and a second electrically conductive layer between the substrate and the first electrically conductive layer, the second electrically conductive layer including one of a refractory metal, or a combination including silicon, carbon and nitride. The second electrically conductive layer may serve as a barrier layer between the first electrically conductive layer and the material of the underlying substrate, in this manner avoiding the formation of an intermixing region between the metal of the first electrically conductive layer and the material of the substrate during deposition of the metal.