Taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company, ltd. (20240379541). Nitrogen Plasma Treatment For Improving Interface Between Etch Stop Layer And Copper Interconnect simplified abstract

Nitrogen Plasma Treatment For Improving Interface Between Etch Stop Layer And Copper Interconnect

Organization Name

taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company, ltd.

Inventor(s)

Hui Lee of Hsinchu (TW)

Po-Hsiang Huang of Taipei City (TW)

Wen-Sheh Huang of Hsin Chu City (TW)

Jen Hung Wang of Hsinchu County (TW)

Su-Jen Sung of Hsinchu County (TW)

Chih-Chien Chi of Hsinchu City (TW)

Pei-Hsuan Lee of Taipei City (TW)

Nitrogen Plasma Treatment For Improving Interface Between Etch Stop Layer And Copper Interconnect - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 20240379541 titled 'Nitrogen Plasma Treatment For Improving Interface Between Etch Stop Layer And Copper Interconnect

Simplified Explanation: The patent application discusses interconnect structures that reduce the accumulation of copper vacancies at interfaces between contact etch stop layers (CESLs) and interconnects by modifying the interface through a nitrogen plasma treatment.

• Metal nitride CESL is deposited over a copper interconnect and dielectric layer.
• Interface between metal nitride CESL and copper interconnect is modified through nitrogen plasma treatment.
• Nitrogen plasma treatment increases nitrogen concentration and minimizes copper vacancies at the interface.

Key Features and Innovation:

• Method to reduce copper vacancies at interfaces in interconnect structures.
• Use of nitrogen plasma treatment to modify the interface between CESLs and interconnects.
• Enhanced reliability and performance of interconnect structures.

Potential Applications:

• Semiconductor manufacturing
• Integrated circuits
• Electronics industry

Problems Solved:

• Accumulation of copper vacancies at interfaces
• Reliability issues in interconnect structures

Benefits:

• Improved performance and reliability of interconnect structures
• Enhanced durability
• Reduced maintenance and repair costs

Commercial Applications: Potential commercial applications include:

• Semiconductor fabrication industry
• Electronics manufacturing sector

Prior Art: Prior research may include studies on:

• Copper interconnect structures
• Nitrogen plasma treatments in semiconductor manufacturing

Frequently Updated Research: Ongoing research on:

• Advanced materials for interconnect structures
• Plasma treatment techniques in semiconductor industry

Questions about Interconnect Structures: 1. What are the key benefits of reducing copper vacancies at interfaces in interconnect structures? 2. How does the nitrogen plasma treatment improve the reliability of interconnect structures?

Original Abstract Submitted

interconnect structures exhibiting reduced accumulation of copper vacancies along interfaces between contact etch stop layers (cesls) and interconnects, along with methods for fabrication, are disclosed herein. a method includes forming a copper interconnect in a dielectric layer and depositing a metal nitride cesl over the copper interconnect and the dielectric layer. an interface between the metal nitride cesl and the copper interconnect has a first surface nitrogen concentration, a first nitrogen concentration and/or a first number of nitrogen-nitrogen bonds. a nitrogen plasma treatment is performed to modify the interface between the metal nitride cesl and the copper interconnect. the nitrogen plasma treatment increases the first surface nitrogen concentration to a second surface nitrogen concentration, the first nitrogen concentration to a second nitrogen concentration, and/or the first number of nitrogen-nitrogen bonds to a second number of nitrogen-nitrogen bonds, each of which minimizes accumulation of copper vacancies at the interface.