Planarized semiconductor interconnect topography and method...

Details Planarized semiconductor interconnect topography and method... Planarized semiconductor interconnect topography and method...

1998-08-31

2001-05-15

Bowers, Charles (Department: 2823)

Semiconductor device manufacturing: process

Chemical etching

Combined with the removal of material by nonchemical means

C438S692000, C438S697000, C438S700000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06232231

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to integrated circuit manufacturing and, more particularly, to a substantially planarized interconnect topography and method for making spaced interconnect by forming a plurality of dummy features in a dielectric layer between a relatively wide interconnect structure and a series of relatively narrow interconnect structures.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fabrication of an integrated circuit involves numerous processing steps. After implant regions (e.g., source/drain regions) have been placed within a semiconductor substrate and gate areas defined upon the substrate, an interlevel dielectric is formed across the topography to isolate the gate areas and the implant regions from overlying conducting regions. Interconnect routing is then patterned across the interlevel dielectric and connected to the implant regions and/or the gate areas by ohmic contacts formed through the interlevel dielectric. Alternating levels of interlevel dielectric and interconnect may be placed across the semiconductor topography to form a multi-level integrated circuit.
As successive layers are deposited across previously patterned layers of an integrated circuit, elevational disparities develop across the surface of each layer. If left unattended, the elevational disparities in each level of an integrated circuit can lead to various problems. For example, when a dielectric, conductive, or semiconductive material is deposited over a topological surface having elevationally raised and recessed regions, step coverage problems may arise. Step coverage is defined as a measure of how well a film conforms over an underlying step and is expressed by the ratio of the minimum thickness of a film as it crosses a step to the nominal thickness of the film over horizontal regions. Also, stringers may arise from incomplete etching over severe steps. Furthermore, correctly patterning layers upon a topological surface containing fluctuations in elevation may be difficult using optical lithography. The depth-of-focus of the lithography alignment system may vary depending upon whether the resist resides in an elevational “hill” or “valley” area. The presence of such elevational disparities therefore makes it difficult to print high resolution features.
Techniques involving chemical and mechanical abrasion (e.g., chemical-mechanical polishing) to planarize or remove the surface irregularities have grown in popularity. As shown in
FIG. 1
, a typical chemical-mechanical polishing (“CMP”) process involves placing a semiconductor wafer
12
face-down on a polishing pad
14
which lies on or is attached to a rotatable table or platen
16
. A popular polishing pad medium comprises polyurethane or polyurethane-impregnated polyester felts. During the CMP process, polishing pad
14
and semiconductor wafer
12
may be rotated while a carrier
10
holding wafer
12
applies a downward force F upon polishing pad
14
. An abrasive, fluid-based chemical suspension, often referred to as a “slurry”, is deposited from a conduit
18
positioned above pad
14
onto the surface of polishing pad
14
. The slurry may fill the space between pad
14
and the surface of wafer
12
. The polishing process may involve a chemical in the slurry reacting with the surface material being polished. The rotational movement of polishing pad
14
relative to wafer
12
causes abrasive particles entrained within the slurry to physically strip the reacted surface material from wafer
12
. The pad
14
itself may also physically remove some material from the surface of the wafer
12
. The abrasive slurry particles are typically composed of silica, alumina, or ceria.
CMP is commonly used to form a planarized level of an integrated circuit containing interconnect laterally spaced from each other in what is generally referred to as the “damascene” process. Laterally spaced trenches are first etched in an interlevel dielectric configured upon a semiconductor topography comprising electrically conductive features. A conductive material is then deposited into the trenches and on the interlevel dielectric between trenches to a level spaced above the upper surface of the interlevel dielectric. CMP is applied to the surface of the conductive material to remove that surface to a level substantially commensurate with that of the upper surface of the interlevel dielectric. In this manner, interconnect that are isolated from each other by the interlevel dielectric are formed exclusively in the trenches. CMP can planarize only localized regions of the interconnect surface such that all interconnect traces have a co-planar upper surface, provided certain conditions are met. The localized area must contain trenches that are consistently, and closely spaced from each other. Moreover the trenches must be relatively narrow in lateral dimension. If those rather restrictive requirements are not met, then thicknesses of a given interconnect layer can vary to such a degree that local regions of interconnect may suffer severe current carrying limitations.
In particular, planarization may become quite difficult in a region where there is a relatively large distance between a series of relatively narrow interconnect, or if there is a relatively wide interconnect such as that found in, for example, a bond pad.
FIGS. 2-4
illustrate a typical damascene process and the localized thinning or “dishing” problem experienced by conventional metal CMP processes.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, a series of relatively narrow trenches
22
and a relatively wide trench
24
are formed in an interlevel dielectric
20
using well-known lithography and etch techniques. The series of narrow trenches
22
and the wide trench
24
are laterally separated by a region of interlevel dielectric having a smooth upper surface
26
.
FIG. 3
illustrates a conductive material
28
, e.g., a metal, such as Al, W, Ta, and Ti, deposited across the topography to a level spaced above upper surface
26
. Due to the conformal nature of the sputter or CVD process used to apply the conductive material, the conductive material takes on an upper surface topography having a first region
30
formed over closely spaced hill and valley areas spaced above the series of narrow trenches
22
. The topography also includes a second region
32
having a single wide valley area spaced above the wide trench
24
and a substantially flat third region
34
spaced above smooth upper surface
26
. Conductive material
28
is then polished, as shown in
FIG. 4
, using CMP to remove conductive material
28
from the upper surface of interlevel dielectric
20
. As a result of CMP, a series of relatively narrow interconnect
36
are formed exclusively in narrow trenches
22
and a relatively wide interconnect
38
is formed exclusively in wide trench
24
. The narrow interconnect
36
may serve to electrically connect underlying active devices and conductive elements of the semiconductor topography. The wide interconnect
38
may subsequently function as, e.g., a bond pad.
Unfortunately, the topological surface of the interconnect level is not absent of elevational disparity. That is, the upper surface of interconnect
38
includes a recessed area
42
that extends below a substantially planar upper surface
44
of interlevel dielectric
20
. Recessed area
42
may result from a phenomena known as the “dishing” effect. Dishing naturally results from the polishing pad flexing or conforming to the surface being polished. If the surface being polished is initially bowed or arcuate (i.e., is not planar), the polishing pad will take on the shape of the non-planar regions causing further dishing of the surface being polished. The CMP slurry initiates the polishing process by chemically reacting with the surface material in both elevated and recessed areas. Because of the deformation of the CMP pad, the reacted surface material in recessed areas may be physically stripped in addition to the reacted surface material in elevated areas. As such, a surface having fluctuations in e

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