Composition for selective etching of oxides over metals

Details Composition for selective etching of oxides over metals Composition for selective etching of oxides over metals

2001-06-06

2003-07-08

Beck, Shrive P. (Department: 1763)

Etching a substrate: processes

Nongaseous phase etching of substrate

Etching inorganic substrate

C134S001300, C134S003000, C134S041000, C252S079100, C510S176000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06589439

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a composition for use in microelectronics applications. More particularly, the present invention relates to a composition for selectively etching oxides remaining after plasma etching and/or chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of a metal substrate having low dielectric constant (low-k) interlayers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As the dimension of the photolithographic pattern on a wafer continues to shrink below 0.18 microns, greater demands are placed on lithographic equipment and materials. To meet this challenge, the semiconductor industry is turning to copper and low dielectric constant (low-k) materials to manufacture chips. Copper is known to provide as much as a 40% decrease in resistance. Moreover, when using low-k materials there is a decrease in capacitance, which is critical to improving integrated circuit performance, especially for higher density memory chips. More and more, the metal substrate and inter-dielectric layer materials are changing from aluminum based alloys and silicon dioxide to copper metal and the new low-k dielectrics.
Low-k materials can be divided into two categories. The first category includes inorganic low-k materials such as hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ), fluorinated silicon glass (FSG), or other non-carbon containing silicon based materials. The second category is comprised of organic low-k materials, such as bisbenzocyclobutene (BCB) available from Dow Chemical and poly(arylene ether) sold under the tradenames FLARE from Allied Signal, and SiLK from Dow Chemical.
To utilize copper and the low-k materials, new manufacturing methods are employed. One method is the Damascene method, which follows several basic steps. First, an insulator is deposited. Next, a photoresist pattern with the reverse image of the metal is added. This is followed by etching a trough in the oxide at a depth equal to the desired metal thickness. A liner and copper are then deposited. This is followed by chemical mechanical planarization to remove the excess copper.
An essential step in the manufacturing process is the removal of residues from the wafer surface. Cleaning compositions for cleaning silicon or aluminum wafer surfaces are well known in the art. However, compositions that are effective in selectively etching oxide residues from a metal substrate that contains low-k interlayers, are not readily available. The industry's move to copper and low-k materials has created a need for such a composition that is specifically formulated to remove residues from a metal substrate, i.e. copper, without damaging the low-k interlayers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a composition for selectively etching oxide residues remaining after plasma etching and/or chemical mechanical polishing, from a metal substrate such as copper that has low-k interlayers. The composition contains water, hydroxylammonium salt, carboxylic acid, a fluorine containing compound, and optionally, a base. The pH of the composition is about 2 to 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a composition that has utility for selectively etching the oxide residue that remains after plasma etching and/or chemical mechanical polishing of a metal substrate that contains low-k interlayers. The metal substrate may be, for example, copper, aluminum, tantalum, or tungsten. The present invention removes the residue without damaging the metal substrates and the low-k interlayers contained within the substrate.
In the present invention, the composition is comprised of water, hydroxylammonium salt, carboxylic acid, and a fluorine-containing compound. In addition, a base may be included.
The present invention includes a water soluble hydroxylammonium salt of an organic or inorganic acid that removes post-etch residue. Hydroxylammonium salts, such as hydroxylammonium sulfate (HAS), are effective in dissolving the post-etch residue formed on a silicon dioxide/titanium nitride/aluminum-copper substrate, due to its acidity and physical/chemical properties. For example, HAS is a major component in MICROSTRIP 5002, a product commercially available from Arch Chemicals, Inc., which is useful in removing post-etch residues remaining after via and aluminum line etching. The hydroxylammonium salt may be, for example, hydroxylammonium sulfate, hydroxylammonium nitrate, hydroxylammonium phosphate, hydroxylammonium chloride, hydroxylammonium oxalate, hydroxylammonium citrate, hydroxylammonium lactate, or mixtures thereof. The preferred hydroxylammonium salt is hydroxylammonium sulfate.
The composition of the present invention includes about 0.01 wt. % to 5.0 wt. % of a hydroxylammonium salt. Preferably about 0.05 wt. % to 1.0 wt. %, and most preferably about 0.1 wt. % to 0.5 wt. % of a hydroxylammonium salt is included.
A carboxylic acid must be included in the composition of the present invention. The carboxylic acid serves as a corrosion inhibitor. Carboxylic acids, especially those containing hydroxyl groups, can effectively inhibit metal corrosion of aluminum, copper, and their alloys. The carboxylic acids have a chelating effect on those metals. Suitable carboxylic acids include monocarboxylic and polycarboxylic acids. For example, the carboxylic acid may be, but is not limited to, formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, valeric acid, isovaleric acid, oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, phthalic acid, 1,2,3-benzenetricarboxylic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, salicylic acid, tartaric acid, gluconic acid, and mixtures thereof. The preferred carboxylic acid is citric acid.
The carboxylic acid is conveniently added in an amount about 0.01 wt. % to 5.0 wt. %. Preferably about 0.05 wt. % to 3.0 wt. %, and most preferably about 0.1 wt. % to 1.0 wt. % of carboxylic acid is added.
The present invention requires the presence of a water soluble fluorine-containing compound that may be organic or inorganic. The fluorine-containing compound acts as a selective etchant for oxides against metals. For example, fluorine-containing compounds, particularly fluoride salts like hydrogen fluoride (HF) are known to selectively attack silicon dioxide against silicon due to cleavage of Si—O—Si bonding. It is also known that some fluorine containing compounds can cleave Cu—O—Cu bonding so that CuOx can be selectively etched against copper. Examples of suitable fluorine-containing compounds are, hydrogen fluoride, ammonium fluoride, hydrogen fluoride pyridine salt, hydrogen fluoride imidazole salt, tetramethylammonium fluoride, tetraethylammonium fluoride, hydrogen fluoride polyvinylpyridine salt, hydrogen fluoride polyvinylimidazole salt, hydrogen fluoride polyallylamine salt, or mixtures thereof. Hydrogen fluoride is the preferred fluorine containing compound.
The composition includes about 0.001 wt. % to 3.0 wt. % of a fluorine-containing compound. Preferably about 0.005 wt. % to 1.0 wt. %, and most preferably about 0.01 wt. % to 0.5 wt. % of the composition is a fluorine containing compound.
Optionally, the composition may include a base. The base is used to adjust the pH of the composition, which must be about 2 to 6. Preferably, the pH of the composition is about 3.0 to 4.5. It is critical that the pH of the cleaning composition be acidic. This enables the composition to selectively etch metal oxides such as any oxide of copper or mixtures thereof (CuOx) against silicon dioxide as well as metals like copper and aluminum. Silicon dioxide readily dissolves in an alkaline pH region, but not where the pH is neutral or acidic. In contrast, metal oxides such as CuOx dissolve in both acidic and alkaline pH environments. As such, the pH of the composition of the present invention is set to or adjusted to about 2 to 6. The pH is adjusted by adding a base. The base can be, for example, a tetraalkylammonium hydroxide, such as tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), tetraethylammonium hydroxide, or mixtures thereof. Tetramethylammonium hydroxide is the preferred base to be used in the

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