Electrolysis: processes – compositions used therein – and methods – Electrolytic erosion of a workpiece for shape or surface... – With programmed – cyclic – or time responsive control
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-13
2003-07-15
Ryan, Patrick (Department: 1745)
Electrolysis: processes, compositions used therein, and methods
Electrolytic erosion of a workpiece for shape or surface...
With programmed, cyclic, or time responsive control
C205S684000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06592742
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to integrated circuit fabrication and more particularly to the formation of metal layers used in integrated circuits.
2. Description of the Background Art
In the fabrication of integrated circuits (IC's), substrate surface planarity is of critical importance. This is especially so as the scale of integration increases and device features are reduced in size (e.g., sub-micron sizes). Integrated circuits typically include metal layers that are used to interconnect individual devices of the IC. The metal layers are typically isolated from each other by one or more dielectric material layers. Features (e.g., trenches, vias, etc.) formed through the dielectric layers provide electrical access between successive conductive interconnection layers.
Copper is becoming a metal of choice in integrated circuits for the metal layers that provide the electrical access between successive interconnection layers. Copper is preferred due to desirable properties such as lower resistance and better electromigration performance compared to traditional materials such as aluminum.
Copper may be deposited by various techniques such as physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and electrochemical plating (ECP). ECP is preferred because of its lower cost as compared to other deposition techniques. ECP entails the deposition of a metal conductive layer on a substrate by contacting the substrate with an electrolyte solution and providing an electrochemical potential between two electrodes. Copper ions plate out of the electrolyte solution and deposit onto the substrate.
Copper features are typically formed using damascene or dual damascene processes. In damascene processes, a feature is defined in a dielectric material and subsequently filled with copper. The copper is deposited both in the features and on the surrounding field. The copper deposited on the field is then removed to leave the copper filled feature formed in the dielectric.
The copper deposited on the field may be removed using techniques such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). CMP is a common technique used to planarize substrates. In CMP, a chemical polishing slurry, or other fluid medium, may be used in conjunction with mechanical energy to remove material from the substrate surface. However, with reducing dimensions (less than about 0.1 &mgr;m) for features on integrated circuits (ICs), it is difficult to planarize a metal surface using mechanical energy based CMP techniques.
Therefore, a need exists in the art for an improved method for planarizing a metal layer, such as a copper layer, on a substrate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method of chemically polishing a metal layer on a substrate is provided. The metal layer is chemically polished using an electrochemical polishing (ECP) process. In the ECP process, the substrate is immersed in a chemical polishing solution including a surfactant. The surfactant in the polishing solution covers the surface of the substrate such that only topographic portions of the substrate surface are exposed to the chemical polishing solution. Thereafter, an electrical potential applied to the substrate removes topographic portions of the substrate that are exposed to the polishing solution.
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Li Shijian
Sun Lizhong
Applied Materials Inc.
Moser Patterson & Sheridan
Parsons Thomas H.
Ryan Patrick
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