Apparatus comprising structures including contact vias and conductive lines, related methods, and memory devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11101171-B2
Application number	US-201916542507-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2019
Priority date	Aug 16, 2019
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

An apparatus comprises a structure including an upper insulating material overlying a lower insulating material, a conductive element underlying the lower insulating material, and a conductive material comprising a metal line and a contact. The conductive material extends from an upper surface of the upper insulating material to an upper surface of the conductive element. The structure also comprises a liner material adjacent the metal line. A width of an uppermost surface of the conductive material of the metal line external to the contact is relatively less than a width of an uppermost surface of the conductive material of the contact. Related methods, memory devices, and electronic systems are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a structure comprising:
an upper insulating material adjacent a lower insulating material;
a conductive element underlying the lower insulating material;
a conductive material comprising a metal line and a contact, the conductive material extending from an upper surface of the upper insulating material to an upper surface of the conductive element, wherein the conductive material of the contact is in direct contact with each of the lower insulating material and the conductive element; and
a liner material adjacent the metal line,

wherein a width of an uppermost surface of the conductive material of the metal line external to the contact is relatively less than a width of an uppermost surface of the conductive material of the contact.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein openings comprising the metal line and the contact are entirely free of seed materials and diffusion barrier materials.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an aspect ratio of a contact via of the contact is between about 3:1 and about 12:1.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the liner material comprises a metal silicon nitride or a metal boron nitride and the conductive material comprises tungsten.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the liner material is located along portions of sidewalls of each of the upper insulating material and the lower insulating material; and
the liner material is overlying portions of the conductive material of the contact.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
a depth of the metal line corresponds to a thickness of the upper insulating material and a depth of the contact corresponds to a combined thickness of the lower insulating material and the upper insulating material, the depth of the contact being relatively greater than the depth of the metal line; and
a width of an uppermost surface of the metal line external to the contact is between about 15 percent and about 95 percent of a width of an uppermost surface of the contact.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the liner material is located within a bottom portion of a trench in the upper insulating material containing the metal line; and
between about 25 percent and about 35 percent of a surface area of sidewalls of the upper insulating material within a contact via comprising the contact is entirely free of the liner material.

8. A method of forming an apparatus, comprising:
forming a trench in an upper insulating material overlying a lower insulating material;
forming a contact via in the upper insulating material and the lower insulating material, the contact via intersecting portions of the trench and extending from an upper surface of the upper insulating material to an upper surface of a conductive element located under the contact via and the lower insulating material, and a width of an upper edge of the contact via being greater than a width of an upper edge of the trench external to the contact via;
forming a contact comprising a conductive material in direct contact with the lower insulating material and the conductive element within the contact via;
forming a liner material within the trench; and
forming a metal line comprising the conductive material adjacent the liner material within the trench, the contact and the metal line forming a conductive structure.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising forming an etch stop material between the lower insulating material and the upper insulating material, each of the lower insulating material, the upper insulating material, and the etch stop material being formed in a single deposition process, wherein each of the lower insulating material and the upper insulating material comprises a first dielectric material and the etch stop material comprises a second dielectric material, different from the first dielectric material.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first dielectric material is formed of silicon oxide and the second dielectric material is formed of silicon nitride.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein forming the liner material comprises epitaxially growing the liner material on an upper surface of the conductive material of the contact via.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein forming the contact via comprises forming the contact via comprising an aspect ratio of between about 3:1 and about 12:1.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein forming the contact and forming the metal line comprises filling each of the trench and the contact via with the conductive material without forming a seed material within each of the trench and the contact via.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein:
forming the contact comprises selectively depositing the conductive material adjacent the conductive element within the contact via;
forming the liner material comprises thereafter growing the liner material within the trench; and
forming the metal line comprises thereafter depositing the conductive material to fill a remaining portion of the trench.

15. The method of claim 8 , further comprising removing upper surfaces of the conductive material above the trench, the contact via, and the upper insulating material in a single stage, without removing upper surfaces of the conductive material above the lower insulating material prior to depositing the upper insulating material.

16. A method of forming an apparatus, comprising:
forming a contact via in a first insulating material and a second insulating material to expose a conductive element underlying the first insulating material;
forming a trench in the second insulating material, wherein an upper edge of the trench external to the contact via is narrower than an upper edge of the contact via;
forming a contact comprising a first portion of a conductive material in direct contact with the first insulating material and the conductive element within the contact via;
forming a liner material within the trench; and
forming a metal line comprising a second portion of the conductive material adjacent the liner material within the trench, the contact and the metal line forming a conductive structure.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising forming the first insulating material and the second insulating material in a single deposition process, and subsequently removing upper portions of the second portion of the conductive material without removing upper portions of the first portion of the conductive material prior to forming the second insulating material.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising forming the liner material to a size independent of an aspect ratio of the contact via.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein forming the liner material comprises growing the liner material from a bottom of the trench without forming the liner material on sidewalls of the second insulating material.

20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising forming the liner material in portions of the trench flanking the contact via without forming the liner material within the contact via.

21. A memory device, comprising:
a first insulating material adjacent metal pads;
a second insulating material adjacent the first insulating material;
a structure comprising a conductive material comprising a metal line extending through the second insulating material and a contact extending through the first insulating material and the second insulating material, the metal line being intersected by the contact, wherein an aspect ratio of the contact is between about 3:1 and about 12:1

Assignees

• Micron Technology Inc

Inventors

• Zhang Xiaosong
• Hu Yongjun J
• Kewley David A
• Hossain Md Zahid
• Irwin Michael J
• Billingsley Daniel
• Ramarajan Suresh
• Hanson Robert J
• Ong Biow Hiem
• Chow Keen Wah

Classifications

• H10W20/082

  the openings being tapered via holes · CPC title

• H10W20/057

  by selectively depositing, e.g. by using selective CVD or plating · CPC title

• H10W20/033

  in openings in dielectrics · CPC title

• H10W20/4441

  the principal metal being a refractory metal · CPC title

• H10W20/056 Primary

  by filling conductive material into holes, grooves or trenches · CPC title