Method of enabling seamless cobalt gap-fill

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016247718-A1
Application number	US-201615145578-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 3, 2016
Priority date	Mar 28, 2012
Publication date	Aug 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods for depositing a contact metal layer in contact structures of a semiconductor device are provided. In one embodiment, a method for depositing a contact metal layer for forming a contact structure in a semiconductor device is provided. The method comprises performing a cyclic metal deposition process to deposit a contact metal layer on a substrate and annealing the contact metal layer disposed on the substrate. The cyclic metal deposition process comprises exposing the substrate to a deposition precursor gas mixture to deposit a portion of the contact metal layer on the substrate, exposing the portion of the contact metal layer to a plasma treatment process, and repeating the exposing the substrate to a deposition precursor gas mixture and exposing the portion of the contact metal layer to a plasma treatment process until a predetermined thickness of the contact metal layer is achieved.

First claim

1 . A method for depositing a contact metal layer for forming a contact structure in a semiconductor device, comprising:
performing a barrier layer deposition process to deposit a barrier layer on a substrate; performing a wetting layer deposition process to deposit a wetting layer on the barrier layer; performing an annealing process on the wetting layer; performing a metal deposition process to deposit a contact metal layer on the wetting layer by exposing the wetting layer to a deposition precursor gas mixture to deposit a portion of the contact metal layer on the substrate; exposing the portion of the contact metal layer to a plasma treatment process; and annealing the contact metal layer deposited on the substrate.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the performing a barrier layer deposition process comprises depositing a TiN barrier layer.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the TiN barrier layer is deposited to a thickness of between about 5 Å and about 75 Å.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the performing a wetting layer deposition process comprises depositing a non-oxidized Ti or TiN layer, a CVD Co layer, or a PVD Co layer.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the CVD Co layer is deposited by a thermal deposition process.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the substrate is heated to a temperature of between about 100° C. and about 200° C. during the thermal deposition process.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the performing a wetting layer deposition process comprises depositing a CVD TiN layer, a CVD Ru layer, an ALD TaN layer, and combinations thereof.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the wetting layer annealing process is performed at a temperature of between about 200° C. and about 500° C.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the wetting layer annealing process is performed for a duration of between about 30 seconds and about 90 seconds.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the wetting layer annealing process is performed in an argon containing chamber environment.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the chamber environment is purged after performing the wetting layer annealing process.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the wetting layer annealing process is performed in a hydrogen containing chamber environment.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the performing a metal deposition process comprises depositing a PVD Co layer, a CVD Co layer, or a CVD W layer.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the PVD Co layer is sputtered onto the substrate and reflowed at a temperature of between about 200° C. and about 500° C.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plasma treatment process comprises exposing the contact metal layer to a hydrogen containing plasma for a duration of between about 1 second and about 60 seconds.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the substrate is heated to a temperature of between about 100° C. and about 200° C. during the plasma treatment process to reduce surface roughness of the contact metal layer and to reduce the percentage of impurities in the contact metal layer.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the annealing the contact metal layer is performed at a temperature of between about 200° C. and about 500° C.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the annealing the contact metal layer is performed in an argon containing and a hydrogen containing chamber environment.

19 . A method for depositing a contact metal layer for forming a contact structure in a semiconductor device, comprising:
performing a barrier layer deposition process to deposit a TiN barrier layer on a substrate; performing a wetting layer deposition process to deposit a Co wetting layer on the TiN barrier layer; performing an annealing process on the wetting layer; performing a metal deposition process to deposit a Co contact metal layer on the Co wetting layer by exposing the wetting layer to a deposition precursor gas mixture to deposit a portion of the contact metal layer on the substrate; exposing the portion of the Co contact metal layer to a plasma treatment process; and annealing the Co contact metal layer deposited on the substrate.

20 . A method for depositing a contact metal layer for forming a contact structure in a semiconductor device, comprising:
performing a barrier layer deposition process to deposit a TiN barrier layer on a substrate; performing a wetting layer thermal deposition process to thermally deposit a Co wetting layer on the TiN barrier layer; performing an annealing process on the wetting layer, wherein the wetting layer annealing process is performed at a temperature of about 400° C.; performing a metal deposition process to deposit a Co contact metal layer on the Co wetting layer by exposing the Co wetting layer to a deposition precursor gas mixture to deposit a portion of the Co contact metal layer on the substrate; exposing the portion of the Co contact metal layer to a plasma treatment process, wherein the substrate is heated to a temperature of about 150° C. during the plasma treatment process; and annealing the Co contact metal layer deposited on the substrate at a temperature of about 400° C.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Zope Bhushan N
• Gelatos Avgerinos V
• Zheng Bo
• Lei Yu
• Fu Xinyu
• Gandikota Srinivas
• Yu Sang-Ho
• Abraham Mathew

Classifications

• H10W20/4437

  the principal metal being a transition metal · CPC title

• H10P70/20 Primary

  Cleaning during device manufacture · CPC title

• H10P14/44

  Physical vapour deposition [PVD] · CPC title

• H10P14/43

  Chemical deposition, e.g. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] · CPC title

• H10W70/05

  of insulating or insulated package substrates, or of interposers, or of redistribution layers (manufacture or treatment of leadframes H10W70/04) · CPC title