Seam-healing method upon supra-atmospheric process in diffusion promoting ambient

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017358490-A1
Application number	US-201615332737-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 24, 2016
Priority date	Jun 10, 2016
Publication date	Dec 14, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure include methods of treating a substrate to remove one or more of voids, seams, and grain boundaries from interconnects formed on the substrate. The method includes heating the substrate in an environment pressurized at supra-atmospheric pressure. In one example, the substrate may be heated in a hydrogen-containing atmosphere.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of treating a substrate, comprising:
positioning the substrate in a process chamber, the substrate having a interconnect formed thereon, the interconnect including a conductive material having one or more of a seam or a void therein; heating the substrate to a temperature of about 300 degrees Celsius to about 400 degrees Celsius; and exposing the substrate to hydrogen-containing atmosphere at a pressure of about 12 bar to about 50 bar.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen-containing atmosphere includes hydrogen present within a range of about 3.5 atomic percent to about 4.5 atomic percent.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen-containing atmosphere further comprises diatomic nitrogen or argon.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen-containing atmosphere includes hydrogen present within a range of about 1 atomic percent to about 100 atomic percent.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising healing the seam or void.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the interconnect further comprises grain boundaries.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising reducing the grain boundaries.

8 . A method of treating a substrate, comprising:
positioning the substrate in a process chamber, the substrate having a interconnect formed thereon, the interconnect including a conductive material having one or more of a seam or a void therein; heating the substrate to a temperature of about 250 degrees Celsius to about 400 degrees Celsius; and exposing the substrate to hydrogen-containing atmosphere at a pressure of about 12 bar to about 50 bar.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the interconnect further comprises grain boundaries, and wherein the hydrogen-containing atmosphere has a pressure within a range of about 12 bar to about 20 bar.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the hydrogen-containing atmosphere further comprises diatomic nitrogen or argon.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the substrate is heated to a temperature within a range of about 300 degrees Celsius to about 400 degrees Celsius, and wherein the hydrogen-containing atmosphere has a pressure within a range of about 12 bar to about 15 bar.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the hydrogen-containing atmosphere includes hydrogen present within a range of about 3.5 atomic percent to about 4.5 atomic percent.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising reducing the grain boundaries.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising healing the seam or void.

15 . A method of treating a substrate, comprising:
forming an interconnect on a substrate, the interconnect including a conductive material having one or more of a seam or a void therein; after forming the interconnect, healing the one or more of a seam or a void, the healing comprising:
heating the substrate to a temperature of about 250 degrees Celsius to about 400 degrees Celsius; and
exposing the substrate to hydrogen-containing atmosphere at a pressure of about 12 bar to about 20 bar.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the hydrogen-containing atmosphere includes hydrogen present within a range of about 1 atomic percent to about 100 atomic percent.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the hydrogen-containing atmosphere further comprises diatomic nitrogen, and wherein the hydrogen is present within a range of about 3.5 atomic percent to about 4.5 atomic percent.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the substrate is heated to a temperature within a range of about 300 degrees Celsius to about 400 degrees Celsius.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the hydrogen-containing atmosphere is driven into the seam or void via pressure to remove contaminants from within the seam or void.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the substrate is heated to a temperature within a range of about 300 degrees Celsius to about 400 degrees Celsius.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Mebarki Bencherki
• Kang Sean
• WONG Keith Tatseun
• Ren He
• Naik Mehul B
• Yieh Ellie Y
• Nemani Srinivas D

Classifications

• H10W20/4437

  the principal metal being a transition metal · CPC title

• H10W20/4441

  the principal metal being a refractory metal · CPC title

• H10W20/4405

  the principal metal being aluminium · CPC title

• H10W20/4403

  based on metals, e.g. alloys, metal silicides (H10W20/4484 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H10W20/056 Primary

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