Cleaning process for microelectronic dielectric and metal structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8968583-B2
Application number	US-78299607-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2007
Priority date	Jul 25, 2007
Publication date	Mar 3, 2015
Grant date	Mar 3, 2015

Abstract

A method for cleaning a dielectric and metal structure within a microelectronic structure uses an oxygen containing plasma treatment, followed by an alcohol treatment, in turn followed by an aqueous organic acid treatment. Another method for cleaning a dielectric and metal structure within a microelectronic structure uses an aqueous surfactant treatment followed by an alcohol treatment and finally followed by an aqueous organic acid treatment. The former method may be used to clean a plasma etch residue from a dual damascene aperture. The second method may be used to clean a chemical mechanical polish planarizing residue from a dual damascene structure. The two methods may be used sequentially, absent any intervening or subsequent sputtering method, to provide a dual damascene structure within a microelectronic structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for treating a microelectronic structure comprising:
forming an opening in a dielectric layer using a photolithography process that includes a photoresist layer, wherein the opening in the dielectric layer exposes a surface of an underlying metal structure and wherein the photolithography process produces an etch residue present on surfaces of the opening which comprises a hydrophobic hydrocarbon component and a metallic-containing component;
treating the surfaces of the opening with an oxygen containing plasma under conditions in which a removal rate of said etch residue is about 10 to about 50 angstroms per minute and wherein said treating converts said hydrophobic hydrocarbon component into a hydrophilic hydrocarbon component;
removing said hydrophilic hydrocarbon component of the etch residue from the surfaces of the opening by treating the surfaces of the opening with an alcohol; and
removing said metallic-containing component of the etch residue from the surfaces of the opening by treating the surfaces of the opening with an aqueous organic acid.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the opening in the dielectric layer comprises a dual damascene aperture.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the underlying metal structure is a copper containing metal layer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organic acid is selected from the group consisting of linear and branched organic acids having up to five carbon atoms.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alcohol is iso-propanol and the organic acid is acetic acid.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a metal layer within the opening in the dielectric layer.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the etch residue further comprises a hydrophobic fluorocarbon component.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metallic-containing component of the etch residue comprises at least one of a metal and a metal oxide.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said oxygen containing plasma comprises molecular oxygen.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said oxygen containing plasma comprises an oxygen containing species selected from the group consisting of ozone, nitrous oxide and nitric oxide.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said treating with said oxygen containing plasma is performed at a reactor chamber pressure from about 30 to about 300 millitorr, a radio frequency power from about 50 to about 300 watts, an oxygen flow rate from about 30to about 100standard cubic centimeters per minute (sccm), and an oxygen containing plasma treatment time from about 10 to about 100 seconds.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous organic acid has a concentration less than 0.3 wt%.

Assignees

• Rothwell Mary Beth
• Yu Roy Rongqing
• IBM

Inventors

• Rothwell Mary Beth
• Yu Roy Rongqing

Classifications

• H10P70/277

  the processing being a planarisation of conductive layers · CPC title

• H10P70/234

  the processing being the formation of vias or contact holes · CPC title

• H10W20/081 Primary

  by forming openings in the dielectric parts · CPC title

• H01L21/76814 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L21/02074

  Electricity · mapped topic