Title : 
Via-Shape-Control for Copper Dual-Damascene Interconnects With Low-k Organic Film
         
        
            Author : 
Kinoshita, Keizo ; Tada, Munehiro ; Hiroi, Masayuki ; Shiba, Kazutoshi ; Onodera, Takahiro ; Tagami, Masayoshi ; Saitoh, Shinobu ; Hayashi, Yoshihiro ; Usami, Tatsuya ; Kikkawa, Takamaro
         
        
            Author_Institution : 
Syst. Devices Res. Labs., NEC Corp., Kanagawa
         
        
        
        
        
            fDate : 
5/1/2008 12:00:00 AM
         
        
        
        
            Abstract : 
Copper dual-damascene (DD) interconnects are fabricated with low-k organic film (SiLKtrade) without any etch-stop layers by use of dual hard mask (dHM) process combined with sidewall-hardening etching step. It is a key point to reduce shoulder loss during trench etching at connecting regions of vias and trenches, so that hardening of the via-sidewall by fluorocarbon plasma during via etching is implemented. Careful designs of dual hard mask structures and their patterning sequence are carried out for the process without etch-stop layer under the trench. The two-layered interconnect with low-k structure has achieved low via-resistance of 0.65 Omega at 0.28 mumOslash with keeping large tolerance of misalignment up to 0.1 mum.
         
        
            Keywords : 
copper; etching; hardening; integrated circuit interconnections; integrated circuit metallisation; low-k dielectric thin films; masks; organic compounds; Cu; copper dual-damascene interconnects; dual hard mask process; fluorocarbon plasma; low-k organic film; patterning; sidewall-hardening etching step; tolerance; trench etching; Copper; Delay; Dielectric materials; Etching; Inorganic materials; Large scale integration; Organic materials; Plasma applications; Plasma sources; Ultra large scale integration; Dual damascene; etching; low-k; shoulder loss;
         
        
        
            Journal_Title : 
Semiconductor Manufacturing, IEEE Transactions on
         
        
        
        
        
            DOI : 
10.1109/TSM.2008.2000268