Atomic layer deposition of MnOx for Cu capping layer in Cu/low-k interconnects

We demonstrated atomic layer deposition (ALD) of manganese oxide (MnO_x) for Cu capping layer. This process is expected to have not only EM (electro-migration) improvement but also admissibility of surface Cu oxidation. That will provide easy time and atmosphere management after chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). In this study, we confirmed Mn(O_x) coverage on Cu without degradation of leakage current and indication of EM improvement with simple EM test.