The present invention relates to forming features on a substrate, and more specifically, to methods for forming conductive features on a substrate.
Semiconductors and other devices are often formed on substrates such as silicon substrates. The devices are often connected using conductive features such as metallic contacts and conductive lines formed in or embedded in layers of materials formed on the substrate.
In this regard, a substrate may include a silicon or buried oxide layer and may include a variety of insulator oxide or nitride layers formed on the silicon or buried oxide layer. Cavities may be formed in the insulator layers that define the conductive features. The conductive features may be formed by depositing a conductive material in the cavities and over the exposed portions of the top layer of the substrate. A planarizing process such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) removes the conductive material from the top layer of the substrate, exposing the top layer of the substrate, and defining the conductive features.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method includes forming a cavity in a substrate, depositing a layer of conductive material in the cavity and over exposed portions of the substrate, removing portions of the conductive material to expose portions of the substrate using a planarizing process, and removing residual portions of the conductive material disposed on the substrate using a reactive ion etch (RIE) process.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method includes forming a plurality of cavities in a first region of a substrate, depositing a layer of conductive material in the plurality of cavities in the first region of the substrate and over exposed portions of a second region of the substrate, removing portions of the conductive material to expose portions of the first region and the second region of the substrate using a planarizing process, and removing residual portions of the conductive material disposed on the second region of the substrate using a reactive ion etch (RIE) process.
Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the invention are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed invention. For a better understanding of the invention with the advantages and the features, refer to the description and to the drawings.
The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The forgoing and other features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
The CMP process typically does not remove the conductive material uniformly. Rather, the CMP process tends to remove conductive material in the densely patterned regions 104 at a faster rate than in the less dense regions 102. Thus, the CMP process may leave undesirable residual conductive material in the less dense regions 102. The undesirable residual conductive material in the less dense regions 102 may cause problematic electrical shorts when additional features such as, for example, conductive pads are formed in the less dense regions 102. The methods described below offer processes for removing the undesirable residual conductive material in the less dense regions 102.
The removal of the residual conductive material 402 (of
In this regard,
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one more other features, integers, steps, operations, element components, and/or groups thereof.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated
The flow diagrams depicted herein are just one example. There may be many variations to this diagram or the steps (or operations) described therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, the steps may be performed in a differing order or steps may be added, deleted or modified. All of these variations are considered a part of the claimed invention.
While the preferred embodiment to the invention had been described, it will be understood that those skilled in the art, both now and in the future, may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow. These claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first described.
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