The present application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing.
A fuse is usually disposed in a semiconductor integrated circuit, and by blowing the fuse, the object of adjusting the functional parameters of the integrated circuit can be achieved. According to fuse blowing methods, fuses may be divided into electric fuses and laser fuses, among which the laser fuses are usually irradiated and then blown by using a laser beam with certain energy.
Complex fuse structures in a prior art lead to high process difficulty, and affect an output efficiency of products, and excessive energy is consumed during fuse blowing.
According to multiple embodiments, the first aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a fuse structure and a formation method. The fuse structure includes: a first dielectric layer, and at least two discrete first conductive plugs penetrating the first dielectric layer; a second conductive plug, which electrically connected to the at least two first conductive plugs; a top metal layer, which electrically connected to the second conductive plug, and located on one side of the second conductive plug which is far from the first conductive plugs; and a second dielectric layer, which located on the top of the first dielectric layer, and wrapped around the second conductive plug and the top metal layer.
According to multiple embodiments, the second aspect of an embodiment of the present application further provides a formation method for a fuse structure, including: providing a first dielectric layer, and at least two discrete first conductive plugs penetrating the first dielectric layer being formed in the first dielectric layer; forming a second dielectric layer on the first dielectric layer; etching the second dielectric layer to form a via and a trench communicated with each other, the via being located between the trench and the first conductive plugs, and the width of the via being less than that of the trench; forming a second conductive plug filling the via, the second conductive plug being electrically connected to the at least two first conductive plugs; forming a top metal layer filling the trench, the top metal layer being electrically connected to the second conductive plug.
Exemplary descriptions will be made for one or more embodiments with reference to the pictures in the corresponding accompanying drawings without constituting a limitation to the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are represented as similar elements, and unless stated otherwise, the pictures in the accompanying drawings do not constitute a scale limitation.
Specific embodiments of a fuse structure and a formation method according to the present application will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.
It can be known from the background art that fuse structures in the prior art need to be simplified.
Referring to
Since the second conductive plugs 102 are composed of a plurality of discrete structures between which a dielectric is present and the bottom metal layer 112 is present between the first conductive plug 101 and the second conductive plug 102, leading to the complex fuse structure, high process difficulty, and high production costs. Moreover, since the dielectric is present between the second conductive plugs 102, a lot of energy is consumed during the blowing of the fuse structure. Furthermore, the presence of the dielectric will lead to the incomplete blowing of the fuse structure during blowing, resulting in the problem that process parameters of an integrated circuit are difficult to control.
According to multiple embodiments, the first aspect of, the embodiments of the present application provide a fuse structure and a formation method. The fuse structure is simplified, which in turn decreases the difficulty of the process, thus reducing the production cost, increasing the output efficiency of products and helping solve the problem that excessive energy is consumed and a fuse structure cannot be completely blown during the blowing of the fuse structure.
In order to make the object, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, each embodiment of the present application will be set forth in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that many technical details are put forward in each embodiment of the present application in order for readers to better understand the present application. However, even without these technical details and various changes and modifications based on the following embodiments, the technical solution which is required to be protected by the present application can still be implemented.
Referring to
According to the fuse structure of the present embodiment, since the second conductive plug 102 is electrically connected to the at least two first conductive plugs 101, compared with the solution that the different second conductive plugs 102 are adopted to be connected to the corresponding first conductive plugs 101 respectively, this technical solution does not require the arrangement of dielectric between the second conductive plugs 102, and therefore, the fuse structure is simplified, which in turn decreases the difficulty of the process, thus reducing the production cost and increasing the output efficiency of products; and in addition, the problem that excessive energy is consumed and a fuse structure cannot be completely blown during the blowing of the fuse structure can also be solved, ensuring the accurate control of process parameters of the integrated circuit under the condition of low energy consumption.
The fuse structure according to the present embodiment will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the present embodiment, a material of the first dielectric layer 100 is silicon oxide, and a material of the first conductive plug 101 includes tungsten. In other embodiments, the material of the first dielectric layer 100 may also be other insulating materials, such as silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or the like, and the material of the first conductive plug 101 may also be other conductive materials, such as polycrystalline silicon, copper, or the like.
In addition, it should also be noted that the first dielectric layer 100 which is of a single-layered structure is taken as an example in the present embodiment. In other embodiments, the first dielectric layer 100 may also be of a laminated structure.
In the present embodiment, the material of the second conductive plug 102 is the same as that of the top metal layer 103, and may specifically be copper or tungsten. Thus, the second conductive plug 102 and the top metal layer 103 may be formed by deposition in one step, making the whole process simpler.
It should be noted that in other embodiments, the material of the second conductive plug 102 may also be different from that of the top metal layer 103.
In the present embodiment, a bottom surface of the second conductive plug 102 is in contact with top surfaces of the at least two first conductive plugs 101. Thus, in the fuse structure, the different first conductive plugs 101 are in contact with the same second conductive plug 102, the second conductive plug 102 is one-piece without a dielectric in it, and therefore, the single fuse structure is simple, decreasing the difficulty of the process. Moreover, since no dielectric with a high melting point is present in the single fuse structure, energy consumed during the blowing of the fuse structure can be reduced, and the difficulty of blowing the fuse structure can be decreased.
The second dielectric layer 104 wraps the second conductive plug 102 and the top metal layer 103, which may be located in the second dielectric layer 104.
The second dielectric layer 104 may include a first medium layer 105, a barrier layer 106 and a second medium layer 107 which are stacked in sequence; and the second conductive plug 102 at least penetrates the first medium layer 105 and the barrier layer 106.
The material of the first medium layer 105 is the same as that of the second medium layer 107, and may specifically be silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon oxycarbonitride, or the like. The material of the barrier layer 106 is different from those of the first medium layer 105 and the second medium layer 107, and, for example, may be silicon nitride. The functions of the barrier layer 106 include: stopping etching in the process steps of producing the fuse structure and decreasing the difficulty of the etching process.
In the present embodiment, the second conductive plug 102 located between the first dielectric layer 100 and the second medium layer 107 has a first thickness, the top metal layer 103 has a second thickness, and the first thickness may be equal to the second thickness. It can be understood that the relationship between the first thickness and the second thickness is related to a production process for the fuse structure. That is, the second conductive plug 102 and the top metal layer 103 are produced by employing dual damascene processes, which include a “via first trench last” method and a “via last trench first” method.
It should be noted that in other embodiments, the second dielectric layer 104 may also be of a single-layered structure.
In the present embodiment, the fuse structure may further include a protective layer 108, which is located on one side of the top metal layer 103 that is far from the second conductive plug 102. The protective layer 108 can provide protection for the top metal layer 103, e.g., protecting the top metal layer 103 from being etched or damaged by the subsequent process. The protective layer 108 may be of a single-layered structure, or may be a multi-layered structure made of a variety of materials. For example, the protective layer 108 is of a single-layered structure made of silicon nitride, or the protective layer 108 is of a multi-layered structure with the surface made of silicon nitride.
The fuse structure according to the present embodiment is simplified, which in turn decreases the difficulty of the process, thus reducing the production cost and increasing the output efficiency of products; and in addition, the problem that excessive energy is consumed and a fuse structure cannot be completely blown during the blowing of the fuse structure can also be solved, ensuring the accurate control of process parameters of the integrated circuit under the condition of low energy consumption.
Formation methods for the fuse structure according to the present embodiment will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
Continuing to refer to
Forming a second dielectric layer 104 on the first dielectric layer 100 includes: sequentially stacking a first medium layer 105, a barrier layer 106 and a second medium layer 107.
Subsequent process steps include: etching the second dielectric layer 104 to form a via 110 and a trench 111 communicated with each other, the via 110 being located between the trench 111 and the first conductive plugs 101, and the width of the via 110 being less than that of the trench 111. The formation of the via 110 and the trench 111 in a “via 110 first trench 111 last” manner will be described as an example hereinafter.
Referring to
Referring to
It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the via 110 and the trench 111 are formed in the “via 110 first trench 111 last” manner. In other embodiments, as shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Thus, by employing the dual damascene processes, while the fuse structure is formed, it is ensured that an overlay accuracy of the fuse structure is high; since the second conductive plug 102 is electrically connected to the at least two first conductive plugs 101, compared with the solution that the different second conductive plugs 102 are adopted to be connected to the corresponding first conductive plugs 101 respectively, this technical solution does not require the arrangement of dielectric between the second conductive plugs 102, and therefore, the fuse structure is simplified, which in turn decreases the difficulty of the process, thus reducing the production cost and increasing the output efficiency of products; and in addition, the problem that excessive energy is consumed and a fuse structure cannot be completely blown during the blowing of the fuse structure is solved, ensuring the accurate control of process parameters of an integrated circuit under the condition of low energy consumption.
Continuing to refer to
The first embodiment of the present application provides a fuse structure and the formation method. The second conductive plug 102 is electrically connected to the at least two first conductive plugs 101. Compared with the solution that the different second conductive plugs 102 are adopted to be connected to the corresponding first conductive plugs 101 respectively, this technical solution does not require the arrangement of dielectric between the second conductive plugs 102, and therefore, the fuse structure is simplified, which in turn decreases the difficulty of the process, thus reducing the production cost and increasing the output efficiency of products; and in addition, the problem that excessive energy is consumed and a fuse structure cannot be completely blown during the blowing of the fuse structure is solved, ensuring the accurate control of process parameters of an integrated circuit under the condition of low energy consumption.
A second embodiment of the present application further provides a fuse structure and a formation method thereof. The second embodiment is nearly the same as the aforementioned embodiment, but the main difference is in that the fuse structure further includes a bottom metal layer 212.
The fuse structure and the formation method according to the second embodiment of the present application will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the parts which are the same as or correspond to those in the aforementioned embodiment, please refer to the description of the aforementioned embodiment, so they will not be repeated hereinafter.
Referring to
According to the fuse structure of the present embodiment, since the second conductive plug 202 is electrically connected to the at least two first conductive plugs 201, compared with the solution that the different second conductive plugs 202 are adopted to be connected to the corresponding first conductive plugs 201 respectively, this technical solution does not require the arrangement of dielectric between the second conductive plugs 202. Therefore, in the process of forming the fuse structure, the process steps are simplified, the difficulty of the process is decreased, the output efficiency of products is increased, and the fuse structure can be more completely blown, so that process parameters of an integrated circuit can be accurately controlled.
The fuse structure according to the present embodiment will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The second dielectric layer 204 includes a first medium layer 205, a barrier layer 206 and a second medium layer 207 which are sequentially stacked; and the barrier layer 206 is located on part of the top surface of the bottom metal layer 212. The material of the first medium layer 205 is the same as that of the second medium layer 207, and may specifically be silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon oxycarbonitride, or the like. The material of the barrier layer 206 is different from those of the first medium layer 205 and the second medium layer 207, and, for example, may be silicon nitride. The functions of the barrier layer 206 include: stopping etching in the process steps of producing the fuse structure and decreasing the difficulty of the etching process.
In the present embodiment, the materials of the bottom metal layer 212, the second conductive plug 202 and the top metal layer 203 are the same, and may specifically be copper or tungsten. Thus, the second conductive plug 202 and the top metal layer 203 may be formed by deposition in one step, making the whole process simpler.
In a direction parallel to the arrangement direction of the discrete first conductive plugs 201, the width of the second conductive plug 202 is less than that of the bottom metal layer 212.
The fuse structure according to the present embodiment is simplified, which in turn decreases the difficulty of the process, thus reducing the production cost and increasing the output efficiency of products; and in addition, the problem that excessive energy is consumed and a fuse structure cannot be completely blown during the blowing of the fuse structure can also be solved, ensuring the accurate control of process parameters of an integrated circuit under the condition of low energy consumption.
Formation methods for the fuse structure according to the present embodiment will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
The formed second dielectric layer 204 includes a first medium layer 205, a barrier layer 206 and a second medium layer 207 which are sequentially stacked.
Continuing to refer to
Subsequent process steps include: etching the second dielectric layer 204 to form the via 210 and a trench 211 communicated with each other, the via 210 being located between the trench 211 and the first conductive plugs 201, and the width of the via 210 being less than that of the trench 211. The formation of the via 210 and the trench 211 in a “via 210 first trench 211 last” manner will be described as an example hereinafter.
Referring to
Referring to
It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the via 210 and the trench 211 are formed in the “via 210 first trench 211 last” manner. In other embodiments, as shown in
referring to
referring to
Referring to
Thus, by employing the dual damascene processes, while the fuse structure is formed, it is ensured that the overlay accuracy of the fuse structure is high; since the second conductive plug 202 is electrically connected to the at least two first conductive plugs 201, compared with the solution that the different second conductive plugs 202 are adopted to be connected to the corresponding first conductive plugs 201 respectively, this technical solution does not require the arrangement of dielectric between the second conductive plugs 202. Therefore, in the process of forming the fuse structure, the process steps are simplified, the difficulty of the process is decreased, the output efficiency of products is increased, and the fuse structure can be more completely blown, so that process parameters of an integrated circuit can be accurately controlled.
Continuing to refer to
The fuse structure and the formation method according to the second embodiment of the present application have the following advantages: since the second conductive plug 202 is electrically connected to the at least two first conductive plugs 201, compared with the solution that the different second conductive plugs 202 are adopted to be connected to the corresponding first conductive plugs 201 respectively, this technical solution does not require the arrangement of dielectric between the second conductive plugs 202; therefore, in the process of forming the fuse structure, the process steps are simplified, the difficulty of the process is decreased, the output efficiency of products is increased, and the fuse structure can be more completely blown, so that process parameters of an integrated circuit can be accurately controlled.
Those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the aforementioned embodiments are the specific embodiments implementing the present application. However, in practical application, various changes can be made to the embodiments in terms of forms and details without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Any person skilled in the art can make respective alterations and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application, so the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the scope defined by the claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202011086700.9 | Oct 2020 | CN | national |
The present application is a continuation application of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2021/104792, filed on Jul. 6, 2021, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202011086700.9, filed on Oct. 12, 2020 and entitled “FUSE STRUCTURE AND FORMATION METHOD”. International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2021/104792 and Chinese Patent Application No. 202011086700.9 are incorporated into the present application by reference in their entireties.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/CN2021/104792 | Jul 2021 | US |
Child | 17480332 | US |