The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-21372 filed on Feb. 3, 2011 including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to a manufacturing technology of a semiconductor device, in particular, to a technology effective when applied to the manufacture of metal wirings using a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-238896 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technology capable of suppressing corrosion of a buried wiring by employing post-CMP cleaning at a rotation velocity of a wafer set at a low level so as to permit a cleaning liquid to have almost a uniform thickness and thereby making uniform a dissolved oxygen concentration on the device surface of the wafer.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 8(1996)-64594 (Patent Document 2) discloses a technology capable of preventing corrosion of the surface of a wiring by using, upon polishing a metal film to form the wiring, an abrasive liquid containing a BTA component to form an anticorrosive film on the surface of a newly-formed metal film prior to occurrence of corrosion.
Japanese Patent No. 3111979 (Patent Document 3) discloses a technology of carrying out, in a cleaning step after polishing treatment of copper, a first-stage particle removal treatment in an alkaline or hydrogen reduction atmosphere and a second-stage treatment in an acidic atmosphere in combination and thereby preventing contamination of a copper wiring portion due to etching.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-93760 (Patent Document 4) discloses a technology capable of preventing corrosion of copper by applying a solution containing a corrosion preventive to a wafer after polishing copper in a CMP apparatus and keeping at least the wetted state of the polished copper surface.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-43183 (Patent Document 5) discloses a technology capable of preventing corrosion of copper by subjecting, using a first polishing pad on a first polishing platen, a first main surface of a wafer to chemical mechanical polishing treatment for the removal of copper with a polishing slurry and then polishing the first main surface of the wafer while supplying a chemical liquid containing an anticorrosive of copper onto a second polishing pad on a second polishing platen.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-238896
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 8(1996)-64594
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent No. 3111979
[Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-93760
[Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-43183
It is desirable to reduce wiring resistance and wiring capacitance in order to suppress wiring delay which will otherwise occur as a result of high integration of semiconductor devices. For the reduction of the wiring resistance, solution in accordance with the design technology and employment of a wiring using a copper (Cu) film as a main conductor (such wiring will hereinafter be called “Cu wiring”) are under investigation. For the formation of a Cu wiring, employed is a so-called damascene process, that is, a method of forming a Cu wiring inside a trench by successively depositing a barrier metal film and a Cu film over a substrate including the inside of the trench formed in an insulating film and then, removing the barrier metal film and the Cu film in a region outside the trench by using a CMP process. For the reduction of the wiring capacitance, on the other hand, employment of a material having a dielectric constant of approximately 2 to 3, which is a relatively low dielectric constant, is under investigation.
The present inventors have studied a manufacturing method of a Cu wiring using the damascene process. The manufacturing method of a Cu wiring, however, has various technical problems which will be described below.
It has been confirmed by the present inventors that in a miniaturized semiconductor device, local corrosion (pitting corrosion), disconnection, or the like appeared on the surface of a Cu wiring formed using a CMP process, particularly, a Cu wiring having a line width of 70 nm or less. Such phenomena did not occur in a Cu wiring having a line width of 75 nm or greater.
The present inventors therefore investigated the cause of corrosion of a Cu wiring having a line width of 70 nm or less. As a result, the present inventors found that an anticorrosive added to a polishing slurry used for polishing of a barrier metal film remains on the surface of a Cu film and, in a cleaning step of a wafer which is conducted subsequently, the anticorrosive remaining on the surface of a Cu film is contacted with a chemical liquid used for cleaning, whereby the Cu wiring is etched locally. The barrier metal film is a conductor film formed below the Cu film and functions as a protecting film to prevent diffusion of the Cu film.
Described specifically, in the cleaning step in the damascene process, after polishing metal films (barrier metal film and Cu film) deposited on a wafer, the wafer is usually subjected to cleaning with a chemical liquid for removing a foreign matter or a Cu oxide to be polished, and finish cleaning to be conducted subsequently. An acidic or weak alkaline chemical liquid is used, in the cleaning with a chemical liquid, while pure water (de-ionized water: DIW) is used in finish cleaning.
As illustrated in
The term “concentration cell” as used herein means a cell, as illustrated in
As a means for preventing etching of a Cu wiring, there is considered a method of completely removing an anticorrosive which has remained on the surface of the Cu wiring, prior to the contact of the surface of the Cu wiring to a chemical liquid by using polishing with water (polishing not with a polishing slurry but with water). Elongation of a polishing time with water for complete removal of an anticorrosive which has remained on the surface of the Cu wiring, however, causes charge-up due to a polishing slurry remaining in the irregularities or grooves on the surface of a polishing pad or friction and generates corrosion of the Cu wiring. In addition, it extends the processing time and reduces productivity.
As another means for preventing corrosion of a Cu wiring, there is considered a method of, after polishing, applying an anticorrosive onto the whole surface of a polished wafer to cover the locally exposed portion of the Cu wiring, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-93760 (Patent Document 4). The anticorrosive is, however, gradually removed in scrub cleaning which will be conducted subsequently so that due to inevitable local exposure of the Cu wiring, corrosion of the Cu wiring may occur. In addition, an increase in the using amount of the anticorrosive leads to an increase in the cost necessary for the anticorrosive itself and also for the treatment of a waste liquid.
As described in Japanese Patent No. 3111979, cleaning in an alkaline or hydrogen reduction atmosphere after polishing can prevent corrosion of a Cu wiring. Even by this method, however, there is a risk of corrosion of a Cu wiring occurring due to a concentration cell effect in the case where the Cu wiring has locally exposed portions and the dissolved oxygen concentration or electrolyte ion concentration of a liquid covering the surface of the Cu wiring differs at different positions.
An object of the invention is to provide a technology capable of preventing corrosion of a Cu wiring and improving a production yield of a semiconductor device.
According to one aspect of the invention, a manufacturing step of forming, in a wiring trench formed in an insulating film over a main surface of a semiconductor substrate, a wiring having a Cu film as a main conductor includes a step of removing a Cu film other than that in the wiring trench through CMP using a polishing slurry, a step of removing a barrier metal film other than that in the wiring trench through CMP with a polishing slurry containing an anticorrosive, a step of polishing the respective surfaces of the Cu film and the barrier metal film through CMP using pure water, a step of cleaning a semiconductor substrate with pure water without applying an anticorrosive and without using a chemical liquid, and a step of cleaning the semiconductor substrate with a chemical liquid without applying an anticorrosive, which steps are conducted successively.
By the foregoing technique, corrosion of a Cu wiring can be prevented and a production yield of a semiconductor device can be improved.
The above-described and the other objects and novel features of the invention will be apparent from the description herein and accompanying drawings.
a) and
In the following embodiments, a description will be made after divided in plural sections or in plural embodiments if necessary for convenience's sake. These plural sections or embodiments are not independent each other, but in a relation such that one is a modification example, details or complementary description of a part or whole of an other unless otherwise specifically indicated.
In the following embodiments, when a reference is made to the number of elements (including the number, value, amount, and range), the number is not limited to a specific number but can be greater than or less than the specific number unless otherwise specifically indicated or principally apparent that the number is limited to the specific number. Moreover, in the following embodiments, constituent elements (including elemental steps) are not always essential unless otherwise specifically indicated or principally apparent that the element is essential. Similarly, in the following embodiments, when a reference is made to the shape or positional relationship of the constituent elements, that substantially analogous or similar to it is also embraced unless otherwise specifically indicated or principally apparent that it is not. This also applies to the above-described value and range.
In the drawings used in the following embodiments, some plan views may be hatched in order to facilitate viewing of them. In the below-described embodiments, MISFET (metal insulator semiconductor field effect transistor) representative of field effect transistors is abbreviated as MIS, p-channel MISFET is abbreviated as pMIS, and n channel MISFET is abbreviated as nMIS. In the below-described embodiments, the term “wafer” mainly means an Si (silicon) single crystal wafer, but it also means an SOI (silicon on insulator) wafer, an insulating film substrate for forming an integrated circuit thereover, or the like. The shape of the wafer is not limited to disc or substantially disc, but it may be square or rectangular.
In all the drawings for describing the below-described embodiments, members having like function will be identified by like reference numerals and overlapping descriptions will be omitted. The embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described specifically referring to accompanying drawings.
The manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the invention will next be described referring to
As illustrated in
Next, a gate insulating film 5 is formed on the main surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 (on the surface of each of the p well 3 and the n well 4). Then, a gate electrode 6n of the nMIS is formed on the gate insulating film 5 in the nMIS formation region and similarly, a gate electrode 6p of the pMIS is formed on the gate insulating film 5 in the pMIS formation region.
Next, a sidewall 7 is formed on the side walls of the gate electrode 6n of the nMIS and the gate electrode 6p of the pMIS. Then, an impurity exhibiting n type conductivity is ion-implanted into the p well 3 on both sides of the gate electrode 6n of the nMIS and n type semiconductor regions 8 functioning as source/drain of the nMIS are formed in self alignment with the gate electrode 6n and the sidewall 7. Similarly, an impurity exhibiting p type conductivity is ion-implanted into the n well 4 on both sides of the gate electrode 6p of the pMIS and p type semiconductor regions 9 functioning as source/drain of the pMIS are formed in self alignment with the gate electrode 6p and the sidewall 7.
Next, as illustrated in
Next, a stopper insulating film 13 and an insulating film for forming a wiring are formed successively on the main surface of the semiconductor substrate 1. The stopper insulating film 13 is a film serving as an etching stopper when a trench is formed in the insulating film 14 and a material having an etch selectivity relative to the insulating film 14 is employed. For example, a silicon nitride film formed by plasma CVD (chemical vapor deposition) can be used as the stopper insulating film 13, while for example, a silicon oxide film formed by plasma CVD can be used as the insulating film 14. In the stopper insulating film 13 and the insulating film 14, a first-level wiring M1 which will be described next is formed.
Next, the first-level wiring M1 is formed by the single damascene process.
First, as illustrated in
Then, the Cu-plated film 17, the seed layer, and the barrier metal film 16 in a region other than the inside of the wiring trench 16 are removed using a CMP process to form the first-level wiring M1 having a Cu film as a main conductor as illustrated in
A formation method of the first-level wiring M1 by using a CMP process will next be described in detail referring to
In the CMP process in the present embodiment, a single-wafer CMP apparatus equipped with a polishing portion and a cleaning portion as illustrated in
Next, the flow of wafer processing in the CMP step in the present embodiment will next be described briefly referring to
The wafer storage container 101 holding therein wafers to be processed is set in the load port (Step P1 of
Next, the wafer is transferred to the first polishing portion 103 by using the wafer transfer robot which the transfer portion 102 has and is set on a platen (polishing machine) 103a, at which an unnecessary portion of the Cu film is removed by CMP using a polishing slurry (Step P2 of
Then, the wafer is transferred to the second polishing portion 104 from the first polishing portion 103 and is set on a platen (polishing machine) 104a at which an unnecessary portion of the barrier metal film is removed by CMP using, a polishing slurry containing an anticorrosive (Step P3 of
Then, the wafer is transferred from the second polishing portion 104 to the first cleaning portion 105 and it is cleaned with pure water (DIW) in the first double-side cleaning unit (Step P5 of
Then, the wafer is transferred from the first cleaning portion 105 to the second cleaning portion 106 and in the second double-side cleaning unit, it is cleaned with a chemical liquid. Then, the wafer is rinse-cleaned with pure water (step P6 of
The wafer is then transferred from the second cleaning portion 106 to the third cleaning portion 107 and in the single-side cleaning unit, it is cleaned with a chemical liquid. The wafer is then rinse-cleaned with pure water (step P7 of
Next, the wafer is transferred from the third cleaning portion 107 to the drying portion 108 and it is dried in the drying unit (Step P8 of
The wafer is then returned from the drying portion 108 to the wafer storage container 101 by using the wafer transfer robot.
Specific methods for processing a wafer (Steps P2 to P8 of
(1) Polishing of Cu film (Step P2 of
This first polishing portion 103 is equipped with a wafer retention mechanism (wafer carrier) 103c for retaining therewith a wafer SW. A drive shaft to which the wafer retention mechanism 103c has been fixed is, together with the wafer retention mechanism 103c, rotated and driven by a motor and at the same time, is moved up and down above the platen 103a.
The wafer SW is retained in the wafer retention mechanism 103c, with its, main surface, that is, the surface to be polished, facing downward by a vacuum adsorption mechanism provided in the wafer retention mechanism 103c. At the lower end portion of the wafer retention mechanism 103c, a recess for housing the wafer SW is formed. When the wafer SW is housed in this recess, the surface of the wafer SW to be polished is almost flush with or slightly protrudes from the lower end surface of the wafer retention mechanism 103c.
Slurry supply equipment 103e for supplying a polishing slurry 103d between the surface of the polishing pad 103b and the surface of the wafer SW to be polished is provided above the platen 103a, and the surface of the wafer SW to be polished is polished chemically and mechanically by the polishing slurry 103d supplied from its lower end. As the polishing slurry 103d, that having abrasive particles, such as silicon oxide (SiO2), as a main component and obtained by dispersing them in water is used.
The first polishing portion 103 is equipped with a dresser 103f which is a tool for dressing the surface of the polishing pad 103b. This dresser 103f is attached to the lower end portion of the drive shaft which moves up and down above the platen 103a and is rotated and driven by a motor.
In the above-described first polishing portion 103, the wafer SW is retained by the wafer retention mechanism 103c and the surface thereof to be polished is polished until an unnecessary portion of the Cu film is removed completely. Polishing is performed, for example, under the following conditions: pressure to be applied to the back surface of wafer SW: 2 psi, the number of rotations of wafer SW: 80 rpm, the number of rotations of platen 103a: 80 rpm, and discharge rate of polishing slurry 103d: 300 ml/min.
(2) Polishing of barrier metal film (step P3 of
In the second polishing portion 104, the wafer SW is retained by the wafer retention mechanism and the surface thereof to be polished is polished until an unnecessary portion of the barrier metal film is removed completely. Polishing is performed, for example, under the following conditions: pressure to be applied to the back surface of wafer SW: 2 psi, the number of rotations of wafer SW: 70 rpm, the number of rotations of platen: 70 rpm, and discharge rate of polishing slurry: 300 ml/min. The polishing slurry used for the removal of the barrier metal film contains an anticorrosive for protecting the surface of the Cu film, for example, BTA or adenine-based anticorrosive.
(3) Polishing with water (Step p4 of
(4) Cleaning with pure water (DIW) (Step P5 of
Then, the roll brushes 105c are relaxed to separate them from the two main surfaces of the wafer Sw. The anticorrosive which has remained on the surface of the Cu film is removed completely by this cleaning with pure water.
Instead of the roll brush 105c, a roll brush and a pen brush may be used in combination. The roll brush and the pen brush both can remove foreign matters attached to the surface of the wafer by making use of a physical force. In particular, the pen brush can push foreign matters from the center of the wafer to the outer circumference thereof so that it can prevent re-deposition of the foreign matters to the wafer SW and therefore has a finish effect of cleaning. When the roll brush and pen brush are used in combination, it is therefore preferred to use the roll brush and then use the pen brush. Whether only the roll brush 105c is used or the roll brush and the pen brush are used in combination is determined, depending on the amount of an anticorrosive which has remained on the polished surface of the wafer SW after completion of the polishing of the Cu film and the barrier metal film, or depending on the degree of the adsorption property of it.
(5) First cleaning with chemical liquid (Step P6 of
The chemical liquid employed in the first cleaning is a solution (acidic chemical solution or weak alkaline chemical solution) other than an electrolyte (solution having a pH of approximately 7). As the acidic chemical solution, an organic acid such as citric acid or oxalic acid is used, while as the weak alkaline chemical solution, an organic alkali is used.
Then, the roll brushes are relaxed to separate them from the two main surfaces of the wafer SW and the wafer is rinse-washed, for example, for 30 seconds while substituting pure water for the chemical liquid.
(6) Second cleaning with chemical liquid (Step P7 of
Then, the pen brush 107 is raised to separate it from the polished surface of the wafer SW and rinse cleaning, for example, for 50 seconds is performed while substituting pure water for the chemical liquid and decreasing the number of rotations of the wafer to, for example, 10 rpm.
(7) Drying (Step P8 of
Thus, in the present embodiment, after polishing of the Cu film (Step P2 of
a) is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first-level wiring M1 formed by the CMP process free of cleaning with pure water (Step P5). In this case, after polishing with water (Step P4), first cleaning with a chemical liquid (Step P6) is performed in the state that the anticorrosive is left on the surface of the Cu film. Local Cu elution and precipitation therefore occur from the wiring M1 due to a concentration cell effect.
b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first-level wiring M1 formed by the CMP process of the present embodiment. In this case, the anticorrosive which has remained on the surface of the Cu film after the polishing with water (Step P4) can be removed completely in the cleaning with pure water (Step P5). Even when the first cleaning with a chemical liquid is then performed, it is therefore possible to prevent local Cu elution and precipitation from the wiring M1 which will otherwise occur due to a concentration cell effect. As a result, corrosion of the wiring M1 can be prevented.
A second-level wiring is then formed by the dual damascene process.
First, as illustrated in
Next, after dry etching of the stopper insulating film 20 with a hole-formation resist pattern as a mask, an insulating film 21 for wiring formation is formed on the stopper insulating film 20. The insulating film 21 may be, for example, an SiOC film.
Next, the insulating film 21 is dry etched with a resist pattern for wiring trench formation as a mask. Upon this processing, the stopper insulating film 20 serves as an etching stopper. Then, the interlayer insulating film 19 is dry etched with the stopper insulating film 20 and the resist pattern for wiring trench formation as a mask. Upon this dry etching, the cap insulating film 18 serves as an etching stopper. Then, the exposed cap insulating film 18 is removed by dry etching, whereby coupling holes 22 are formed in the cap insulating film 18 and the interlayer insulating film 19 and wiring trenches 23 are formed in the stopper insulating film 20 and the insulating film 21.
Next, as illustrated in
Upon formation of the second-level wiring M2, a CMP process similar to that employed for the formation of the first-level wiring Ml as described referring to
Then, as illustrated in
In the present embodiment, a Cu wiring having the minimum line width of 70 nm or less is used as each of the third-level wiring M3 and the fourth-level wiring M4, and a Cu wiring having the minimum line width of 100 nm or more is used as each of the fifth-level wiring M5 and the six level wiring M6. The present invention is therefore applied to the third-level wiring M3 and the fourth-level wiring M4 in which corrosion is likely to occur due to the remaining of the anticorrosive contained in the polishing slurry in the CMP step. On the other hand, the present invention is not always applied to the fifth-level wiring M5 and the sixth-level wiring M6 because corrosion of them due to the remaining of the anticorrosive contained in the polishing slurry in the CMP step is not likely to occur.
Next, a silicon nitride film 24 is formed on the sixth-level wiring M6 and then a silicon oxide film 25 is formed on the silicon nitride film 24. The silicon nitride film 24 and the silicon oxide film 25 function as a passivation film for preventing intrusion of moisture or impurities from the outside or suppressing transmission of α rays.
Next, with a resist pattern as a mask, the silicon nitride film 24 and the silicon oxide film 25 are etched to expose a portion of the sixth-level wiring. M6 (bonding pad portion). A bump underlying electrode 26 made of a film stack of a gold (Au) film, a nickel (Ni) film, and the like is formed on the exposed sixth-level wiring M6, followed by the formation of a bump electrode 27 made of gold (Au), solder or the like on the bump underlying electrode 26. As a result, the semiconductor device according to the present embodiment is substantially completed. This bump electrode 27 serves as an electrode for external coupling. The wafer is then diced into individual chips and the chips are mounted on a package substrate or the like in a known manner. Description on such steps is therefore omitted herein.
Thus, according to the present embodiment, an anticorrosive contained in a polishing slurry can be removed completely in a CMP step, which is one of the manufacturing steps of a Cu wiring so that local elution and precipitation of Cu, which would otherwise occur in a Cu wiring, particularly, a Cu wiring having a line width of 70 nm or less, due to a concentration cell effect, can be prevented. This makes it possible to prevent corrosion of the Cu wiring and improve the production yield of a semiconductor device.
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and that various changes can be made without departing from the principles described herein.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2011-021372 | Feb 2011 | JP | national |