Patent Application
20150221552
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device and a semiconductor device, and more particularly to a technique for forming fine wiring in a high-accuracy manner.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-215847 filed in Japan on Sep. 30, 2011, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
In the related art, as a fine wiring material such as a semiconductor element formed on a substrate, aluminum or an aluminum alloy has been used. However, since the aluminum has a low melting point and poor migration resistance, it was difficult to apply to high-integration and high-speed of the semiconductor element.
Therefore, copper is recently used as a wiring material. Copper has a higher melting point and a lower electrical resistivity than aluminum, and therefore, copper is regarded as a leading LSI wiring material. However, when using the copper as a wiring material, there is a problem that it is difficult to perform microfabrication. For example, Patent Document 1 has proposed a method in which a groove is formed on an insulating layer and the copper is embedded in the groove, and then extra copper protruding from the groove is removed to form copper wiring in the fine groove.
However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that it is difficult to embed the copper in the groove without a gap.
That is, when depositing copper in the groove by sputtering, the copper is not deposited to the inside of the fine groove, and the inside of the groove remains to be a hollow and the copper is deposited only near an open end of the groove.
In addition, when embedding melted copper in the groove by a reflow method, with respect to a barrier metal layer formed in advance on the inner wall surface of the groove, there is a problem that the copper is solidified in a state where a wetting property with the melted copper is poor, and the hollow is generated in the groove.
When the hollow is generated in the copper wiring formed in the groove, resistance of the copper wiring is increased, and thereby there is a possibility of disconnection.
Aspects of the invention are made to solve the problem, and aim to provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, which may obtain wiring with excellent conductivity by embedding a conductive material in a fine groove portion without a gap, and a semiconductor device.
In order to solve the problem, the invention adapts a following method of manufacturing a semiconductor device and a following semiconductor device.
(1) A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to an aspect of the invention includes a groove portion formation process of forming a groove portion in a base body, a barrier layer formation process of forming a barrier layer covering at least the inner wall surface of the groove portion, a seed layer formation process of forming a seed layer covering the barrier layer, and a seed layer melting process of causing the seed layer to be melted by the reflow method, and the seed layer is made of Cu.
(2) In the aspect (1), the seed layer formation process includes a process of forming a Cu thin film covering the barrier layer, and a process of performing a heat treatment on the Cu thin film, and the heat treatment may be performed in a temperature range of 100° C. to 400° C.
(3) In the aspect of (1) or (2), not only embedding the inside of the groove using the seed layer formation process and the seed layer melting process once, but also repeating the seed layer formation process and the seed layer melting process two or more times may be provided.
(4) In the aspect described in any one of (1) to (3), the barrier layer may adapt a configuration of being made of a material including at least one of Ta, Ti, W, Ru, V, Co, and Nb.
(5) In the aspect described in any one of (1) to (4), the base body may adapt a configuration of being made of a semiconductor substrate and an insulating layer formed on one surface of the semiconductor substrate.
(6) A semiconductor device according to an aspect of the invention includes a groove portion formed on the base body, the barrier layer covering the inner wall surface of the groove portion, and a conductor embedded in an inner region of the barrier layer. The conductor is formed by melting the seed layer, which covers the barrier layer and is made of Cu, using the reflow method.
According to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device and a semiconductor device according to the aspects of the invention, the seed layer which covers a barrier layer and is made of Cu is caused to be melted using the reflow method, and therefore, it is possible to uniformly spread out a conductive material of Cu to every corner of a groove portion without generating a hollow inside, and to obtain a conductor with high accuracy without a local disconnection portion.
Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device and a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the invention will be described based on drawings. The embodiments are intended for better understanding of the spirit of the invention by taking an example, and as long as not particularly specified, the embodiments are not intended to limit the invention. In addition, drawings used in the following description can be shown, for convenience, by enlarging a portion serving as a main portion in order to make the feature of the invention easy to understand, and a dimensional ratio of each component and the like is not limited to be the same as the actual object.
(Semiconductor Device)
A semiconductor device 10 includes a base body 11. The base body 11 is configured to have an insulating substrate, for example, a glass substrate, a resin substrate, and the like. For example, a semiconductor element and the like may be formed in a portion of the base body 11.
On one surface 11a of the base body 11, a groove portion (trench) 12 is formed. For example, the groove portion 12 is made of a groove which is formed in the thickness direction of the base body 11 from one surface 11a of the base body 11, and whose width is thin, deep, and fine. The width W of the bottom of the groove portion 12 is formed to be, for example, about 20 to 50 nm. In addition, the depth D of the groove portion 12 is formed to be, for example, about 80 to 200 nm. In the inner region of the groove portion 12, for example, a conductor which configures circuit wiring of the semiconductor element is formed.
In the groove portion 12, a barrier layer (barrier metal) 13 is formed to cover the inner wall surface 12a. The barrier layer 13 is configured of Ta (tantalum) nitride, Ta silicide, Ta carbide, Ti (titanium) nitride, Ti silicide, Ti carbide, W (tungsten) nitride, W silicide, W carbide, Ru (ruthenium), Ru oxide, V (vanadium) oxide, Co (cobalt) oxide, Nb (niobium) oxide, and the like.
The barrier layer (barrier metal) 13 is formed to have the thickness t1 of about 1 to 3 nm, for example.
Further, in the inner region of the barrier layer (barrier metal) 13 in the groove portion 12, a conductor 14 made of a conductive material is formed. The conductor 14 is configured of Cu (copper). The conductor 14 forms the seed layer in the inner region of the barrier layer (barrier metal) 13 and embeds the groove portion 12 by melting (reflowing) the seed layer.
For example, the conductor 14 is circuit wiring of the semiconductor element formed in the base body 11.
According to the semiconductor device 10 of such a configuration, by forming the seed layer made of Cu in the inner region of the barrier layer (barrier metal) 13, and melting (reflowing) the seed layer to form the conductor 14, a conductive material is embedded in the groove portion 12 without a gap at the time of forming the conductor 14. Accordingly, it is possible to realize the semiconductor device 10 including the conductor (circuit wiring) 14 which has uniform electrical resistance, no possibility of disconnection and the like, and is made of Cu.
(Method of Manufacturing Semiconductor Device)
When manufacturing the semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the invention, first, the base body 11 is prepared (refer to
Next, the groove portion 12 with a predetermined depth is formed on one surface 11a of the base body 11 (refer to
Next, on one surface 11a of the base body 11 including the inner wall surface 12a of the groove portion 12, the barrier layer (barrier metal) 13 with a predetermined thickness is formed (refer to
The sputtering apparatus (deposition apparatus) 1 includes a vacuum chamber 2, and a substrate holder 7 and a target 5 which are disposed in the vacuum chamber 2, respectively.
A vacuum exhaust system 9 and a gas supply system 4 are connected to the vacuum chamber 2, and by vacuum exhausting the inside of the vacuum chamber 2 and introducing a sputtering gas and a reaction gas containing nitrogen or oxygen in the chemical structure from the gas supply system 4 while vacuum exhausting (for example, when the reaction gas is oxygen, a rate of flow is from 0.1 to 5 sccm.), a deposition atmosphere which is lower than atmospheric pressure is formed in the vacuum chamber 2 (for example, a total pressure is from 10−4 Pa to 10−1 Pa).
Then, one surface 11a side where the groove portion 12 is formed on the base body 11 is held by the substrate holder 7 in a state towards the target 5. A sputtering power supply 8 and a bias power supply 6 are disposed outside the vacuum chamber 2, and the target 5 is connected to the sputtering power supply 8 and the substrate holder 7 is connected to the bias power supply 6, respectively.
When magnetic field formation means 3 is disposed outside the vacuum chamber 2, the vacuum chamber 2 is placed on a ground potential, a negative voltage is applied to the target 5 while holding the deposition atmosphere in the vacuum chamber 2, and the target 5 is magnetron-sputtered. The target 5 has a formation material of the barrier layer (barrier metal) 13 as a principal component.
Then, when the target 5 is magnetron-sputtered, the formation material of the barrier layer 13 is released as sputtered particles.
The released sputtered particles and a reaction gas are incident on one surface 11a of the base body 11 where the groove portion 12 is formed, and the barrier layer 13 is formed to cover one surface 11a of the base body 11 including the inner wall surface 12a of the groove portion 12.
Next, the seed layer 15 is formed to cover the barrier layer 13 (refer to
A method of forming the seed layer 15 using the sputtering apparatus (deposition apparatus) 1 will be described.
First, in a state where the base body 11 is disposed on the substrate holder 7, by vacuum exhausting the inside of the vacuum chamber 2 by the vacuum exhaust system 9 and introducing a sputtering gas and a reaction gas including nitrogen or oxygen in the chemical structure (for example, when the reaction gas is oxygen, the flow rate is from 0.1 to 5 sccm) from the gas supply system 4 while vacuum exhausting, the deposition atmosphere which is lower than atmospheric pressure is formed in the vacuum chamber 2 (for example, a total pressure is from 10−4 to 10−1 Pa).
By introducing the sputtering gas, and running the sputtering power supply 8 after the inside of the vacuum chamber 2 is stabilized to a predetermined pressure (for example, a pressure of 4.0×10−2 Pa), a negative voltage is applied to a cathode electrode (not shown), and thereby discharging is started and plasma is generated in the vicinity of the surface of the target 5 with the target 5 set as Cu.
Then, deposition by sputtering is performed for a predetermined time, and a copper thin film is formed to cover the barrier layer 13. Then, the base body 11 is taken out from the vacuum chamber 2.
Temperature adjusting means (not shown) is provided in the substrate holder 7 of the sputtering apparatus 1 described above, and when forming the copper thin film, the temperature adjusting means adjusts the temperature of the base body 11 to a predetermined temperature (for example, −20° C.).
The sputtering apparatus 1 can be configured to move and rotate the magnetic field forming means 3 in parallel to the surface of the target 5, and a region (an erosion region) sputtered on the surface of the target 5 can be formed at any position on the target.
Next, heating to the melting temperature or more of the seed layer 15 is performed on the base body 11 where the seed layer 15 is formed, and thereby reflow is performed (refer to
The melting temperature of the seed layer 15 is set to a range of 100 to 400° C.
When the conductive material M made of Cu is not sufficiently filled in the inner region of the barrier layer 13, it is preferable to repeat the seed layer formation process and the seed layer melting process two or more times. Accordingly, it is possible to more reliably fill the conductive material M made of Cu in the inner region of the barrier layer 13.
Thereafter, the barrier layer 13 deposited on one surface 11a of the base body 11 excluding the groove portion 12, and the conductive material M are removed (refer to
Hereinafter, the embodiment of the invention is more specifically described by experimental examples. However, the invention is not limited to the following experimental examples.
A silicon substrate with a silicon oxide film, which has a thickness of 0.775 mm, is prepared as a base body.
Next, on one surface of the base body, a groove portion with a depth of 100 nm is formed by etching using photolithography.
Next, on one surface of the base body including the inner wall surface of the groove portion, a barrier layer made of Ta with a thickness of 3 nm is formed by the sputtering method.
Next, in order to cover the barrier layer, a seed layer with copper thin film with a thickness of 25 nm is formed by the sputtering method. When the copper thin film is formed, the temperature of the base body is adjusted to −20° C.
Next, by heating the base body having the seed layer formed thereon to 400° C. and melting the seed layer, the conductive material made of Cu is embedded in the groove portion, that is, in the inner region of the barrier layer.
After embedding the conductive material made of Cu in the inner region of the barrier layer, the filling rate of the groove portion of the base body (a rate of the groove portion filled with Cu, volume %) is examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).
A case where the filling rate is equal to or more than 90% is expressed as O, a case where the filling rate is equal to or more than 80% and less than 90% is expressed as Δ, and a case where the filling rate is less than 80% is expressed as X.
The result is shown in Table 1.
Except that the seed layer made of Cu with a thickness of 35 nm is formed, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with Cu.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 1.
Except that a seed layer made of Cu with a thickness of 45 nm is formed, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the inside of a groove portion of a base body is filled with Cu.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 1.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by heating the base body having a seed layer formed thereon to 300° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 1.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by forming a seed layer made of Cu with a thickness of 35 nm, heating a base body having the seed layer formed thereon to 300° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 1.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by forming a seed layer made of Cu with a thickness of 45 nm, heating a base body having the seed layer formed thereon to 300° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 1.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by forming a seed layer made of Cu with a thickness of 55 nm, heating a base body having the seed layer formed thereon to 300° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 1.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by heating a base body having a seed layer formed thereon to 200° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 1.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by forming a seed layer made of Cu with a thickness of 35 nm, heating a base body having the seed layer formed thereon to 200° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 1.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by forming a seed layer made of Cu with a thickness of 45 nm, heating a base body having the seed layer formed thereon to 200° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 1.
A silicon substrate with a silicon oxide film, which has a thickness of 0.775 mm is prepared as a base body.
Next, on one surface of the base body, a groove portion with a depth of 100 nm is formed by etching using the photolithography.
Next, on one surface of the base body including the inner wall surface of the groove portion, the barrier layer made of Ta with a thickness of 3 nm is formed by the sputtering method.
Then, in order to cover the barrier layer, a copper thin film with a thickness of 25 nm is formed by the sputtering method. When forming the copper thin film, the temperature of the base body is adjusted to −20° C.
Then, by heating the base body having a seed layer formed thereon to 400° C. and melting the seed layer, a conductive material made of Cu is embedded in the inside of the groove portion, that is, the inner region of the barrier layer.
Again, the copper thin film is formed by the sputtering method in the inner region of the barrier layer. When the copper thin film is formed, the temperature of the base body is adjusted to −20° C.
Next, by heating the base body having the seed layer formed thereon to 400° C. and melting the seed layer, the conductive material made of Cu is embedded in the inside of the groove portion.
Thereafter, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 2.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by heating a base body having a seed layer formed thereon to 350° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 11, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 2.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by forming a seed layer made of Cu with a thickness of 35 nm, heating a base body having the seed layer formed thereon to 350° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 11, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 2.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by forming the seed layer made of Cu with a thickness of 40 nm, heating the base body having the seed layer formed thereon to 350° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 11, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 2.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by forming a seed layer made of Cu with a thickness of 15 nm, heating a base body having the seed layer formed thereon to 300° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 11, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 2.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by heating a base body having a seed layer formed thereon to 300° C. and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 11, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 2.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by forming a seed layer made of Cu with a thickness of 35 nm, heating a base body having the seed layer formed thereon to 300° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 11, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 2.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by forming a seed layer made of Cu with a thickness of 40 nm, heating a base body having the seed layer formed thereon to 300° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 11, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 2.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by forming a seed layer made of Cu with a thickness of 45 nm, heating a base body having the seed layer formed thereon to 300° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 11, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 2.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by heating a base body having a seed layer formed thereon to 250° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 11, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 2.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by forming a seed layer made of Cu with a thickness of 35 nm, heating a base body having the seed layer formed thereon to 250° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 11, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 2.
Except that Cu is embedded in a groove portion by forming a seed layer made of Cu with a thickness of 40 nm, heating a base body having the seed layer formed thereon to 250° C., and melting the seed layer, in the same manner as the experimental example 11, the inside of the groove portion of the base body is filled with a conductor.
In addition, in the same manner as the experimental example 1, the filling rate of the groove portion is examined.
The result is shown in Table 2.
As seen in the result of Table 1, when the thickness of a seed layer is equal to or more than 35 nm and the melting temperature of the seed layer is equal to or more than 300° C., the filling property of a conductive material (Cu) in a groove portion is found to be improved.
As seen in the result of Table 2, when the thickness of the seed layer is equal to or more than 35 nm and the melting temperature of the seed layer is equal to or more than 250° C. in a case where a seed layer formation process and a seed layer melting process are repeated twice, it is found that the groove portion can be fully filled with the conductive material (Cu).
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-215847 | Sep 2011 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2012/074075 | 9/20/2012 | WO | 00 |
