This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-214312, filed on Aug. 22, 2008; the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Formation of a pre metal dielectric (PMD) in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device is performed by covering convex steps formed in an underlying layer to deposit an insulating film and polishing and removing the insulating film by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), so that the insulating film having a predetermined thickness is left on the convex steps. For the deposition film thickness of the insulating film in this case, there is required a thick film thickness obtained by adding the height of the convex steps, a polishing amount in CMP, and a residual film thickness to be left on the convex portion.
When the insulating film is thick, a concave region between the convex steps is blocked by the insulating film in a portion where the convex steps are densely formed, and this results in an insulating-film pattern (hereinafter, “large-area insulating film pattern”) having an overall large-area convex portion. Meanwhile, in a portion where the convex steps are sparsely formed, blocking of the concave region between the convex steps does not occur, resulting in an insulating-film pattern (hereinafter, “small-area insulating film pattern”) having a small-area convex portion with a similar shape to that of each of the convex steps. Thus, when the large-area insulating film pattern and the small-area insulating film pattern are mixed, the planarization of the insulating film by CMP becomes difficult, and deterioration in planarity occurs.
Accordingly, as a method of preventing such deterioration in planarization by CMP, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-48980 proposes a method in which planarization is performed by CMP after an insulating film of a portion corresponding to a convex steps is removed by a photolithography technique and reactive ion etching (RIE), for example.
However, even the above technique has a problem that when there is a portion where an insulating film is blocked, the planarization by CMP becomes difficult, and the convex step is left after a CMP process. It is thus desired to etch also the portion where the insulating film is blocked by RIE. However, for the etching, a blocked location needs to be previously calculated by a design of the pattern of convex steps formed in the underlying layer, a film thickness or film-forming characteristics of the insulating film or the like. In this case, RIE is performed by using a dedicated mask. Besides, the blocked location is shifted by a design change of the pattern of the convex steps, a change of types of the film, a change of the film thickness or the like, and thus in these cases, a mask for RIE needs to be changed.
There is also a problem in terms of controlling the residual film thickness after the CMP process. When the insulating film is thick, the film thickness after deposition can be varied. In this case, the film thickness of the insulting film after an RIE process is also varied. In the RIE process, etching is stopped somewhere within the insulating film without using a stopper, and thus control of the etching amount is difficult. Particularly, the convex steps formed in the underlying layer can be exposed, and thus thinning of the residual film is difficult.
In view of these problems, the deposition film thickness of the insulating film is set thick so that a milling allowance in CMP is secured even when the film thickness of the insulating film after the RIE process is varied. As a result, there is a problem that the insulting film is more easily blocked. Further, the insulting film is milled by CMP to a target film thickness from the thick film thickness, and thus there are problem such that the polishing amount in CMP becomes large, the load increases, and the deterioration in planarity occurs. Therefore, it is difficult to form an insulting film having favorable planarity with a desired film thickness.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor device manufacturing method includes depositing a first insulating film above a semiconductor substrate on which a plurality of convex patterns are located; exposing the convex patterns and forming a convex portion formed of the first insulating film by removing the first insulating film in a region corresponding to a top surface of the convex patterns by anisotropic etching using the top surface of the convex patterns as a stopper; depositing a second insulating film above the semiconductor substrate in a manner to cover the convex patterns and the convex portion formed of the first insulating film; and forming an insulating layer having the second insulating film deposited on the convex patterns and the first insulating film deposited on a region between the adjacent convex patterns by removing the convex portion formed of the first insulating film and the second insulating film that covers the convex portion to a surface height of the second insulating film at least on the convex patterns by a CMP process to perform planarization.
Exemplary embodiments of a semiconductor device manufacturing method according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and various modifications carried out without departing from the scope of the invention are also included therein. In addition, for facilitating understanding, scales of respective members may differ from those of actual products. The same applies to the relations between the drawings.
A method of forming a PMD to which a semiconductor device manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied is explained with reference to
First, on a semiconductor substrate 11, a plurality of transistor elements are formed. That is, on the semiconductor substrate 11, a gate electrode 13 formed of a polysilicon film is formed via a gate insulating film 12 formed of a silicon oxide film. On the gate electrode 13, a stopper film 14 formed of a silicon nitride film is formed (
On the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 11, as a first insulating film 21, a silicon oxide film is deposited by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, for example (
When the film thickness of the first insulating film 21 is thinned as described above, even when transistors are densely formed and thus an interval between the adjacent gate electrodes 13 is narrow, an increase (bottom-up) of the height of the concave region between the adjacent underlying convex steps is suppressed after the first insulating film 21 is deposited on the concave region. This eliminates the removing of the first insulating film 21 at a blocked portion in a process of removing the first insulating film 21 mentioned below. Thus, calculation for specifying the blocked portion and a mask for removing the first insulating film 21 at the blocked portion become unnecessary.
Next, a mask 22 on the first insulating film 21 is formed by lithography, etching or the like (
Subsequently, by RIE using the mask 22, a portion of the first insulating film 21 is removed by using the stopper film 14, as a stopper, formed on an uppermost layer of the underlying convex steps (
The film thickness of the first insulating film 21 is set to be substantially equal to the height of the underlying convex steps. Therefore, after etching by RIE, a minute convex portion formed of the first insulating film 21 is formed in the contour of the pattern of the underlying convex steps, and thus the height of the concave region of the first insulating film 21 and that of the underlying convex steps are set to be substantially equal.
Thereafter, the mask 22 is removed (
When the film thickness of the second insulating film 23 is thus set as the desired film thickness finally required, the film thickness of the second insulating film 23 can be thinned. Thus, the concave region between the minute convex portions on a surface of the first insulating film 21 is not blocked. Even after the deposition of the second insulating film 23, the minute convex portion in which the second insulating film 23 is deposited in the minute convex portion on the surface of the first insulating film 21 independently remains in the contour of the pattern of the underlying convex steps. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the individual areas of the convex portion on a surface of the second insulating film 23, thereby reducing the prevalence of the convex portion of the second insulating film 23, and also to reduce a load at a CMP process in a subsequent process.
The second insulating film 23 can be made of the same material as that of the first insulating film 21, and can also be made of a material different from that of the first insulating film 21. However, when forming a contact hole reaching the semiconductor substrate 11 in a subsequent process of manufacturing a semiconductor device, for example, in order that the second insulating film 23 and the first insulating film 21 can be etched easily in the same process, the second insulating film 23 and the first insulating film 21 are preferably made of the same material.
Thereafter, the CMP using a polishing device as shown in
The polishing device includes a polishing plate (a polishing table) 31 that can be rotated by a motor, a polishing pad 32 affixed on the polishing plate 31, a vacuum chuck holder 33 that is located above the polishing plate 31 and that can be rotated by a motor, and a polishing-liquid supplying pipe 34 which is connected to a polishing liquid tank and of which the discharge unit protrudes to near the polishing pad 32. The semiconductor substrate 11, which is a target to be polished, is vacuum chucked to the vacuum chuck holder 33 so that a surface to be polished faces the polishing pad 32. The polishing-liquid supplying pipe 34 includes a unit (not shown) that controls a supply amount of the polishing liquid.
The film thickness of the second insulating film 23 is previously set to the desired film thickness intended to be finally left on the underlying convex steps. Accordingly, during the CMP, it suffices to polish and remove the minute convex portion formed of the second insulating film 23 and the first insulating film 21 formed in the contour of the pattern of the underlying convex steps for relaxing. Thus, the load in the CMP process is lessened and the polishing becomes easy, the planarization can be performed with a small polishing amount, and thus favorable planarization can be realized. Further, under the assumed condition of polishing by CMP, when the film thickness of the second insulating film 23 is formed as a film thickness obtained by adding some polishing amounts in CMP to a desired film thickness intended to be finally left on the underlying convex steps, the surface of the second insulating film 23 and the first insulating film 21 after the polishing of the minute convex portion formed of the second insulating film 23 and the first insulating film 21 is polished by a predetermined thickness for planarization. Also in this case, the thickness by which the surface of the second insulating film 23 and the first insulating film 21 after the polishing of the minute convex portion is polished is small, and thus the polishing becomes easy, and the planarization can be performed with a small polishing amount.
In the CMP, it is preferable to selectively polish the minute convex portion formed of the second insulating film 23 and the first insulating film 21 and polish the concave region of the second insulating film 23 by such a polishing characteristic that the polishing amount is reduced as much as possible. For this reason, the polishing pad 32 is suitably made from a resin raw material such as urethane. The progress state of polishing, that is, the relaxed state of the minute convex portion in the middle of the polishing process can be monitored by a current value (that is obtained while polishing is in progress) of a motor that rotates the polishing plate 31 or a current value (that is obtained while polishing is in progress) of a motor that rotates the vacuum chuck holder 33 by utilizing the fact that a contact area between the presently-polished insulating-film surface and the polishing pad 32 is changed.
The polishing device performs polishing by rotating each of the polishing plate 31 and the vacuum chuck holder 33. During the polishing, the polishing device controls the number of rotations by adjusting a current value of a motor so that a predetermined set number of rotations is maintained.
As shown in
Thereafter, the polishing is progressed, the minute convex portion is removed, and that portion ceases to exist. At this time, the contact area between the insulating film surface and the polishing pad 32 becomes large, and the frictional resistance between the insulating film surface and the polishing pad 32 becomes large. Thus, the current value of the motor that rotates the polishing plate 31 suddenly becomes large. Subsequently, the minute convex portion is removed and ceases to exist, and when the surface of the insulating film becomes plain, the current value of the motor becomes constant.
Accordingly, by monitoring the current value (that is obtained while polishing is in progress) of the motor that rotates the polishing plate 31 or the current value (that is obtained while polishing is in progress) of the motor that rotates the vacuum chuck holder 33, and when the current value becomes constant after the sudden change in current value is ended, it becomes possible to determine that the relaxing of the minute convex portion is ended. Accordingly, it becomes possible to easily and surely control when CMP is stopped, and possible to leave the second insulating film 23 of a desired film thickness on the underlying convex steps.
The use of the method enables the formation of a PMD that is an insulating layer having the second insulating film 23 deposited on the underlying convex patterns and the first insulating film 21 deposited on the region between the adjacent underlying convex patterns and that has favorable planarity in which the variation of the film thickness is suppressed (
After etching by RIE (
In the implementation, the mask 22 is formed on the first insulating film 21 by lithography, etching or the like (
As a countermeasure to the above problem, it is preferable that an aperture pattern size of the mask 22 is reduced, and thereby, even when the formation position of the mask 22 is deviated, the etched region of the first insulating film 21 does not come out of the stopper film 14. Reduction of the aperture pattern size of the mask 22 can be realized by using a dedicated photomask of which the aperture pattern size is reduced when forming the mask 22, rather than using a photomask used when forming the underlying convex steps.
Further, the aperture pattern size can be reduced by forming a new mask that covers the mask 22. A method of reducing the aperture pattern size of the mask 22 is explained below with reference to
In this case, the mask 22 is formed as a first resist pattern 41 by using a first resist in which an acid component is generated inside by an appropriate heating process, for example. Examples of such a first resist include a positive resist configured by a novolac resin and naphthoquinone diazido-based photosensitizer.
Subsequently, as shown in
Subsequently, a heating process is applied to the first resist pattern 41 formed on the semiconductor substrate 11 and the second resist layer 42a formed thereon to promote the diffusion of acid from the first resist pattern 41, which is supplied to within the second resist layer 42a, thereby generating a crosslinking reaction at the interface between the second resist layer 42a and the first resist pattern 41. As a result, as shown in
Thereafter, as shown in
Subsequently, as shown in
As described above, in the present embodiment, after the deposition of the first insulating film 21, the first insulating film 21 on the underlying convex steps is removed until the underlying convex steps is exposed, and from thereon, the second insulating film 23 is deposited, and the minute convex portion formed on the surface is polished and removed by CMP for planarization. By performing these processes, control of the residual film thickness of the insulting film left on the underlying convex steps can be performed by the deposition film thickness of the second insulating film 23. That is, when the second insulating film 23 is deposited with a desired film thickness intended to be finally left on the underlying convex steps, control of the residual film thickness of the insulating film left on the underlying convex steps is enabled. Further, it suffices that in the CMP process for the insulating film, the minute convex portion formed of the second insulating film 23 and the first insulating film 21 are only polished and removed for relaxing. As a result, the load in the CMP process is lessened, the polishing becomes easy, and the planarization is possible with a small polishing amount. Accordingly, favorable planarity can be realized.
Therefore, according to the semiconductor device manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the residual film thickness of the insulating film left on the underlying convex steps can be controlled to a desirable film thickness highly accurately and easily, and the PMD having favorable planarity can be easily formed with a desired film thickness. In addition, thinning of the residual film thickness of the insulating film left on the underlying convex steps and the PMD can be achieved.
Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2008-214312 | Aug 2008 | JP | national |