Background technology
Advanced interconnect structure in ultra-large integrated (ULSI) circuit partly is by electrochemistry or chemistry (being also referred to as " electrolessly ") deposition process manufacturing, this electrochemistry or chemical deposition processing procedure from one or more electrolyte metal material, normally copper is deposited on wafer surface.In deposition process, at first immerse the wafer of a drying in one electrolyte solution or an electrolyte is sprayed on the wafer of a drying, but may run into several problems like this.One of them serious problem be wafer surface soaked into the place that causes not touched by halves by electrolyte by electrolyte can't depositing metal layers.Be usually expressed as the disappearance of deposited film and big hole and the part that is not filled in through hole and groove, occur by the caused defective relevant of this kind mechanism, and above-mentioned defective will cause a large amount of devices to be scrapped with infiltration.
Incomplete infiltration is a kind of surface physics phenomenon between electrolyte and the wafer, and may be caused by many technological parameters that influence the surface nature of electrolyte and wafer.Give some instances, wafer surface and contain compatibility between the electrolyte of all kinds organic additive, wafer by the environment that is touched before plating or the chemical plating, electrolyte aging, in handling process current processing step and before processing step between stand-by period, processing step before can be that the thin metal level of deposition one deck or grinding are so that metal and dielectric portion expose.Waiting time is even more important, because the oxidation meeting of wafer surface during this period of time greatly changes the surface nature of wafer.
The method that a kind of wafer surface of improving deposited copper is soaked into is to implement the pre-step of soaking on electrochemical deposition equipment, discloses as U.S. Patent application US 2004/0069644 and US 2007/7223323.According to this method, wafer at first soaks in the rotation of using deionized water (DIW)-wetting-dry (SRD) module in advance.The water that will improve with the combination of the speed of rotation (RPM) and deionized water (DIW) flow velocity in wafer surface covers.After prewetting, when it was dipped into a plating bath, this wafer surface should be carried a thin water layer.Metal film deposition equipment is added the pre-cavity that soaks into have been increased its overall size and has needed bigger space that related device is installed.
The another kind of method of described pre-soakage layer that realizes is to use built-in deionized water (DIW) nozzle that is positioned at the electroplating processes module.Adopt this method, when wafer is fixed in the rotation wafer chuck device and facing to described electrolyte the time, DIW is injected into wafer surface.Centrifugal force make DIW be in always the rotation wafer the surface on and can not fall in the electrolyte.U.S. Patent application 2006/7146994 has disclosed a kind of like this method.This method does not need additional space, thereby the scale of entire equipment is constant; Yet this method stable bad is if the DIW nozzle will cause DIW to be injected in the electrolyte when having small skew or wafer rotation to decrease.
These two kinds of methods all have three intrinsic problems: in a large-tonnage factory, the water layer that each wafer is brought in the electrolyte will finally cause the integral body dilution of electroplating solution, and then change the process conditions that configure (1).(2) wafer is brought the local dilution of electrolyte that water layer in the electrolyte causes wafer surface region into, especially by DIW be full of will depositing metal layers through hole crack and groove.The part dilution of electrolyte will cause and form cavity and unfilled structure after plating.And (3) prolong the time of whole process flow, is well understood that general SRD processing meeting can't be thrown off at the water layer that wafer surface stays several micron thickness, because the viscous drag of the current in the skim too big (being inversely proportional to the cube of its thickness).The thickness of water layer can only reduce by evaporation; Yet this just needs to increase the more processing time, the production capacity of complete equipment thereby can be affected.And each wafer is carried out constant evaporation process is very difficult the realization, because the priority of the motion of manipulator and rising/declines all can exert an influence to the condition and the time of evaporating in the semiconductor production equipment.
Another kind method is by wettability enhancers, generally be a kind of surfactant or one group of activating agent in order to reduce the surface tension of electrolyte, disclose as U.S. Patent application 2004/6776893.The method on another kind of pre-processed wafer surface is to use the liquid that contains these wettability enhancers to come the pre-processed wafer surface before being placed on wafer in the plating bath in an independent module.This method has strengthened the complexity of handling and has greatly increased the cost of handling and monitoring.Along with the wafer surface physical dimension continues to reduce, described as above-mentioned three kinds of methods, thereby soaking into the method for various wafer surface in advance, the gas of replacing with the liquid of thickness all is faced with great challenge in nano level groove.
Embodiment
Fig. 1 a illustrates the pre-processing procedure of soaking into of the wafer surface that is used for layer metal deposition.A kind of liquid, for example deionized water is used to form described liquid adsorption layer.This liquid will be heated to a predetermined temperature (shown in step 102).In one embodiment, described fluid temperature will be raised to 35 ℃-170 ℃.After being elevated to predetermined temperature, described liquid is by vaporize (shown in step 104).The vaporize used vapour of liquid excites (flash evaporation) or vector gas is broken through (flushing) described liquid finish.In the time of vaporize liquid, the pressure of steam is controlled in certain limit (shown in step 106).The gaseous phase partial pressure of vaporize liquid is monitored by a transducer.Before fluid molecule is passed to wafer surface, the steam that contains fluid molecule will mix with a vector gas medium, for example: air, nitrogen, helium and argon gas.(shown in step 108).When mixing gas phase fluid molecule and vector gas medium, the temperature of resulting mixture maintains (shown in step 110) in the predetermined scope always, so formed at elevated temperatures liquid adsorption layer is littler than the surface tension of the liquid adsorption layer that at room temperature forms.In next procedure, the fluid molecule of having vaporized will be transported to wafer surface, condense then to form skim liquid.According to Fig. 1, in step 112, the molecule of liquid vapourization and the mixture of vector gas are sent near wafer surface the environment.And in step 114, a large amount of air in the environment of wafer surface are replaced by the molecule of liquid vapourization and vector gas.In step 116, the molecule of liquid vapourization is transported to from steam ambient in the patterned structures of wafer surface.In one embodiment, the molecule of liquid vapourization being transported in through hole, groove and the two embedded structure of wafer surface is that combination by gas phase convection current and diffusion realizes.Then, in step 118, form a pre-liquid level that soaks at the front surface of entire wafer by the fluid molecule of adsorption multi-layer vaporize from steam.In one embodiment, when wafer surface has the distribution of different surfaces free energy, can carry out condensing of vaporize fluid molecule selectively.Can the triggering selection nucleation in ensuing layer metal deposition technology at the liquid adsorption layer that forms on the surface of high surfaces free energy.The thickness of preformed liquid adsorption layer generally has several nanometers, and its thickness is less than the formed pre-infiltration liquid adsorption layer of hydrodynamic action that passes through in the conventional art in flushing and the rotation, and the thickness of the pre-adsorption layer of liquid in the conventional art is tens of microns.In one embodiment, the thickness that adsorbs the liquid adsorption layer that forms by the multilayer of vaporize molecule on the wafer surface is subjected to several controlling factors, for example: the content of the fluid molecule of vaporize, the temperature difference between steam and wafer, surface energy and heat of adsorption in the wafer surface surrounding environment.In one embodiment, when the temperature difference between steam and wafer surface when not being very large, the thickness of liquid level can generally be simulated by BET multilayer adsorption isotherm.And the content of the fluid molecule of vaporize can be adjusted according to the fluid molecule vapor partial pressure in the mixture in the wafer surface surrounding environment.Last step, shown in step 120, the adsorptive liquid layer that wafer surface is carried will contact with plating bath.In one embodiment, shown in optional step 119, if use the electrochemistry electroplating processes, can be applied to wafer surface with a bias voltage before electrolyte contacts, before step 120, just use the optional step 119 that applies bias voltage so, otherwise this step 119 can be omitted.Because the liquid adsorption layer is extremely thin, in the time of electrolyte contact wafer surface, from the dilution of the caused whole plating bath of this thin liquid adsorption layer, even under the situation of high yield, also is very little.For example, the whole percent dilution of the adsorptive liquid layer of 2 nanometer thickness is littler 5000 times than the liquid level of 10 micron thickness.
Fig. 1 b illustrates the another kind of processing procedure that is used for soaking in advance wafer surface, and it uses a kind of diverse ways to come vaporize liquid.In step 132, a liquid, for example deionized water is heated.Then, in step 134, a vector gas, for example air, N2, He and Ar are poured in the liquid that (flush) heated, and the steam of liquid mixes with vector gas and forms vapour mixture then.In step 136, thereby the flow velocity of control vector gas is adjusted the content of liquid vapour molecule in the mist.The pressure (shown in step 138) of control vapour mixture.Step 140-150 is identical with above-mentioned steps 110-120.That is to say, in step 140, keep the temperature of mixture.In step 142, the fluid molecule of vaporize is sent near the environment of wafer surface.In step 144, a large amount of air is replaced by the fluid molecule of vaporize around the wafer surface.In step 146, the fluid molecule of vaporize is delivered to wafer surface and is transferred in the patterned structures from steam ambient.In step 148, the vapor condenses in the steam ambient is formed a liquid adsorption layer to wafer surface.In step 150, the liquid adsorption layer that wafer surface is carried contacts with plating bath.One optional step 149 is provided, uses in the time of the electrochemistry electroplating processes, apply bias voltage.In another embodiment, the step of vaporize liquid can be realized that for example steam excites (flashevaporation) by other method.
Should pre-soak into to handle and can be used to semiconductor device interconnected structure or make pre-infiltration in the electric contact will be carried out layer metal deposition in electrolyte solution wafer surface, described electric contact comprises contact block (bump) and is used for the through-silicon-via structure of encapsulated semiconductor device.According to being included in metallic elements different in the electrolyte in the different metal layer deposition steps, for example electrolyte can contain Cu, Au, Ag, Ni, Ru and Co element and be used for encapsulated semiconductor device, and described liquid is different materials.Preformed liquid adsorption layer in wafer surface should be soaked into by electrolyte and mix.
Fig. 2 illustrates a kind of device that above-mentioned pre-infiltration is handled that is used to implement.This device 200 comprises: substrate holding apparatus 202 is used for the base material that fixing has one or more pattern on it.Established metal level is the part surface of covering substrates 204 also.In one embodiment, motor 203 makes substrate holding apparatus 202 rotations.Steam conveying equipment 206 spray the molecule that contains an at least a thin liquid adsorption layer that will be condensed in substrate surface the steam of molecule.As shown in Figure 2, described steam conveying equipment 206 comprises: a nozzle or one group of nozzle 260, pipeline 262, locator 264, pressure regulator 266, divider wall 268 and filter 269.Filter 269 is provided at before the pressure regulator 266, and uses divider wall 268 to isolate.Mechanical system 210 also is provided, and described mechanical system 210 is made up of driver 212 and linking arm 211, the relative motion between their control steam conveying equipments 206 and the base material 204.Nozzle 260 is positioned at the zone near base material 204 surfaces, and nozzle 260 can be accommodated in independently in the processing module or be combined in the existing technical module for example described plating module.If nozzle 260 is attached on the wafer transmission mechanical arm, the preformed liquid adsorption layer of this skim can also the process of wafer transmission in form.In one embodiment, nozzle 260 can be static or by driver base material be done relative motion.Continue to see Fig. 2, described device 200 further comprises steam generating equipment 208, and its partially liq converts steam to.As shown in Figure 2, steam generating equipment 208 comprises: conduit 280, liquid inlet 281, outlet 282, pressure relief valve door 283, choke valve 284, heater 285, pressure and temp control loop 286, vector gas inlet 287, liquid outflow end 288 and gas vent 289.Under the in check pressure heating conduit 280 in liquid with the generation steam.One dry gas, for example: air, N2, He or Ar are the carriers that carries the vaporize fluid molecule.One dry gas source 291 produces dry gas.Flow out in the liquid in the dry gas inflow catheter and from the exit, carry the vaporize fluid molecule simultaneously and before arriving at nozzle, pass through a pressure regulator.In one embodiment, described pressure and temp control loop temperature is arranged on 35 ℃ to170 ℃.Steam conveying circuit from the steam generator to the nozzle is heat insulation.Steam (vapor) outlet on steam conveying equipment 260 can have multiple direction and size.
Said elements: one group of nozzle 260, pipeline 262 and locator 264 can be based upon on the existing processes module, for example are combined in the layer metal deposition module, are located immediately at the top, metal deposition chamber of containing electrolyte 290 as shown in Figure 2.