Process for Producing Conductors for Integrated Circuits Using Planar Technology

The present invention relates to a process for producing conductors for integrated circuits using planar technology. It is applicable to the field of microelectronics and more specifically to the production of integrated circuits. It more specifically relates to conductors, which can be buried in a silicon oxide coating, e.g. carried by a magnetic garnet substrate for producing magnetic bubble stores.

The process of the invention essentially consists of making conductive deposits buried in an insulant covering a substrate, in such a way that these conductive deposits have no relief above the substrate surface. Thus, this process can be used in the production of planar integrated circuits.

A process for producing conductors for planar integrated circuits is already known and is for example described in the journal IEEE TRANSACTIONS AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES, vol. ED 2, no. 6, June 1980, article by B. M. WELCH entitled: "LSI processing technology for planar GaAs integrated circuits". This process is illustrated by the present FIG. 1. It essentially consists of depositing on a substrate 1 a coating of an insulating material 2 (e.g. silicon), followed by the deposition thereon of a masking coating 3 (e.g. of resin). This masking coating is then cut out down to the insulating material coating e.g. by irradiation through a mask. This cutting process makes it possible to obtain windows 4 in the masking coating and which correspond to the conductors to be obtained. This is followed by the etching of patterns in the insulating material coating 2 facing windows 4, e.g. by reactive ionization. This reactive ionization is well known and essentially consists of etching by ionization the insulating material coating, e.g. in a gaseous atmosphere. When the insulating material coating 2 has been etched, a conductive material 5 is then deposited on the masking coating and in the patterns etched in the insulating material coating 2. This is followed by the removal of the masking coating 3 and the conductive material covering the same, e.g. by dissolving the masking coating in a solvent (e.g. acetone) in the presence of ultrasonics. Masking coating lift-off is difficult if the conductive coating covering the same also covers the edges of the windows cut into the masking coating and reaches the insulating material coating 2. In order to successfully carry out lift-off of the masking coating by dissolving in a solvent, it is necessary for the edges of the masking coating to be vertical in the vicinity of the windows, which it is very difficult to ensure with conventional lithography means. If not and particularly when reactive ionic etching leads to a hardening of the masking coating surface, it is very difficult to dissolve this coating without the use of violent mechanical means, such as e.g. high pressure jets or brushing. The deposition of the conductive coating must be highly directional, so as not to cover the edges of the masking coating in the vicinity of the windows.

Another process for producing conductors for planar integrated circuits is known and is described in the journal IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS, vol. MAG 16, no. 3, May 1980, article by Bernard J. ROMAN, entitled "Effect of conductor crossing on propagation". This process is illustrated by FIG. 2 and essentially consists of depositing an insulating material coating 2 on a substrate coating 1. This is followed by the deposition on said insulating material coating of a masking coating 3 (e.g. of resin), which is then cut by irradiation through a mask. This is followed by the etching of patterns in the insulating material coating 2, e.g. by reactive ionization, facing the windows 4 cut into the masking coating 3. This etching of the insulating material must be lateral, so as to bring about an increase in the dimensions of the patterns etched in the insulating coating compared with the dimension of the windows cut in the masking coating. This is followed by the deposition on said masking coating and on the bottom of the patterns etched in the insulating material coating 2 of a conductive material 5. This is followed by the removal of the masking coating and the conductive material covering the same by chemical etching of the masking coating.

The enlargement of the etched patterns in the insulating material coating by lateral etching leads to a poor definition of the dimensions of the conductors to be obtained. Moreover, an extra thickness of conductive material deposited in the etched patterns may lead to the formation of a junction between the coating of material to be deposited on the bottom of the patterns and the coating of material deposited on the masking coating. This junction will make it difficult to remove the masking coating by a solvent at the end of the process.

The object of the process according to the present invention is to obviate these disadvantages and more particularly to facilitate the elimination or lift-off of the masking means and the conductive material covering the same at the end of the production operations.

This process more particularly makes it possible to prevent a junction between the coating of the material deposited in the patterns etched in the insulating coating and the conductive material deposited on the masking coating. These objectives are achieved through the use of a supplementary masking coating, which can be chemically etched.

The present invention therefore specifically relates to a process for producing conductors for integrated circuits using planar technology, wherein a coating of an insulating material is deposited on a substrate, a masking sheet is deposited on the insulating material coating, windows corresponding to the conductors to be obtained are cut from this masking sheet down to the insulating material coating, the insulating material coating is etched facing the windows, a conductive material is deposited on the masking sheet and in the etched parts of the insulating material coating facing the windows, the masking sheet and the conductive material covering the same are removed, wherein it comprises choosing a masking sheet having a first coating covering the insulating material coating, and a second masking coating covering the first coating, the first coating being chemically cut facing the windows and after cutting the second masking coating, the edges of the first coating, on the periphery of the windows are eroded by chemical cutting.

According to another feature, the first coating is a metallic coating, which is chemically cut by a solvent.

According to another feature, the second masking coating is a resin cut along said windows by irradiation through a mask.

According to another feature, the insulating material coating is etched by a reactive ionic etching method.

According to another feature, the masking sheet and the conductive material covering the same are removed chemically.

According to yet another feature, the process also consists of using an iron and nickel alloy for forming the first coating of the masking sheet.

The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter relative to non-limitative embodiments and with reference to the drawings, wherein show:

FIG. 1 already described, a process according to the prior art.

FIG. 2 already described, another process according to the prior art.

FIGS. 3a to 3d illustrate diagrammatically the main stages of the process according to the invention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 have already been described to provide a better understanding of the essential processes according to the prior art.

As is shown at (a) in FIG. 3a, the process firstly consists of depositing on a substrate 1 (such as a magnetic garnet in the case of producing conductors for a bubble store), a coating 2 of an insulating material, such as e.g. silicon oxide. On insulating material coating 2 is then deposited a masking sheet 6, which, as will be shown in greater detail hereinafter, consists of a first coating 7 of a material which can be chemically cut, and a second coating 3 which can be cut by irradiation through a mask. The cutting of the second coating 3 makes it possible to obtain windows corresponding to the locations of the conductors to be buried in the patterns etched in the insulating material coating 2. Masking coating 3 can e.g. be of resin.

Then, and as is shown in FIG. 3b, following the cutting of masking coating 3, coating 7 which can be in the form of a metallic coating (e.g. a nickel and iron alloy) is chemically cut by means of a solvent. This chemical cutting which takes place facing wondows 4 of masking coating 3, makes it possible to erode the edges 8 of the first coating 7 of the masking sheet 7 over the periphery thereof, so that over the entire periphery the edges of the first masking coating 7 are set back compared with the borders of the second masking coating 3. The chemical etching of the first metallic coating 7 obviously requires the use of an appropriate solvent deposited on said coating facing each window 4.

This is followed by etching by reactive ionization, e.g. in a gaseous trifluoromethane atmosphere of patterns, corresponding to the location of the conductors to be obtained in the insulating material coating 2. This reactive ionization is obviously controlled as a function of the desired thickness of the conductors.

Then, and as is shown in FIG. 3c, a conductive material 5 (e.g. gold) is deposited in the etched patterns, as well as on the second masking coating 3.

Finally, and as shown in FIG. 3d, the first metallic coating 7, the second masking coating 3 and the material 5 covering said masking coating are chemically lifted off. This gives a substrate 1 covered with the insulating material coating 2, in which are buried the conductors 5. Thus, the implantation of conductors using planar technology has taken place and this is particularly advantageous in bubble stores. The masking material coating 3 can e.g. be an acetone-soluble resin. For example, coating 3 can have a thickness of 1.mu., whilst the second iron-nickel coating 7 can have a thickness of 5,000 .ANG.. The thickness of the conductors 5 deposited in the patterns etched in the insulating material coating 2 can be 2,700 .ANG., whilst the thickness of said insulating coating is close to 3,000 .ANG.. This production process is particularly useful in connection with bubble stores, although it can be used in the production of other circuits.