Dual damascene process flow for a deep sub-micron technology

[0002] (1) Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to processes used to fabricate semiconductor devices, and more specifically to a process used to create a small diameter opening, in an insulator layer, used to accommodate a dual damascene metal structure.

[0004] (2) Description of Prior Art

[0005] The use of damascene, or dual damascene metal structures, have allowed the semiconductor industry to reduce process complexity and cost. The ability to fabricate an overlying, wide diameter, metal interconnect structure, and an underlying, narrow diameter, metal via structure, using only a single metal deposition, and patterning procedure, has allowed the cost and process complexity objectives to be realized. A dual damascene opening, formed in a composite insulator layer, comprised of a wide diameter opening, and of an underlying, narrower diameter opening, is used to accommodate the subsequent dual damascene metal structure. However as demands for sub-micron devices increase, the photolithographic limits, in regards to the critical dimension of the narrow diameter opening, of the dual damascene opening, becomes critical.

[0006] This invention will teach a process in which a dual damascene opening, in a composite insulator layer, is used to accommodate a subsequent dual damascene metal structure, comprised of an overlying, wide diameter, metal interconnect structure, and an underlying, narrow diameter, metal via structure. However to further decrease the diameter of the subsequent metal via structure, in an effort to increase device density, a novel spacer technology is employed. The use of insulator spacers, formed on the exposed sides of the dual damascene opening, result in a narrowing of the narrow diameter opening, thus allowing metal via structures to be realized, that are narrower in diameter than counterparts formed in openings achieved using only photolithographic patterning procedures. In addition this invention allows the photolithographic process window, for either critical dimension, or overlay, to be increased, thus avoiding possible image, or overlay problems, encountered with the use of more aggressive groundrules. The use of the spacers reduce the diameter of the openings, to a level only achievable using riskier photolithographic procedures. Prior art, such as Irinoda, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,726,499, describes a process in which spacers are used as part of an etch mask, to decrease the diameter of an etch mask opening, used to define an underlying, smaller diameter opening. In contrast, this invention does not use the spacer as an etch mask, but fabricates the spacer on the walls of a formed, small diameter opening, which was achieved using only conventional photolithographic and dry etching procedures, followed by the narrowing of the narrow diameter opening, via formation of the insulator spacer.

[0007] It is an object of this invention to create a dual damascene metal structure, in an opening formed in a composite insulator layer.

[0008] It is another object of this invention to form an initial dual damascene opening, in a composite insulator layer, using photolithographic and dry etching procedures, with the dual damascene opening, comprised of an overlying, wide diameter opening, and of an underlying, narrow diameter opening.

[0009] It is still another object of this invention to form insulator spacers on the sides of the initial dual damascene opening, to create a final dual damascene opening, now featuring a smaller diameter than the initial dual damascene opening.

[0010] It is still yet another object of this invention to allow a larger photolithographic process window, in terms of critical dimension and overlay, to be used to create the initial dual damascene opening, in a composite insulator layer, followed by the creation of the smaller diameter, final dual damascene opening, obtained via creation of the insulator spacers.

[0011] In accordance with the present invention, a method of creating a final dual damascene opening, in a composite insulator layer, featuring a reduction of the diameter of an initial dual damascene opening, via the creation of insulator spacers, on the sides of the initial dual damascene opening, has been developed. A composite insulator layer, comprised of an underlying silicon oxide layer, a silicon nitride stop layer, and an overlaying silicon oxide layer, is deposited. Conventional photolithographic and dry etching procedures, are employed to create an initial dual damascene opening, in the composite insulator layer, comprised of a overlying, wide diameter opening, and an underlying, narrow diameter opening. An insulator layer is next deposited, then subjected to an anisotropic reactive ion etching procedure, to create insulator spacers on the sides of the initial dual damascene opening, resulting in a final dual damascene opening, featuring smaller diameter openings, than previously exhibited with the initial dual damascene opening. Deposition of a barrier layer, and a metal layer, followed by removal of unwanted regions of metal, and of barrier layer, result in a dual damascene metal structure, located in the final dual damascene opening, in the composite insulator layer.

[0012] The object and other advantages of this invention are best described in the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings that include:

[0013] FIGS. 1-6, which schematically, in cross-sectional style, describe key stages of fabrication used to create a dual damascene metal structure, in a final dual damascene opening, in a composite insulator, featuring the reduction of the diameter of an initial dual damascene type opening, via creation of insulator spacers, on the sides of the initial dual damascene opening.

[0014] The method of creating a dual damascene metal structure, in a final dual damascene opening, in a composite insulator layer, in which the diameter of an initial dual damascene opening, formed via conventional photolithographic and dry etching procedures, is reduced via formation of insulator spacers, on the sides of the initial dual damascene opening, will now be described in detail.

[0015] Insulator layer 1, shown schematically in FIG. 1, comprised of either silicon oxide, borosilicate glass, or borophosphosilicate glass, is used to accommodate underlying, metal interconnect structure 2, which can be comprised of copper, aluminum, or a refractory metal such as tungsten. Insulator layer 3, comprised of silicon oxide, is next obtained via either low pressure chemical vapor deposition, (LPCVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, (PECVD), or high density plasma chemical vapor deposition, (HDPCVD), procedures, at a thickness between about 3000 to 8000 Angstroms. A silicon nitride layer 4, to be used as an etch stop layer, for subsequent formation of an initial dual damascene opening, is deposited on silicon oxide layer 3, at a thickness between about 150 to 2000 Angstroms, via LPCVD or PECVD procedures. Overlying insulator layer 5, again comprised of silicon oxide, is next deposited on silicon nitride layer 4, using LPCVD, PECVD, or HDPCVD procedures, at a thickness between about 3000 to 12000 Angstroms. The result of these depositions are schematically shown in FIG. 1.

[0016] An initial dual damascene opening is next created in the composite insulator layer, and described using FIGS. 2-3. Photoresist shape 6, is used as an etch mask, to define, via an anisotropic, reactive ion etching, (RIE), procedure, first narrow diameter opening 7a, in silicon oxide layer 5, in silicon nitride layer 4, and partially in silicon oxide layer 3. First narrow diameter opening 7a, with a diameter between about 0.35 to 0.45 um, is created using CHF₃as an etchant for silicon oxide layer 5, and for silicon oxide layer 3, while CF₄is used as an etchant for silicon nitride layer 4. This is schematically shown in FIG. 2. It would be desirable to use an even narrower opening, than first narrow diameter opening 7a, however the critical dimension control, and overlay, needed for the narrower opening would be difficult to achieve using conventional photolithographic and dry etching procedures. Therefore a method to further reduce the diameter, of a narrow diameter opening, will be subsequently addressed via formation of insulator spacers, on the sides of the narrow diameter opening.

[0017] After removal of photoresist shape 6, via plasma oxygen ashing and careful wet cleans, photoresist shape 8, is formed, and used as an etch mask, to define, via an anisotropic RIE procedure, first wide diameter opening 9a, in silicon oxide layer 5. This is schematically shown in FIG. 3. First wide diameter opening 9a, with a diameter between about 0.45 to 0.55 um, is selectively created using CHF₃as an etchant. This procedure, while removing regions of silicon oxide layer 5, exposed in the opening of photoresist shape 8, resulting in first wide diameter opening 9a, also removes the region of silicon oxide layer 3, exposed in the first narrow diameter opening, in silicon nitride layer 4, resulting in the formation of second narrow diameter opening 7b, shown schematically in FIG. 3. The etch rate ratio, for this procedure, using CHF₃as an etchant, of silicon oxide to silicon nitride, is about 7 to 1. This allows the regions of silicon nitride layer 4, exposed in first wide diameter opening 9a, to behave as an etch mask, and allow first narrow diameter opening 7a, in the upper portion of the composite insulator layer, to be transferred to the lower portion of the composite insulator layer. Second narrow diameter opening 7b, schematically shown in FIG. 3, exposes a portion of the top surface of underlying metal interconnect structure 2. Regions of silicon nitride layer 4, remaining after formation of second narrow diameter opening 7b, are removed via a selective RIE procedure, using CF₄as an etchant.

[0018] The process of reducing the diameter of the initial dual damascene opening is now described using FIGS. 4-5. After removing photoresist shape 8, via plasma oxygen ashing and careful wet cleans, insulator layer 10a, comprised of either silicon oxide, or silicon nitride, is conformally deposited, via LPCVD, or PECVD procedures, to a thickness between about 0.04 to 0.06 um. This is schematically shown in FIG. 4. An anisotropic RIE procedure, using CHF₃as an etchant, if layer 10a, is a silicon oxide layer, or using CF₄as an etchant, if layer 10a, is a silicon nitride layer, is employed to create insulator spacers 10b, on the vertical walls of the initial dual damascene opening, resulting in a final, and narrower, dual damascene opening. The final dual damascene opening, schematically shown in FIG. 5, is now comprised of second wide diameter opening 9b, now featuring a diameter between about 0.35 to 0.45 um, and comprised of underlying, third narrow diameter type opening 7c, now featuring a diameter between about 0.25 to 0.35 um. Third narrow diameter type opening 7c, formed via conventional patterning procedures, and via the use of sidewall insulator spacers 10b, would be difficult to achieve, in terms of critical dimension and overlay, using only conventional patterning, photolithographic and dry etching, procedures.

[0019] The formation of dual damascene metal structure 12, in the final dual damascene opening, is next addressed and schematically shown in FIG. 6. A tantalum nitride layer 11, is first deposited via R.F. sputtering, at a thickness between about 50 to 300 Angstroms. Tantalum nitride layer 11, will serve as a barrier layer, preventing a subsequent, overlying copper layer, from reacting, or poisoning, adjacent materials. A copper layer 12, is than deposited, via R.F. sputtering, or via chemical vapor deposition procedures, at a thickness between about 2000 to 20000 Angstroms, completely filling the final dual damascene opening. Chemical mechanical polishing procedures, or a selective RIE procedure, using Cl₂as an etchant, is used to remove portions of copper layer 12, and portions of tantalum nitride layer 11, from the top surface of silicon oxide layer 5, resulting in the dual damascene metal structure, contacting the portion of underlying metal interconnect structure 2, exposed at the bottom of the final dual damascene opening.

[0020] While this invention has ben particularly shown and described with reference to, the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention.