Patent · US Expired

Semiconductor device having a passivation layer with silicon nitride layers

US5306946A · kind A · utility

541Cited by
6References
2Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateOct 15, 1991
Grant dateApr 26, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 15, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L2924/0002
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A semiconductor device is protected by a passivation layer, which includes underlying and overlying silicon nitride layers deposited by the plasma-assisted CVD method by changing layer forming conditions. The silicon nitride layers respectively have their intrinsic compressive stresses. The underlying silicon nitride layer in contact with a metal wiring layer has the intrinsic compressive stress of 3.times.10.sup.9 to 1.times.10.sup.10 dyne/cm.sup.2. The overlying silicon nitride layer has the intrinsic compressive stress which is less than or equal to half of the intrinsic compressive stress of the underlying silicon nitride layer. The underlying and overlying silicon nitride layers have different degrees of the hydrogen content. The underlying silicon nitride layer has the hydrogen content of 0.5.times.10.sup.20 to 5.times.10.sup.21 atm/cm.sup.3. The overlying silicon nitride layer has the hydrogen content which is more than or equal to twice of the hydrogen content of the underlying silicon nitride layer.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.