Passivated copper conductive layers for microelectronic applications
US6057223A · kind A · utility
23Cited by
5References
20Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 10, 1998 |
| Grant date | May 2, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 10, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L2924/0002
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A copper conductor is formed which is included as a component in microelectronic devices. The conductor is formed by forming a metal layer on the surface of a microelectronic substrate, forming a copper layer on the metal layer, and annealing the metal and copper layers. The annealing step diffuses at least some of the metal layer through the copper layer to the surface thereof where the diffused metal forms a protective metal oxide at the surface of the copper layer. As a result, the metal oxide layer passivates the copper layer.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.