Patent · US Expired

Method of forming an aluminum protection guard structure for a copper metal structure

US6444544B1 · kind B1 · utility

31Cited by
4References
23Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 1, 2000
Grant dateSep 3, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 14, 2020

Classification

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

Abstract

A method of forming aluminum guard structures in copper interconnect structures, used to protect the copper interconnect structures from a laser write procedure, performed to an adjacent copper fuse element, has been developed. The method features forming guard structure openings in an upper level of the copper interconnect structures, in a region adjacent to a copper fuse element. Deposition and patterning of an aluminum layer result in the formation of aluminum guard structures, located in the guard structure openings. The aluminum guard structures protect the copper interconnect structures from the oxidizing and corrosive effects of oxygen, fluorine and water ions, which are generated during a laser write procedure, performed to the adjacent copper fuse element.

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