Structure and method for porous SiCOH dielectric layers and adhesion promoting or etch stop layers having increased interfacial and mechanical strength

US7615482B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• International Business Machines Corporation · US
• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Daniel C. Edelstein · White Plains, US
• Alexandros T. Demos · Fremont, US
• Stephen M. Gates · Ossining, US
• Alfred Grill · White Plains, US
• Steven E. Molis · Yorktown Heights, US
• Vu Ngoc Tran Nguyen · Santa Clara, US
• Steven Reiter · Poughkeepsie, US
• Darryl D. Restaino · Modena, US
• Kang Sub Yim · Mountain View, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 23, 2007
• Grant date: Nov 10, 2009
• Expiry date: Dec 10, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T428/249961
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Disclosed is a structure and method for forming a structure including a SiCOH layer having increased mechanical strength. The structure includes a substrate having a layer of dielectric or conductive material, a layer of oxide on the layer of dielectric or conductive material, the oxide layer having essentially no carbon, a graded transition layer on the oxide layer, the graded transition layer having essentially no carbon at the interface with the oxide layer and gradually increasing carbon towards a porous SiCOH layer, and a porous SiCOH (pSiCOH) layer on the graded transition layer, the porous pSiCOH layer having an homogeneous composition throughout the layer. The method includes a process wherein in the graded transition layer, there are no peaks in the carbon concentration and no dips in the oxygen concentration.