Patent · US Active

Semiconductor wiring structures including dielectric cap within metal cap layer

US7732924B2 · kind B2 · utility

5Cited by
6References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 12, 2007
Grant dateJun 8, 2010
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 28, 2027

Classification

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

Abstract

Semiconductor wiring structures including a dielectric layer having a metal wiring line therein, a via extending downwardly from the metal wiring line, a metal cap layer over the metal wiring line, and a local dielectric cap positioned within a portion of the metal cap layer and in contact with the metal wiring line and a related method are disclosed. The local dielectric cap represents an intentionally created weak point in the metal wiring line of a dual-damascene interconnect, which induces electromigration (EM) voiding in the line, rather than at the bottom of a via extending downwardly from the metal wiring line. Since the critical void size in line fails, especially with metal cap layer (liner) redundancy, is much larger than that in via fails, the EM lifetime can be significantly increased.

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