SBIR Phase I: Stable High Volume Cu Precursor Evaporation Module

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This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will address development of an advanced precursor evaporation module with a specific focus application to copper metalization. Rapid large area CVD is required for the copper seed layer or, preferably, for deposition of the full contact layer. CVD equipment manufacturers have responded to the deposition tool need; as have developers of the copper precursors to enable Cu CVD. However, the copper precursor of choice, Cupra Select TM (a liquid), has a relatively low vapor transport rate because of its low vapor pressure, compounded by a narrow temperature operating range (vapor pressure equals 0.4 Torr at 43 C and beyond ~ 45 C this precursor begins to decompose). Flash Evaporation is not a solution because of the low decomposition temperature. The limited vapor transport hinders high speed large area growth. This has led to the development of a multistep-multimachine copper metalization process (CVD seed layer followed by electrochemical deposition of the whole layer). This is tolerable but highly inefficient and hence costly. SMI proposes to create a patentable high volume liquid vaporization source. Our proposed source offers at minimum a 5 fold increase in available Cu vapor transport and is expected to allow CVD to replace the present two-step process. If successfully developed, SMI's source will be made available commercially. This effort will help accelerate the large scale manufacturing of ICs with Cu interconnects, and may apply to any other CVD process utilizing low volatility liquid precursors. An improved liquid vaporization source will find immediate use on all Cu CVD systems and hence be a strategic SMI component product. The unit will also find applications to similar temperature sensitive, low volatility liquids and well meets SMI's CVD components sales thrusts.