DEVELOPMENT OF DUAL-FREQUENCY EXCITATION, LOW-KINETIC-ENERGY PARTICLE PROCESS EQUIPMENT

已经开发了新的工艺设备以及利用该设备的新的工艺技术。因此，可以在低温下形成具有理想界面特性的高质量薄膜，这是超大规模集成(ULSI)的最基本要求。具有两个不同频率的射频功率输入被提供给目标和晶片保持电极，以控制在电极间区域产生的Ar等离子体。这使得我们能够非常准确地控制最重要的薄膜生长参数，如薄膜生长速度、表面活化离子轰击能量和通量。此外，新设计的屏蔽电极的引入降低了等离子体电位，从而消除了由于腔体材料溅射而造成的污染。用于薄膜生长的新工艺技术的应用揭示了许多有趣和重要的特征，如下所述。单晶硅外延生长坦佩…更低的温度已经降低到250ﾟC，在这种低温下完全的掺杂激活，以及具有优良性能的器件的制造已经被实验证明。将该工艺应用于铜薄膜的制备，成功地在SiO_2表面形成了几乎单晶的铜互连图案。此外，验证了在没有任何合金化节拍循环的情况下，形成了理想的金属/半导体接触特性。该工艺在铝互连线成形中的应用也非常成功。在没有任何合金化热循环的情况下，建立了非常低的Al-N^+硅接触电阻。通过优化离子轰击条件，可以完全抑制高达500ﾟC的退火堆的形成。采用相同的离子轰击条件，在高深宽比触点/通孔处实现了良好的再填充特性。因此，该工艺和设备是深亚微米ULSI制造的理想选择。较少

New process equipment as well as new process technologies utilizing the equipment has been developed. As a result, low temperature formation of high quality thin films with ideal interface characteristics, the most essential requirement for ultralarge scale integration (ULSI), has been established. RF power inputs with two different frequencies were supplied to the target and wafer-holder electrodes, controlling the Ar plasma created in the interelectrode region. This has enabled us to control the most important thin film growth parameters, such as film growth rate, surface activating ion bombardment energy and flux, in a very accurate manner. Furthermore, introduction of a newly designed shielding electrode reduces the plasma potential, thus eliminating the contamination due to the chamber material sputtering. Application of the new process technology for thin film growth has revealed a number of interesting and important features as described below. The silicon epitaxial growth tempe … More rature has been reduced to as low as 250ﾟC. Complete dopant activation at this low temperature, as well as the fabrication of devices with excellent performance have been experimentally demonstrated. When the process was applied to the formation of Cu thin films, we have succeeded to produce almost-single crystal Cu interconnect patterns on the SiO_2 surface. In addition, the formation of ideal metal/semiconductor contact characteristics were verified without any alloying beat cycles. Application of the process to aluminum interconnect formation was also very successful. A very low Al- N^+ silicon contact resistance is established without any alloying heat cycles. Complete suppression of hillock formation up to 500ﾟC annealing temperature is possible by optimizing the ion bombardment condition. Excellent refill characteristics at high aspect-ratio contacts/vias are realized using the identical ion bombardment condition optimized for hillock suppression. As a result, the process and the equipment is ideal for application to deep-submicron ULSI fabrication. Less