Metallization

---Dersun--- 1
 Contents

• Definition
• Applications
• Typical material used in VLSI
• Metallization methods
• Metallic thin film measurement
• Future Trends

---Dersun--- 2
 Definition
• Metallization  A processes that deposit
metal thin film on the wafer surface.

---Dersun--- 3
 Applications

• Contact electrodes
• Interconnection
• Plug and connection
• Bonding pad

---Dersun--- 4
 Application: Contact Electrode

Ti/TiN TiN, ARC TiSi2

Metal 1, Al•Cu

W
BPSG

STI n+ n+ USG p+ p+
P-Well N-Well
P-epi
P-wafer
---Dersun--- 5
Application: Interconnection

---Dersun--- 6
 Application: Plug and Connection
Ti/TiN SiN CoSi2 Ta or TaN

M1 Cu Cu Cu
FSG

FSG
W

PSG W
STI n+ n+ USG p+ p+
P-Well N-Well
P-Epi
P-Wafer
---Dersun--- 7
 Contents

• Definition
• Applications
• Typical material used in VLSI
• Metallization methods
• Metallic thin film measurement
• Future Trends

---Dersun--- 8
 Metallization material: Criteria
• Low resistivity
• Good adherence and low stress
• Smooth for high resolution patterning
• Compatible with VLSI deposit and etch process
• High resistance to electro-migration
• Low diffusivity in Si and SiO2
• Stable and no degradation in VLSI lifetime

---Dersun--- 9
 Four best conducting metal
• The resistivities of best conducting metal
– Silver 1.6 µΩ⋅cm
– Copper 1.7 µΩ⋅cm
– Gold 2.2 µΩ⋅cm
– Aluminum 2.65 µΩ⋅cm
• Aluminum was used for gate before mid-1970
• Al was the most commonly used metal in
VLSI
---Dersun--- 10
 Most Common Used Material in
Modern VLSI Metallization
• Aluminum and aluminum alloys
• Polysilicon and silicide
• Titanium (Ti) and titanium alloys (TiSi)
• Tungsten (W)
• Cobalt (Co)
• Copper (Cu)
• Tantalum (Ta)
---Dersun--- 11
Common Conducting Thin Films in
VLSI
• Aluminum and Aluminum alloy
• Polysilicon and Poly-Silicides
• Titanium and Ti-silicide
• Cobalt and Co-Silicide
• Titanium Nitride
• Tungsten
• Copper
• Tantalum

---Dersun--- 12
 Some Facts About Aluminum
×
°
´

Name Aluminum
Symbol Al
Atomic number 13
Atomic weight 26.981538
Discoverer Hans Christian Oersted
Discovered at Denmark
Discovery date 1825
Origin of name From the Latin word "alumen" meaning "alum"
Density of solid 2.70 g/cm3
Molar volume 10.00 cm3
Velocity of sound 5100 m/sec
Hardness 2.75
Electrical resistivity 2.65 µΩ cm
Reflectivity 71%
Melting point 660 C
Boiling point 2519 C
Thermal conductivity 235 W m-1 K-1
Coefficient of linear thermal expansion 23.1 10-6 K-1
Etchants (wet) H3PO4, HNO4, CH3COOH
Etchants (dry) Cl2, BCl3
CVD Precursor ---Dersun--- Al(CH3)2H 13
Typical Aluminum Deposition
Equipment
Wafers

Aluminum
Charge Aluminum Vapor

10-6 Torr

To Pump High Current Source

---Dersun--- 14
 Formation of Junction Spike
• Al make direct contact with Si at source/drain
• Si dissolves in Al and Al diffuses into Si
• Junction spike
– Aluminum spikes punctuate doped junction
– Short source/drain with the substrate

---Dersun--- 15
 Junction Spike

Al Al Al
SiO2
p+ p+
n-type Silicon

---Dersun--- 16
 Prevention of Junction Spike
• Method A: ~1% of Si in Al saturates it.

• Method B: Thermal anneal at 400 °C to

form Si-Al alloy after metallization.

---Dersun--- 17
 Mechanism of Al Electro-migration

• Aluminum is a polycrystalline material

• Many mono-crystalline grains
• Current flows through an aluminum line
• Electrons constantly bombards the grains
• Smaller grains will start to move
• This effect is called electro-migration

---Dersun--- 18
 Electro-migration Effects
• Electro-migration will tear the metal line apart
and make the metal line narrower.
• Narrow metal line cause higher current density
– Aggravates the electron bombardment
– Causes further aluminum grain migration
– Eventually will break of the metal line
• Affect the IC chip reliability
• Aluminum wires: fire hazard of old houses

---Dersun--- 19
 Prevention of Electro-migration
• Alloy a small percent of copper with
aluminum, can significantly improve
electro-migration resistance of aluminum
• Copper serves as “glue” between the
aluminum grains and prevent them from
migrating due to the electron bombardment
• Al-Si-Cu alloy was used
• Al-Cu (0.5%) is very commonly

---Dersun--- 20
Conducting Thin Films
• Aluminum and Aluminum alloy
• Polysilicon and Poly-Silicides
• Titanium and Ti-silicide
• Cobalt and Co-Silicide
• Titanium Nitride
• Tungsten
• Copper
• Tantalum

---Dersun--- 21
Applications of Titanium

Al-Cu
Ti

W
PSG
Ti

n+
TiSi 2

---Dersun--- 22
 W Plug and TiN/Ti
Barrier/Adhesion Layer
Tungsten

TiN/Ti

Oxide

---Dersun--- 23
 Contents

• Definition
• Applications
• Typical material used in VLSI
• Metallization methods
• Metallic thin film measurement
• Future Trends

---Dersun--- 24
 Metallization Methods

• Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD)

--evaporation
--sputtering
• Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)
• Electrochemical Plating Deposition (EPD)
• Electroless Chemical Plating

---Dersun--- 25
Physical Vapor Deposition(PVD)

•Vaporizing solid materials

•Heating(evaporating) or sputtering
•Condensing vapor on the substrate surface
•Very important part of metallization

---Dersun--- 26
PVD Methods

• Evaporation
• Sputtering

---Dersun--- 27
Evaporation Methods

• Filaments
• Flash hot plate
• Electron beam

---Dersun--- 28
 Thermal Evaporator

Wafers

Aluminum
Charge Aluminum Vapor

10-6 Torr

To Pump High Current Source

---Dersun--- 29
 Electron Beam Evaporator

Wafers

Aluminum Aluminum Vapor

Charge Electron
Beam
10-6 Torr

To Pump Power Supply

---Dersun--- 30
Sputtering Methods

• DC Diode — simplest and cheapest

• DC Triode
• RF Diode – for nonconductive film
• RF Triode
• DC Magnetron -- most commonly
used
• RF Magnetron

---Dersun--- 31
DC Diode Sputtering
-V

Target

Argon Plasma

Wafer Chuck

Metal film Wafer

---Dersun--- 32
 Principle of Sputtering

Ar+
Momentum transfer will dislodge surface
atoms off
---Dersun--- 33
 Collimated Sputtering
• Used for Ti and TiN deposition
• Collimator allows metal atoms or molecules to
move mainly in vertical direction
• Reach the bottom of narrow contact/via holes
• Improves bottom step coverage

---Dersun--- 34
 Collimated Sputtering
Magnets

Target

Plasma

Collimator

Film

Via holes

---Dersun--- 35
 Inductive Coupled Sputtering
• Ti, TiN, Ta, and TaN deposition
• Ionize metal atoms through inductive
coupling of RF power in the RF coil
• Positive metal ions impact with the
negatively charged wafer surface vertically
• Improving bottom step coverage
• Reduce contact resistance
---Dersun--- 36
 Inductive Coupled Sputtering
−V

Target

Inductive Ionized Metal Plasma

Coils

RF
Via Hole

---Dersun--- 37
Cluster Tool, Aluminum CVD/PVD
Pre-clean Ti/TiN PVD

Wafer TiN CVD

Loading
Transfer Transfer
Chamber Chamber
Wafer
Unloading Al CVD

Cooldown Al-Cu PVD

---Dersun--- 38
 Endura® PVD System
PVD
Target

PVD
Chamber
CVD
Chamber

---Dersun--- 39
 Sputtering vs. Evaporator
Sputtering Evaporator

• Purer film • More impurities

• Better uniformity • Batch process
• Single wafer, • Cheaper tool
better process
control
• Larger size wafer
---Dersun--- 40
 Metallization Methods

• Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD)

--evaporation
--sputtering
• Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)
• Electrochemical Plating Deposition (EPD)
• Electroless Chemical Plating

---Dersun--- 41
Properties of CVD Metallization
• Good step coverage and gap fill capability
– Can fill tiny contact holes to make connections
between metal layers.
– Widely used to deposit metal
• Poorer quality and higher resistivity than
PVD metal thin films.
– Used for plugs and local interconnections
– Not applied for global interconnections

---Dersun--- 42
 Metal CVD Process Steps
• Wafer into the chamber
• Slip valve closes
• Set up pressure and temperature, with secondary process
gas(es)
• All process gases flow in, start deposition
• Termination of the main process gas. Secondary process
gas(es) remain on
• Termination of all process gases
• Purge chamber with nitrogen
• Slip valve opens and robot pull wafer out

---Dersun--- 43
 CVD Metallization Methods
• Thermal CVD heat provides free energy
needed for the chemical reaction
• PECVD  plasma enhanced CVD process
• Typically used for W, WSix, Ti, and TiN
• RF system is used for plasma dry clean of
the process chamber

---Dersun--- 44
 PECVD Chamber
RF Power
Process Gases

Process
Chamber Wafer

Heated plate
To pump

---Dersun--- 45
 PVD vs. CVD
• CVD: Chemical reaction on the surface
• PVD: No chemical reaction on the surface

• CVD: Better step coverage (50% to ~100%)

and gap fill capability
• PVD: Poor step coverage (~ 15%) and gap
fill capability
---Dersun--- 46
 PVD vs. CVD
• PVD: higher quality, purer deposited film,
higher conductivity, easy to deposit alloys

• CVD: always has impurity in the film,

lower conductivity, hard to deposit alloys

---Dersun--- 47
 Metallization Methods

• Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD)

--evaporation
--sputtering
• Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)
• Electrochemical Plating Deposition (EPD)
• Electroless Chemical Plating

---Dersun--- 48
 Contents

• Definition
• Applications
• Typical material used in VLSI
• Metallization methods
• Metallic thin film measurement
• Future Trends

---Dersun--- 49
Metal Thin Film Measurements
• Thickness.
• Stress
• Reflectivity
• Sheet resistance

---Dersun--- 50
 Summary
• Mainly application: interconnection
• CVD (W, TiN, Ti) and PVD (Al-Cu, Ti, TiN)
• Al-Cu alloy is still dominant
• Need UHV for Al-Cu PVD
• W used as plug
• Ti used as welding layer
• TiN: barrier, adhesion and ARC layers
• The future: Cu and Ta/TaN
---Dersun--- 51