December 2006

Conference Paper

LOW TEMPERATURE PLASMA ETCHING OF COPPER FOR MINIMIZING SIZE EFFECTS IN SUB-100 NM FEATURES

By:
Kulkarni, Nagraj S; Tamirisa, Prabhakar; Levitin, Galit; Kasica, Richard J; Hess, Dennis
Page Number:
F09-8
Volume:
914
Book Title:
Materials, Technology and Reliability of low-K Dielectrics and Copper Interconnects: MRS Proceedings 914
Publication Date:
December 2006
Conference Name:
2006 Materials Research Society (MRS) Spring Meeting
Conference Location:
San Francisco, California, United States of America

Abstract

A low temperature plasma etching process for patterning copper interconnects is proposed as a solution to the size effect issue in the resistivity of copper. Key features of this etching process based on a previous thermochemical analysis of the Cu-Cl-H system are discussed. Potential benefits of a subtractive etching scheme based on this process in comparison with the damascene scheme for copper-based interconnect processing in sub-100 nm features are presented in the context of the ITRS roadmap. Preliminary experimental work on plasma etching of Cu thin films using the proposed process is discussed.