Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, Vol.14, No.3, 1853-1859, 1996
Cu Metallization Using a Permanent-Magnet Electron-Cyclotron-Resonance Microwave Plasma/Sputtering Hybrid System
A permanent magnet electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma source has been coupled to a copper sputter target to produce ionized copper fluxes for submicron integrated circuit metallization. A custom launcher assembly allows the use of microwave powers up to 5 kW in a metal deposition environment to produce plasma densities >10(12) cm(-3), well above the cutoff density at 2.45 GHz of similar to 1x10(11) cm(-3). Six hundred nm, 1.1:1 aspect ratio features have been filled with copper, and 250 nm, 6:1 aspect ratio features have been successfully lined. Copper ionization fractions for the conditions used for lining and filling, determined by a combination of Langmuir probe measurements and optical emission spectroscopy, are between 10% and 35%.