Electrochemical Atomic Layer Deposition of Metals for Applications in Semiconductor Interconnect Metallization
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ELECTROCHEMICAL ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION OF METALS FOR APPLICATIONS IN SEMICONDUCTOR INTERCONNECT METALLIZATION by KAILASH VENKATRAMAN Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Thesis Advisor: Professor Rohan Akolkar Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY January, 2019 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES We hereby approve the dissertation of Kailash Venkatraman Candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy degree* (signed) Prof. Rohan Akolkar (chair of the committee) Prof. Uziel Landau Prof. Christine Duval Prof. Mark De Guire Date: October 22, 2018 *We also certify that written approval has been obtained for any proprietary material contained therein. 1 DEDICATION Dedicated to my grandparents, Late Shri. S. Krishnaswamy and Smt. S. Sundaresan. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION .....................................................................................................................2 LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................................6 LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...............................................................................................13 LIST OF SYMBOLS .........................................................................................................14 CHAPTER 1. Introduction ............................................................................................ 19 1.1 Motivation: To Enable Fabrication of Materials in Next-Generation Microprocessors .................................................................................................................19 1.2 Current Challenges with Interconnect Scaling and Need for Atom Scale Deposition Techniques.......................................................................................................22 1.3 Prior Work on Electrochemical Atomic Layer Deposition .................................25 1.4 Strategy: Zinc as a Sacrificial Underpotential Deposition Metal for Enabling a Novel Electrochemical Atomic Layer Deposition Process ................................................29 1.5 Cobalt as an Alternative Metal for Advanced Interconnect Metallization ..........31 1.6 Electroless (Contactless) Atomic Layer Deposition Process for Copper ............33 1.7 Objectives ............................................................................................................34 CHAPTER 2. Investigation of the Transport and Kinetic Processes during Zinc Underpotential Deposition ............................................................................................. 37 2.1 Introduction .........................................................................................................37 2.2 Experimental Details ...........................................................................................40 2.2.1 Materials ..................................................................................................... 40 2.2.2 Methods....................................................................................................... 41 2.3 Results and Discussion ........................................................................................42 2.3.1 Cyclic Voltammetry Studies of Znupd on a Cu Substrate ............................ 43 2.3.2 Chronoamperometry Studies of Znupd on a Rotating Disk Electrode ......... 47 2.3.3 Determination of DZn during Zinc Underpotential Deposition ................... 52 2.4 Conclusions .........................................................................................................53 CHAPTER 3. Electrochemical Atomic Layer Deposition of Copper Enabled by Zinc Underpotential Deposition ............................................................................................. 55 3.1 Introduction .........................................................................................................55 3.2 Experimental Details ...........................................................................................56 3.2.1 Materials ..................................................................................................... 56 3 3.2.2 Methods....................................................................................................... 57 3.3 Results and Discussion ........................................................................................61 3.3.1 Voltammetry Studies of Znupd on Cu and Ru Substrates ............................ 61 3.3.2 Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microgravimetry Studies of Znupd on Cu . 64 3.3.3 Feasibility Demonstration of a Novel Cu Electrochemical ALD Process .. 66 3.3.4 Mixed Potential Change during SLRR of Zn by Cu ................................... 71 3.3.5 Investigation of Growth Rate during Cu Electrochemical ALD ................ 74 3.3.6 Characterizing Morphology Evolution during Cu Electrochemical ALD .. 77 3.3.7 Materials Characterization (XPS, TEM) of the Deposited Cu Films ......... 81 3.4 Conclusions .........................................................................................................84 CHAPTER 4. Investigation of the Growth Rate and Roughness Evolution during Electrochemical Atomic Layer Deposition of Copper ................................................. 85 4.1 Introduction .........................................................................................................85 4.2 Experimental Details ...........................................................................................88 4.2.1 Methods....................................................................................................... 88 4.3 Diffusion-Reaction Modeling of Electrochemical ALD of Cu ...........................90 4.3.1 Growth Rate Model for Cu Electrochemical ALD ..................................... 90 4.3.1.1 Rate of Cu Deposition ......................................................................... 91 4.3.1.2 Rate of Zn Underpotential Deposition................................................. 95 4.3.2 Morphology Evolution during Cu Electrochemical ALD .......................... 99 4.3.3 Model Parameters and the Solution Algorithm ........................................ 100 4.4 Results and Discussion ......................................................................................101 4.4.1 Growth Rate during Cu Electrochemical ALD: Comparing Experiments to Model Predictions .................................................................................................... 101 4.4.1.1 Effect of Cu+2 Concentration ............................................................. 101 4.4.1.2 Effect of Znupd Time .......................................................................... 102 4.4.1.3 Effect of Zn+2 Concentration ............................................................. 104 4.4.2 Roughness Evolution during Cu Electrochemical ALD: Comparing Experiments to Model Predictions .......................................................................... 105 4.5 Conclusions .......................................................................................................108 CHAPTER 5. Electrochemical Atomic Layer Deposition of Cobalt Mediated by Zinc Underpotential Deposition................................................................................... 109 5.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................109 5.2 Experimental Details .........................................................................................111 4 5.2.1 Methods..................................................................................................... 111 5.3 Results and Discussion ......................................................................................114 5.3.1 Polarization Studies of Zn Underpotential Deposition ............................. 115 5.3.2 Electrochemical Atomic Layer Deposition of Co ..................................... 117 5.3.3 Characterization of Electrochemical ALD Co Coverage on Ru using Zn Underpotential Deposition ....................................................................................... 122 5.3.4 Electrochemical ALD of Co Growth Rate Characterization using Anodic Stripping Coulometry .............................................................................................. 124 5.3.5 Roughness Evolution during Co Electrochemical ALD ........................... 127 5.4 Conclusions .......................................................................................................130 CHAPTER 6. Electroless Atomic Layer Deposition of Copper Facilitated by Electroless Zinc Underpotential Deposition ............................................................... 131 6.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................131 6.2 Experimental Details .........................................................................................132 6.2.1 Methods..................................................................................................... 132 6.3 Results and Discussion ......................................................................................134 6.3.1 Polarization Studies of GA Oxidation and Znupd ...................................... 135 6.3.2 Feasibility Demonstration