Method of manufacturing an electronic device

1. A method of manufacturing an electronic device provided with a copper metallization on a substrate, which copper metallization includes a seed layer and a copper metallization layer, which method comprises the steps of:

depositing copper in a nitrogen-containing atmosphere so as to form a nitrogen containing copper seed layer;

heating the seed layer so as to release the nitrogen to form part of a barrier layer separating the seed layer from the substrate, and subsequently

applying the copper metallization layer on the seed layer.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the barrier layer of which the released nitrogen forms part, is deposited prior to the deposition of the copper seed layer.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the seed layer is heated to a temperature beyond 150° C.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the seed layer is heated to a temperature within the range 300° C.–500° C.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the nitrogen-containing atmosphere is an atmosphere which comprises N 2 as a nitrogen source.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the copper seed layer comprises at least two sub-layers, only one of which is formed in the nitrogen-containing atmosphere.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the nitride barrier layer comprises either titanium nitride or tantalum nitride.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the barrier layer is formed of any appropriate metal that will form a nitride or of a nitride material that can be enriched by the release of the nitride from the nitrogen-containing copper layer.