Integrated circuit and process for fabricating thereof
View Patent ↗A process for fabricating an Integrated Circuit (IC) and the IC formed thereby is disclosed. The process comprises providing a substrate. The process further comprises forming a plurality of longitudinal trenches in the substrate and depositing a layer of a first conductive material on at least one longitudinal trench of the plurality of longitudinal trenches. A first layer of a second conductive material is deposited on the layer of the first conductive material. Thereafter, the process includes depositing a second layer of the second conductive material on the first layer of the second conductive material. The second layer of the second conductive material at least partially fills the at least one longitudinal trench. The first conductive material is selected such that a reduction potential of the first conductive material is less than a reduction potential of the second conductive material.
1. A process for fabricating an integrated circuit, the process comprising:
providing a substrate;
forming a plurality of longitudinal trenches in the substrate;
depositing a layer of a first conductive material on a peripheral surface of at least one longitudinal trench of the plurality of longitudinal trenches, wherein the first conductive material comprises tin (Sn);
depositing a first layer of a second conductive material on the layer of the first conductive material by using a first plating process; and
forming at least one conductive path by depositing a second layer of the second conductive material on the first layer of the second conductive material using a second plating process;
wherein an initial thickness of the first layer prior to forming the at least one conductive path is greater than a final thickness of the first layer after forming the at least one conductive path;
wherein the second layer of the second conductive material at least partially fills the at least one longitudinal trench of the plurality of longitudinal trenches; and
wherein a reduction potential of the first conductive material is less than a reduction potential of the second conductive material.
2. The process of claim 1 further comprising depositing a layer of a catalytic material on the peripheral surface of the at least one longitudinal trench of the plurality of longitudinal trenches prior to depositing the layer of the first conductive material.
3. The process of claim 2 , wherein the catalytic material comprises Palladium (Pd) compounds.
4. The process of claim 1 , further comprising applying Chemical Mechanical Planerization (CMP) at the at least one conductive path.
5. The process of claim 1 , wherein forming the plurality of longitudinal trenches in the substrate comprises applying a photo-resist mask layer over the substrate and exposing the photo-resist mask layer to a light source.
6. The process of claim 5 , wherein the light source comprises a LASER source.
7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the layer of first conductive material is deposited by an electro-less plating process.
8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the second conductive material comprises Copper (Cu).
9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first plating process comprises an electro-less plating process.
10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the second plating process comprises electrolytic plating process.