Metal conductor chemical mechanical polish
The present disclosure provides a method of fabricating a semiconductor device, a semiconductor device fabricated by such a method, and a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) tool for performing such a method. In one embodiment, a method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes providing an integrated circuit (IC) wafer including a metal conductor in a trench of a dielectric layer over a substrate, and performing a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process to planarize the metal conductor and the dielectric layer. The method further includes cleaning the planarized metal conductor and dielectric layer to remove residue from the CMP process, rinsing the cleaned metal conductor and dielectric layer with an alcohol, and drying the rinsed metal conductor and dielectric layer in an inert gas environment.
1. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
providing an integrated circuit (IC) wafer including a metal conductor in a trench of a dielectric layer over a substrate;
performing a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process to planarize the metal conductor, a barrier layer comprising silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) disposed between the metal conductor and the dielectric layer, and the dielectric layer with no intermediate step between planarizing the metal conductor and planarizing the dielectric layer;
cleaning the planarized metal conductor and dielectric layer to remove residue from the CMP process;
rinsing the cleaned metal conductor and dielectric layer with an alcohol;
drying the rinsed metal conductor and dielectric layer in an inert gas environment, wherein the IC wafer is provided through a first front opening unified pod (FOUP) of a CMP tool, the CMP process is performed in a CMP unit of the CMP tool, the cleaning and rinsing is performed in a cleaning unit of the CMP tool, and the drying is performed in a drying unit of the CMP tool; and
transferring the dried wafer for further processing through a second FOUP of the CMP tool operating in an inert gas environment, wherein the second FOUP is operably coupled to the drying unit.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal conductor is comprised of copper, aluminum, tungsten, or alloys thereof, and wherein the alcohol is isopropyl alcohol.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the drying includes vacuum baking performed at a temperature between about 25 degrees Celsius and about 400 degrees Celsius.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the drying is performed at a pressure between about 0.1 torr and about 760 torr.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the drying is performed in an inert gas environment of nitrogen, helium, argon, or mixtures thereof.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the drying is performed for less than five minutes.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IC wafer further includes a plurality of metal conductors in respective trenches of the dielectric layer over the substrate, and wherein the CMP process planarizes the plurality of metal conductors and the dielectric layer.
8. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
providing an integrated circuit (IC) wafer including a metal conductor in a trench of a dielectric layer over a substrate;
performing a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process to planarize the metal conductor and the dielectric layer;
cleaning the planarized metal conductor and dielectric layer to remove residue from the CMP process;
rinsing the cleaned metal conductor and dielectric layer with an alcohol;
drying the rinsed metal conductor and dielectric layer in an inert gas environment, wherein the IC wafer is provided through a first front opening unified pod (FOUP) of a CMP tool, the CMP process is performed in a CMP unit of the CMP tool, the cleaning and rinsing is performed in a cleaning unit of the CMP tool, and the drying is performed in a drying unit of the CMP tool; and
transferring the dried wafer for further processing through a second FOUP of the CMP tool operating in an inert gas environment, wherein the second FOUP is operably coupled to the drying unit.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the metal conductor is comprised of copper, aluminum, tungsten, or alloys thereof, and wherein the alcohol is isopropyl alcohol.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the drying includes vacuum baking performed at a temperature between about 25 degrees Celsius and about 400 degrees Celsius.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the drying is performed at a pressure between about 0.1 ton and about 760 torr.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the drying is performed in an inert gas environment of nitrogen, helium, argon, or mixtures thereof.
13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the drying is performed for less than five minutes.
14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the IC wafer further includes a plurality of metal conductors in respective trenches of the dielectric layer over the substrate, and wherein the CMP process planarizes the plurality of metal conductors and the dielectric layer.