IP Library Granted Patent US 10,763,431
Granted Patent B2
US 10,763,431 · App. 16/193,851 · Granted Sep 1, 2020

Film stress control for memory device stack

Inventors: Injo Ok (Loudonville, NY); Choonghyun Lee (Rensselaer, NY); Chih-Chao Yang (Glenmont, NY); Seyoung Kim (Westchester, NY); Soon-Cheon Seo (Glenmont, NY)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
H01L45/1253H01L28/75H01L43/02H01L27/11502H01L27/222H01L27/2463H01L28/55H01L43/12H01L45/1675
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,763,431
App. No.
16/193,851
Granted
Sep 1, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

Semiconductor structures are provided that include a memory device buried within interconnect dielectric materials and in which a combination of a compressive metal-containing layer and a tensile metal-containing layer have been used to minimize wafer bow and litho overlay shift as well as a method of forming such semiconductor structures.

Claims (30)

1. A semiconductor structure comprising:

a bottom electrode located on a surface of a first electrically conductive structure, wherein the first electrically conductive structure is embedded in a first interconnect dielectric material layer;

a memory device pillar located on a surface of the bottom electrode, wherein the memory device pillar is a ferroelectric memory (FE) device pillar, a resistive random access memory (ReRAM) device pillar, a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) device pillar, or a phase change random access memory (PRAM) device pillar; and

a top electrode located on the memory device pillar, wherein the top electrode includes a compressive metal-containing portion in direct physical contact with the memory device pillar, and a tensile metal-containing portion located directly on the compressive metal-containing portion.

2. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the tensile metal-containing portion compensates the compressive stress caused by the compressive metal-containing portion.

3. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , further comprising a second interconnect dielectric material layer located laterally adjacent to, and above, the memory device pillar and the top electrode, wherein a second electrically conductive structure is present in the second interconnect dielectric material layer and contacts a surface of the top electrode.

4. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the bottom electrode is embedded in a dielectric capping layer.

5. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , further comprising a passivation liner located on a sidewall of the memory device pillar and the top electrode.

6. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the compressive metal-containing portion is composed of tantalum nitride, and the tensile metal-containing portion is composed of titanium nitride.

7. A semiconductor structure comprising:

a bottom electrode located on a surface of a first electrically conductive structure, wherein the first electrically conductive structure is embedded in a first interconnect dielectric material layer;

a first compressive metal-containing portion located above the bottom electrode;

a memory device pillar located on a surface of the first compressive metal-containing portion, wherein the memory device pillar is a ferroelectric memory (FE) device pillar, a resistive random access memory (ReRAM) device pillar, a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) device pillar, or a phase change random access memory (PRAM) device pillar; and

a top electrode composed of a first tensile metal-containing portion located on the memory device pillar.

8. The semiconductor structure of claim 7 , further comprising a second tensile metal-containing portion located between the bottom electrode and the first compressive metal-containing portion, and a second compressive metal-containing portion located on a topmost surface of the first tensile metal-containing portion.

9. The semiconductor structure of claim 8 , wherein the first and second tensile metal-containing portions compensate the compressive stress caused by the first and second compressive metal-containing portions.

10. The semiconductor structure of claim 7 , further comprising a second interconnect dielectric material layer located laterally adjacent to, and above, the memory device pillar and the top electrode, wherein a second electrically conductive structure is present in the second interconnect dielectric material layer and contacts a surface of the top electrode.

11. The semiconductor structure of claim 7 , wherein the bottom electrode is embedded in a dielectric capping layer.

12. The semiconductor structure of claim 7 , further comprising a passsivation liner located on a sidewall of the memory device pillar and the top electrode.

13. A method of reducing wafer bowing in a semiconductor structure, the method comprising:

forming a bottom electrode located on a surface of a first electrically conductive structure, wherein the first electrically conductive structure is embedded in a first interconnect dielectric material layer;

forming a memory device stack above the bottom electrode and on a topmost surface of the first interconnect dielectric material layer, wherein a first compressive metal-containing layer contacts one surface of the memory device stack and the memory device stack is a ferroelectric memory (FE) device stack, a resistive random access memory (ReRAM) device stack, a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) device stack, or a phase change random access memory (PRAM) device stack; and

forming a first tensile metal-containing layer above the memory device stack, wherein the first tensile metal-containing layer compensates the compressive stress caused by the first compressive metal-containing layer.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the one surface of the memory device stack is the bottommost surface, and the first tensile metal-containing layer directly contacts a topmost surface of the memory device stack.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the one surface of the memory device stack is the bottommost surface, and wherein a second tensile metal-containing layer is located between the first compressive metal-containing layer and the bottom electrode, and wherein the first tensile metal-containing layer is spaced apart from a topmost surface of the memory device stack by a second compressive metal-containing layer.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the one surface of the memory device stack is a topmost surface, and the first tensile metal-containing layer is located directly on a topmost surface of the first compressive metal-containing layer.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

patterning the memory device stack, the first compressive metal-containing layer, and the first tensile metal-containing layer to provide a patterned stack of the memory device stack, the first compressive metal-containing layer, and the first tensile metal-containing layer;

forming a passivation layer on physically exposed surfaces of the patterned stack; and

forming a second electrically conductive structure containing a topmost surface of patterned stack, wherein the second electrically conductive structure is embedded in a second interconnect dielectric material layer.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 16, 2018
From: OK, INJO; LEE, CHOONGHYUN; YANG, CHIH-CHAO; KIM, SEYOUNG; SEO, SOON-CHEON
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 047529/0760 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200161547A1 · May 21, 2020
Cited By (2)
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