Method of manufracturing increasing reliability of copper-based metallization structures in a microstructure device by using aluminum nitride

1. A method, comprising:

forming a nitrogen-containing layer on an exposed surface of a metal region formed in a dielectric layer; and

exposing said nitrogen-containing layer to an ambient established on the basis of an aluminum-containing gas to form an aluminum and nitrogen-containing first barrier layer on said metal region.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said metal region comprises copper.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein forming said nitrogen-containing layer comprises treating said exposed surface to convert copper oxide into copper nitride.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein treating said exposed surface comprises establishing an ammonium (NH 3 ) containing ambient.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said aluminum-containing gas comprises Al(CH 3 ) 3 .

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a second dielectric barrier layer on said first barrier layer and forming a low-k dielectric material above said second dielectric barrier layer.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said first barrier layer and said second dielectric layer are formed in an in situ process.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein treating said exposed surface comprises thermal activation in the absence of a plasma.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a low-k dielectric material on said aluminum and nitrogen-containing first barrier layer.

10. The method of claim 3 , further comprising forming said copper oxide in an oxidizing ambient as a substantially continuous copper oxide layer.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said aluminum and nitrogen-containing first barrier layer is formed on said dielectric layer.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising forming said dielectric layer so as to have OH groups at least at a surface thereof.