Yukinari Yamashita

Effect of Dissolved Oxygen on Cu Corrosion in Single Wafer Cleaning Process

We investigated Cu corrosion at the via bottom of multi-layered Cu interconnects that occurred after post-etching wet cleaning and caused via open failures. We found that oxygen was dissolved into de-ionized water (DIW) on the wafer edge from the air atmosphere during the rinse step after chemical cleaning and that Cu was oxidized due to the high oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of the rinse DIW. To prevent Cu interconnects from being corroded, control of the dissolved oxygen and the ORP of the rinse DIW by decreasing the oxygen concentration of the atmosphere in the cleaning machine as well as by using H2 water is required. This will become indispensable in the cleaning process of the next generation Cu interconnects.

Effect of Pattern Layout and Dissolved Oxygen in CO2 Rinse Water on Cu Corrosion during Post-Etch Cleaning

When post-etch cleaning was carried out in Cu dual-damascene process, Cu at the bottom of isolated via was etched out especially in the wafer edge, and this would become a critical issue as device scale is shrunk. The corrosion was caused in the rinse step rather than chemical cleaning step because dissolved oxygen in rinse water from the air increased oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) and CO2 included in the rinse water for preventing wafer electrification decreased pH. The corrosion was found to be suppressed by increasing dummy pattern density and by controlling atmosphere and pH of the rinse water.