A method of forming a titanium nitride (TiN) diffusion barrier includes exposing a deposition surface to a first pulse of a titanium-containing precursor and to a first pulse of a nitrogen-rich plasma to form a first TiN layer with a first nitrogen concentration making a lower portion of the TiN diffusion barrier, the first nitrogen concentration of the first TiN layer is increased by the first pulse of the nitrogen-rich plasma reducing a reactivity of the lower portion of the TiN diffusion barrier to prevent fluorine diffusion. The first TiN layer is exposed to second pulses of the titanium-containing precursor and the nitrogen-rich plasma to form a second TiN layer with a second nitrogen concentration above the first TiN layer making an upper portion of the TiN diffusion barrier, the first pulse of the nitrogen-rich plasma has a substantially longer duration than the second pulse of the nitrogen-rich plasma.

An atmospheric plasma treatment station is integrated in a semiconductor process tool. The atmospheric plasma treatment station directly interfaces with a deposition chamber of the semiconductor process tool without adding to the footprint or form factor of the semiconductor process tool. The atmospheric plasma treatment station includes a movable atmospheric plasma source such as a linear head for scanning across a surface of a substrate. The atmospheric plasma treatment station provides an enclosed space in a controlled environment with non-reactive gas flowing through the enclosed space. Process gases may be supplied to the linear head based on a surface condition of the substrate being treated.

A semiconductor device includes an interconnect structure embedded in a first metallization layer comprising a dielectric material. The interconnect structure includes a first metal material. The semiconductor device includes a first liner structure embedded in the first metallization layer. The first liner structure is extended along one or more boundaries of the interconnect structure in the first metallization layer. The first liner structure includes a second metal material reacted with one or more dopants, the second metal material being different from the first metal material.

Embodiments of the invention provide processes to selectively form a cobalt layer on a copper surface over exposed dielectric surfaces. In one embodiment, a method for capping a copper surface on a substrate is provided which includes positioning a substrate within a processing chamber, wherein the substrate contains a contaminated copper surface and a dielectric surface, exposing the contaminated copper surface to a reducing agent while forming a copper surface during a pre-treatment process, exposing the substrate to a cobalt precursor gas to selectively form a cobalt capping layer over the copper surface while leaving exposed the dielectric surface during a vapor deposition process, and depositing a dielectric barrier layer over the cobalt capping layer and the dielectric surface. In another embodiment, a deposition-treatment cycle includes performing the vapor deposition process and subsequently a post-treatment process, which deposition-treatment cycle may be repeated to form multiple cobalt capping layers.

Embodiments described herein generally relate to a sequential hydrogenation and nitridization process for reducing interfacial and bulk O atoms in a conductive structure in a semiconductor device. A hydrogenation and plasma nitridization process is performed on a metal nitride layer in a conductive structure prior to deposition of a second metal layer, thereby reducing interfacial oxygen atoms formed on a surface of the metal nitride and oxygen atoms present in the bulk metal layers of the conductive structure. As a result, adhesion of the second metal layer to the metal nitride layer is improved and the electrical resistance of the contact structure is reduced.

The present invention relates to a copper metal film to be used as a seed layer for electrodeposition for forming a copper interconnect for a semiconductor device, a method for preparing the same, and a method for forming a copper interconnect for a semiconductor device using the copper metal film.

A semiconductor structure includes a dielectric layer having a trench formed therein and a barrier layer formed on a bottom and sidewalls of the trench, and on a top surface of the dielectric layer. The trench comprises a flared top gap opening and additional area at the bottom such that the top and bottom of the trench are wider than sidewalls of the trench. A thickness of the barrier layer on the bottom of the trench and on the top surface of the dielectric layer is controlled using one or more cycles comprising forming an oxidized layer using a neutral beam oxidation and removing the oxidized layer using an etching process, such that the thickness of the barrier layer on the bottom of the trench and on the top surface of the dielectric layer is substantially the same as the thickness of the barrier layer on sidewalls of the trench.

A semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same, the semiconductor device including a substrate; an insulating layer on the substrate, the insulating layer including a first trench and a second trench therein, the second trench having an aspect ratio that is smaller than an aspect ratio of the first trench; a barrier layer in the first trench and the second trench; a seed layer on the barrier layer in the first trench and the second trench; a first bulk layer on the seed layer and filled in the first trench; and a second bulk layer on the seed layer and filled in the second trench, wherein an average grain size of the second bulk layer is larger than an average grain size of the first bulk layer.

Embodiments described herein generally relate to enable the formation of a metal gate structure with a reduced effective oxide thickness over a similar structure formed via conventional methods. A plasma hydrogenation process followed by a plasma nitridization process is performed on a metal nitride layer in a film stack, thereby removing oxygen atoms disposed within layers of the film stack and, in some embodiments eliminating an oxygen-containing interfacial layer disposed within the film stack. As a result, an effective oxide thickness of the metal gate structure is reduced with little or no accompanying flatband voltage shift. Further, the metal gate structure operates with an increased leakage current that is as little as one quarter the increase in leakage current associated with a similar metal gate structure formed via conventional techniques.

A method includes forming a first opening in a dielectric layer over a substrate, lining sidewalls and a bottom of the first opening with a conductive barrier layer, and depositing a seed layer over the conductive barrier layer. The method further includes treating the seed layer with a plasma process, and filling the first opening with a conductive material after the treating the seed layer.