Development of void-free focused ion beam-assisted metal deposition process for subhalf-micrometer high aspect ratio vias

Abstract

Low resistance metal deposition in deep submicron vias is required for circuit rewiring in focused ion beam (FIB)-based integrated circuit modification. Voids in high aspect ratio deposition, associated with the application of traditional FIB process to tungsten deposition in vias with aspect ratios beyond 10:1 contribute substantially to the resistance of the via. Pinch off of the via aperture is frequently observed. The dynamics of tungsten deposition within vias was studied through a series of via cross sections with variable deposition dose, and revealed accelerated deposition growth on the walls at the top of the vias. Accelerated deposition on the sidewalls, where the primary beam interacts with the substrate at a glancing angle, suggested that the deposition growth is initiated by secondary charged particles generated at the point of primary beam impact rather than by the primary beam itself. The results are in agreement with mechanisms previously proposed and confirmed by experiments. In order to prevent the generation of secondary particles on the walls of the via, and the consequent pinch off closure of the via aperture, confining the primary beam to an area much smaller than the aperture of the via was attempted. With this process, secondary particles are generated at the bottom of the via and trapped within the via, which was expected to lead to bottom-up deposition growth. A dose series study of the deposition produced by the proposed process confirmed the uniform growth of the tungsten fill from the bottom of the via. Void-free depositions were made in 5 μm deep vias ranging in size from 0.5 μm by 0.5 μm to 0.2 μm by 0.2 μm, corresponding to aspect ratios from 10:1 to 25:1, respectively.