Papers by Author: N.V. Richardson

Abstract: The use of integration of copper interconnects in semiconductor devices has greatly advanced the development of integrated circuits and has enabled ever higher device densities. Unfortunately the oxides of copper are poorly suited to semiconductor manufacture. As Cu (I) and Cu (II) oxides are not self-limiting they can pose serious issues from a cleaning and queue time management perspective. In both post-etch and post-CMP cleaning applications it is critical that both types of Cu oxide are removed without damage to either Cu or the dielectric. With the most advanced sub 32nm nodes simply removing the oxides is not sufficient; their re-growth must also be prevented using surface passivation.

Abstract: Iminodiacetic acid (IMDA), NH(CH2CO2H)2, whose molecular structure is shown in figure 1, is a small molecule but has a very large scope for interacting with copper due to its two carboxylic acid and imine functionalities, which have been shown to bind strongly to copper [1,2,3]. The electronegative oxygen and nitrogen atoms present also make this a good candidate for hydrogen bonding, which often leads to very stable ordered two dimensional (2D) structures being formed across surfaces.