Application of selective CVD tungsten for low contact resistance via filling to aluminum multilayer interconnection

Abstract

Process parameters for selective chemical vapor deposition of tungsten to fill vias between aluminum or aluminum alloy multilevel metallization have been identified and demonstrated. By controlling two competing parallel reactions: Aluminum and hydrogen reductions of tungsten hexafluoride in one reduction step process, the specific contact resistivity was found to be in the range of 2.5 to 8.0 x 10⁻⁹ ohm-cm² for 1.8 micron diameter vias. This is at least one order of magnitude lower than the values reported by the previous workers. It was also observed that alloying the aluminum did not appear to affect the contact resistance significantly. In this experiment one cold wall experimental reactor, two cold wall production systems of two different models and one hot wall tube furnace were used to deposit selective CVD tungsten on aluminum or aluminum with 1% silicon first level metal. As a consequence of these findings, problems associated with filling straight wall vias of high aspect ratio in VLSI multilevel interconnection (i.e., high contact resistance, poor step coverage, electromigration, etc.) can now be alleviated or resolved. Therefore, the use of selective CVD tungsten in the existing aluminum IC metallization becomes very attractive and feasible.