The effects of various integration processes on the adhesion of SiLKTM to the Ta barrier layer were studied. We have found that the H2/He reactive plasma clean treatment (RPC) causes poor adhesion between these two layers. The results obtained from TOF-SIMS showed that hydrogen plasma had caused damage to the SiLK surface causing molecular fragmentation. Hydrogen had also been chemically incorporated into SiLK to form a hydrogen-saturated surface. To improve adhesion, an argon sputtering process was employed to remove this altered SiLK surface layer. Adhesion was found to have been improved and no delamination was observed even up to integration of 7 metal layers.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.