Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a highly promising material for future interconnects. It is expected that the decoration of CNTs with Cu particles or also the filling of the interspaces between the CNTs with Cu instead of the currently used SiO2 can enhance the performance of CNT-based interconnects. Due to the high aspect ratio of CNTs an appropriate deposition technique has to be applied which is able to coat such structures uniformly. The current work is therefore considered with thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) of CuxO from the liquid Cu (I) β-diketonate precursor [(nBu3P)2Cu(acac)] and wet oxygen at 135°C on variously pretreated multi-walled CNTs. The different in-situ pre-treatments of the CNTs with oxygen, water vapor and wet oxygen in a temperature range from 100 to 300°C at a pressure of 1.33 mbar have been carried out prior to the ALD to enable uniform nucleation on the otherwise chemical inert CNT surface. The reduction of the CuxO as well as the filling of the space between the CNTs is not part of this work. Variations of the oxidation temperature as well as the oxidation agents resulted in different growth modes of the CuxO. An oxidation with wet oxygen at 300°C yielded in a partially layer like growth of the CuxO. It is expected that this growth mode is connected to a partial destruction of the outer CNT shell due to the oxidation. However, the damage introduced to the CNTs was not high enough to be detected by Raman spectroscopy. For all other investigated pretreatments, the formation of nanoparticles (NPs) was observed by electron microscopy. This formation of CuxO NPs can be explained by the metal-tube-interaction. Furthermore, the NPs probably decorate defect sites of the CNTs due to their higher reactivity. Additionally, analysis of energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements suggests that the used precursor [(nBu3P)2Cu(acac)] requires reactive oxygen surface groups for initiating the ALD growth. The observation of layer-like growth of CuxO on CNTs pretreated with wet oxygen at 300°C appears promising for deposition processes of Cu seed layers on CNTs. However, more aggressive pretreatments at higher temperatures or with more aggressive oxidation agents could be required to enable layer like growth on the entire CNTs.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of copper films is getting enormous interest. Ultrathin Cu films are applied as the seed layer for electrochemical deposition (ECD) of copper in interconnect circuits and as the non-magnetic material for the realization of giant magnetoresistance (GMR) sensors. Particularly, Co/Cu multi-layered structures require sub 4.0 nm copper film thickness for obtaining strong GMR effects. The physical vapor deposition process for the deposition of the copper seed layers are prone to non-conformal coating and poor step coverage on side-walls and bottoms of trenches and vias, and presence of overhanging structures. This may cause failure of interconnections due to formation of voids after copper ECD. ALD is the most suitable technology for the deposition of conformal seed layers for the subsequent ECD in very high aspect ratio structures, also for the technology nodes below 20 nm. Surface chemistry during the ALD of oxides is quite well studied. However, surface chemistry during the ALD of pure metal is rather immature. This knowledge is necessary to optimize the process parameters, synthesize better precursors systems, and enhance the knowledge of existing metal ALD processes. The major goal of this work is to understand the surface chemistry of the used precursor and study the growth of ultrathin copper films using in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Copper films are deposited by ALD using the precursor mixture consisting of 99 mol% [(nBu3P)2Cu(acac)], as copper precursor and 1 mol% of Ru(η5 C7H11)(η5 C5H4SiMe3), as ruthenium precursor. The purpose in having catalytic amount of ruthenium precursor is to obtain the Ru doped Cu2O layers for subsequent reduction with formic acid at temperatures below 150 °C on arbitrary substrates. Two different approaches for the growth of ultrathin copper films have been studied in this dissertation. In the first approach, direct thermal ALD of copper has been studied by using H2 as co-reactant on Co as catalytic substrate. In the second approach, Ru-doped Cu2O is deposited by ALD using wet-O2 as co-reactant on SiO2 as non-catalytic substrate. The Ru-doped Cu2O is successfully reduced by using either formic acid or carbon-monoxide on SiO2. / Atomlagenabscheidung (ALD) von Kupfer steht im Fokus der ALD Gemeinschaft. Ultradünne Kupferschichten können als Keimschicht für die elektrochemische Abscheidung (ECD) von Kupfer in der Verbindungstechnologie eingesetzt werden. Sie können ebenfalls für Sensoren, welche auf den Effekt des Riesenmagnetowiderstandes (GMR) basieren, als nicht-ferromagnetische Zwischenschicht verwendet werden. Insbesondere Multischichtstrukturen aus ferromagnetische Kobalt und Kupfer erfordern Schichtdicken von weniger als 4,0 nm, um einen starken GMR-Effekt zu gewährleisten. Das derzeit verwendete physikalische Dampfabscheidungsverfahren für ultradünne Kupferschichten, ist besonders anfällig für eine nicht-konforme Abscheidung an den Seitenwänden und Böden von Strukturen mit hohem Aspektverhältnis. Des Weiteren kann es zur Bildung von Löchern und überhängenden Strukturen kommen, welche bei der anschließenden Kupfer ECD zu Kontaktlücken (Voids) führen können. Für die Abscheidung einer Kupfer-Keimschicht ist die ALD besonders gut geeignet, da sie es ermöglicht, ultradünne konforme Schichten auf strukturierten Oberflächen mit hohem Aspektverhältnis abzuscheiden. Dies macht sie zu einer der Schlüsseltechnologien für Struckturgrößen unter 20 nm. Im Gegensatz zur Oberflächenchemie rein metallischer ALD sind die Oberflächenreaktionen für oxidische ALD Schichten sehr gut untersucht. Die Kenntnis der Oberflächenchemie während eines ALD Prozesses ist essenziel für die Bestimmung von wichtigen Prozessparametern als auch für die Verbesserung der Präkursorsynthese ansich. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Untersuchung der Oberflächenchemie und Charakterisierung des Wachstums von ultradünnen Metall-Cu-Schichten mittels In-situ XPS, welche eines indirekten (Oxid) bzw. direkten Metall-ALD Prozesses abgeschieden werden, wobei die Kupfer-Oxidschichten im Anschluss einem Reduktionsprozess unterworfen werden. Hierfür wird eine Präkursormischung bestehend aus 99 mol% [(nBu3P)2Cu(acac)] und 1 mol% [Ru(η5 C7H11)(η5-C5H4SiMe3)] verwendet. Die katalytische Menge an Ru, welche in der entstehenden Cu2O Schicht verbleibt, erhöht den Effekt der Reduktion der Cu2O Schicht auf beliebigen Substraten mit Ameinsäure bei Wafertemperaturen unter 150 °C. In einem ersten Schritt wird ein direkter thermisches Kupfer ALD-Prozess, unter Verwendung von molekularem Wasserstoff als Coreaktant, auf einem Kobalt-Substrat untersucht. In einem zweiten Schritt wird ein indirekter thermischer Cu2O-ALD-Prozess, unter gleichzeitiger Verwendung von Sauerstoff und Wasserdampf als Coreaktant, mit anschließender Reduktion durch Ameinsäure oder Kohlenstoffmonoxid zu Kupfer auf den gleichen Substraten betrachtet. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschreibt das Wachstum von ultradünnen und kontinuierlichen Kupfer-Schichten mittels thermischer ALD auf inerten- SiO2 und reaktiven Kobalt-Substraten.

As a possible alternative for growing seed layers required for electrochemical Cu deposition of metallization systems in ULSI circuits, the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Cu is under consideration. To avoid drawbacks related to plasma-enhanced ALD (PEALD), thermal growth of Cu has been proposed by two-step processes forming copper oxide films by ALD which are subsequently reduced. This talk, given at the 8th International Conference on Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD 2008), held in Bruges, Belgium from 29 June to 2 July 2008, summarizes the results of thermal ALD experiments from [(^<i>n</i>Bu₃P)₂Cu(acac)] precursor and wet O₂. The precursor is of particular interest as it is a liquid at room temperature and thus easier to handle than frequently utilized solids such as Cu(acac)₂, Cu(hfac)₂ or Cu(thd)₂. Furthermore the substance is non-fluorinated, which helps avoiding a major source of adhesion issues repeatedly observed in Cu CVD. As result of the ALD experiments, we obtained composites of metallic and oxidized Cu on Ta and TaN, which was determined by angle-resolved XPS analyses. While smooth, adherent films were grown on TaN in an ALD window up to about 130°C, cluster-formation due to self-decomposition of the precursor was observed on Ta. We also recognized a considerable dependency of the growth on the degree of nitridation of the TaN. In contrast, smooth films could be grown up to 130°C on SiO₂and Ru, although in the latter case the ALD window only extends to about 120°C. To apply the ALD films as seed layers in subsequent electroplating processes, several reduction processes are under investigation. Thermal and plasma-assisted hydrogen treatments are studied, as well as thermal treatments in vapors of isopropanol, formic acid, and aldehydes. So far these attempts were most promising using formic acid at temperatures between 100 and 120°C, also offering the benefit of avoiding agglomeration of the very thin ALD films on Ta and TaN. In this respect, the process sequence shows potential for depositing ultra-thin, smooth Cu films at temperatures below 150°C.

The following is the accepted manuscript of the original article: Marcel Melzer, Thomas Waechtler, Steve Müller, Holger Fiedler, Sascha Hermann, Raul D. Rodriguez, Alexander Villabona, Andrea Sendzik, Robert Mothes, Stefan E. Schulz, Dietrich R.T. Zahn, Michael Hietschold, Heinrich Lang and Thomas Gessner “Copper oxide atomic layer deposition on thermally pretreated multi-walled carbon nanotubes for interconnect applications”, Microelectron. Eng. 107, 223-228 (2013). Digital Object Identifier: 10.1016/j.mee.2012.10.026 Available via http://www.sciencedirect.com or http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mee.2012.10.026 © 2013 Elsevier B.V. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a highly promising material for future interconnects. It is expected that a decoration of the CNTs with Cu particles or also the filling of the interspaces between the CNTs with Cu can enhance the performance of CNT-based interconnects. The current work is therefore considered with thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) of CuxO from the liquid Cu(I) β-diketonate precursor [(nBu3P)2Cu(acac)] and wet oxygen at 135°C. This paper focuses on different thermal in-situ pre-treatments of the CNTs with O2, H2O and wet O2 at temperatures up to 300°C prior to the ALD process. Analyses by transmission electron microscopy show that in most cases the CuxO forms particles on the multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs). This behavior can be explained by the low affinity of Cu to form carbides. Nevertheless, also the formation of areas with rather layer-like growth was observed in case of an oxidation with wet O2 at 300°C. This growth mode indicates the partial destruction of the MWCNT surface. However, the damages introduced into the MWCNTs during the pre treatment are too low to be detected by Raman spectroscopy.

This article has been published online on 21st May 2014, in Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A: Vac (Vol.32, Issue 4): http://scitation.aip.org/content/avs/journal/jvsta/32/4/10.1116/1.4878815?aemail=author DOI: 10.1116/1.4878815 This article may be accessed via the issue's table of contents at this link: http://scitation.aip.org/content/avs/journal/jvsta/32/4?aemail=author The surface chemistry of the bis(tri-n-butylphosphane) copper(I) acetylacetonate, [(nBu3P)2Cu(acac)], and the thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Cu2O using this Cu precursor as reactant and wet oxygen as co-reactant on SiO2 substrates are studied by in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The Cu precursor was evaporated and exposed to the substrates kept at temperatures between 22 °C and 300 °C. The measured phosphorus and carbon concentration on the substrates indicated that most of the [nBu3P] ligands were released either in the gas phase or during adsorption. No disproportionation was observed for the Cu precursor in the temperature range between 22 °C and 145 °C. However, disproportionation of the Cu precursor was observed at 200 °C, since C/Cu concentration ratio decreased and substantial amounts of metallic Cu were present on the substrate. The amount of metallic Cu increased, when the substrate was kept at 300 °C, indicating stronger disproportionation of the Cu precursor. Hence, the upper limit for the ALD of Cu2O from this precursor lies in the temperature range between 145 °C and 200 °C, as the precursor must not alter its chemical and physical state after chemisorption on the substrate. 500 ALD cycles with the probed Cu precursor and wet O2 as co reactant were carried out on SiO2 at 145 °C. After ALD, in situ XPS analysis confirmed the presence of Cu2O on the substrate. Ex-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry indicated an average film thickness of 2.5 nm of Cu2O deposited with a growth per cycle of 0.05 Å/cycle. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) investigations depicted a homogeneous, fine, and granular morphology of the Cu2O ALD film on SiO2. AFM investigations suggest that the deposited Cu2O film is continuous on the SiO2 substrate.

The thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) of copper oxide films from the non-fluorinated yet liquid precursor bis(tri-<it>n</it>-butylphosphane)copper(I)acetylacetonate, [(^<it>n</it>Bu₃P)₂Cu(acac)], and wet O₂ on Ta, TaN, Ru and SiO₂ substrates at temperatures of < 160&deg;C is reported. Typical temperature-independent growth was observed at least up to 125&deg;C with a growth-per-cycle of ~ 0.1 &Aring; for the metallic substrates and an ALD window extending down to 100&deg;C for Ru. On SiO₂ and TaN the ALD window was observed between 110 and 125&deg;C, with saturated growth shown on TaN still at 135&deg;C. Precursor self-decomposition in a chemical vapor deposition mode led to bi-modal growth on Ta, resulting in the parallel formation of continuous films and isolated clusters. This effect was not observed on TaN up to about 130&deg;C and neither on Ru or SiO₂ for any processing temperature. The degree of nitridation of the tantalum nitride underlayers considerably influenced the film growth. With excellent adhesion of the ALD films on all substrates studied, the results are a promising basis for Cu seed layer ALD applicable to electrochemical Cu metallization in interconnects of ultralarge-scale integrated circuits.<br> &copy; 2009 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved. <br> / Es wird die thermische Atomlagenabscheidung (ALD) von Kupferoxidschichten, ausgehend von der unfluorierten, fl&uuml;ssigen Vorstufenverbindung Bis(tri-<it>n</it>-butylphosphan)kupfer(I)acetylacetonat, [(^<it>n</it>Bu₃P)₂Cu(acac)], sowie feuchtem Sauerstoff, auf Ta-, TaN-, Ru- und SiO₂-Substraten bei Temperaturen < 160&deg;C berichtet. Typisches temperaturunabh&auml;ngiges Wachstum wurde zumindest bis 125&deg;C beobachtet. Damit verbunden wurde f&uuml;r die metallischen Substrate ein Zyklenwachstum von ca. 0.1 &Aring; erzielt sowie ein ALD-Fenster, das f&uuml;r Ru bis zu einer Temperatur von 100&deg;C reicht. Auf SiO₂ und TaN wurde das ALD-Fenster zwischen 110 und 125&deg;C beobachtet, wobei auch bei 135&deg;C noch ges&auml;ttigtes Wachstum auf TaN gezeigt werden konnte. Die selbst&auml;ndige Zersetzung des Precursors &auml;hnlich der chemischen Gasphasenabscheidung f&uuml;hrte zu einem bimodalen Schichtwachstum auf Ta, wodurch gleichzeitig geschlossene Schichten und voneinander isolierte Cluster gebildet wurden. Dieser Effekt wurde auf TaN bis zu einer Temperatur von 130&deg;C nicht beobachtet. Ebensowenig trat er im untersuchten Temperaturbereich auf Ru oder SiO₂ auf. Der Nitrierungsgrad der TaN-Schichten beeinflusste hierbei das Schichtwachstum stark. Mit einer sehr guten Haftung der ALD-Schichten auf allen untersuchten Substratmaterialien erscheinen die Ergebnisse vielversprechend f&uuml;r die ALD von Kupferstartschichten, die f&uuml;r die elektrochemische Kupfermetallisierung in Leitbahnsystemen ultrahochintegrierter Schaltkreise anwendbar sind.

The thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) of copper oxide films from the non-fluorinated yet liquid precursor bis(tri-<it>n</it>-butylphosphane)copper(I)acetylacetonate, [(^<it>n</it>Bu₃P)₂Cu(acac)], and wet O₂ on Ta, TaN, Ru and SiO₂ substrates at temperatures of < 160&deg;C is reported. Typical temperature-independent growth was observed at least up to 125&deg;C with a growth-per-cycle of ~ 0.1 &Aring; for the metallic substrates and an ALD window extending down to 100&deg;C for Ru. On SiO₂ and TaN the ALD window was observed between 110 and 125&deg;C, with saturated growth shown on TaN still at 135&deg;C. Precursor self-decomposition in a chemical vapor deposition mode led to bi-modal growth on Ta, resulting in the parallel formation of continuous films and isolated clusters. This effect was not observed on TaN up to about 130&deg;C and neither on Ru or SiO₂ for any processing temperature. The degree of nitridation of the tantalum nitride underlayers considerably influenced the film growth. With excellent adhesion of the ALD films on all substrates studied, the results are a promising basis for Cu seed layer ALD applicable to electrochemical Cu metallization in interconnects of ultralarge-scale integrated circuits.<br> &copy; 2009 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved. <br> / Es wird die thermische Atomlagenabscheidung (ALD) von Kupferoxidschichten, ausgehend von der unfluorierten, fl&uuml;ssigen Vorstufenverbindung Bis(tri-<it>n</it>-butylphosphan)kupfer(I)acetylacetonat, [(^<it>n</it>Bu₃P)₂Cu(acac)], sowie feuchtem Sauerstoff, auf Ta-, TaN-, Ru- und SiO₂-Substraten bei Temperaturen < 160&deg;C berichtet. Typisches temperaturunabh&auml;ngiges Wachstum wurde zumindest bis 125&deg;C beobachtet. Damit verbunden wurde f&uuml;r die metallischen Substrate ein Zyklenwachstum von ca. 0.1 &Aring; erzielt sowie ein ALD-Fenster, das f&uuml;r Ru bis zu einer Temperatur von 100&deg;C reicht. Auf SiO₂ und TaN wurde das ALD-Fenster zwischen 110 und 125&deg;C beobachtet, wobei auch bei 135&deg;C noch ges&auml;ttigtes Wachstum auf TaN gezeigt werden konnte. Die selbst&auml;ndige Zersetzung des Precursors &auml;hnlich der chemischen Gasphasenabscheidung f&uuml;hrte zu einem bimodalen Schichtwachstum auf Ta, wodurch gleichzeitig geschlossene Schichten und voneinander isolierte Cluster gebildet wurden. Dieser Effekt wurde auf TaN bis zu einer Temperatur von 130&deg;C nicht beobachtet. Ebensowenig trat er im untersuchten Temperaturbereich auf Ru oder SiO₂ auf. Der Nitrierungsgrad der TaN-Schichten beeinflusste hierbei das Schichtwachstum stark. Mit einer sehr guten Haftung der ALD-Schichten auf allen untersuchten Substratmaterialien erscheinen die Ergebnisse vielversprechend f&uuml;r die ALD von Kupferstartschichten, die f&uuml;r die elektrochemische Kupfermetallisierung in Leitbahnsystemen ultrahochintegrierter Schaltkreise anwendbar sind.