Patent ID: 11959167
Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
Field: Semiconductors (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC C  H | IPC C  H

Claim 12:
13. A method for capping a copper surface on a substrate, comprising:
positioning a substrate within a processing chamber, wherein the substrate comprises a contaminated copper surface and a dielectric surface;
exposing the contaminated copper surface to a reducing agent while forming a metallic copper surface during a pre-treatment process;
depositing a cobalt capping material over the metallic copper surface while leaving exposed the dielectric surface during a deposition-treatment cycle, comprising:
exposing the substrate to a cobalt precursor gas to selectively form a first cobalt layer over the metallic copper surface while leaving exposed the dielectric surface;
exposing the first cobalt layer to a plasma comprising nitrogen (N2), ammonia, an ammonia/nitrogen mixture, or hydrogen during a treatment process;
exposing the substrate to the cobalt precursor gas to selectively form a second cobalt layer on the first cobalt layer while leaving exposed the dielectric surface during; and
exposing the second cobalt layer to the plasma during the treatment process; and

depositing a dielectric layer on the cobalt capping material and the dielectric surface.