Patent ID: 9613851
Date: 2017-04-04
CPC Classifications: H01L

Claim:
1. A process for manufacturing a dual damascene article of manufacture comprising a trench containing a conductive metal column said trench and said conductive metal column extending down into and contiguous with a via, said trench and said conductive metal column and said via having a common axis, wherein said trench further comprises a sidewall air-gap immediately adjacent the side walls of said trench and said conductive metal column, said sidewall air-gap extending down to said via to a depth below a line fixed by the bottom of said trench, and continues downward in said via for a distance of from about 1 Angstrom below said line to the full depth of said via, said process comprising forming the trenches and vias of said dual damascene article of manufacture, coating the side wall of said trench and the side wall of said via with a dielectric material, damaging said dielectric material to form a damaged dielectric material on at least said side wall of said trench, metallizing said trench and via having said damaged dielectric material to form a conductive metal column in said trench and a conductive metal column in said via, and removing said damaged dielectric material to form a sidewall air-gap immediately adjacent said side wall and said conductive metal column at least in said trench, and further comprising providing a perforated pinched off cap operatively associated with said article, said perforated pinched off cap comprising a first cap layer patterned with a patterning layer that defines a narrower gap or narrower gaps extending from the top surface of said first cap layer to the bottom surface of said first cap layer, with said narrower gap or narrower gaps extending through said bottom surface of said first cap layer and being positioned over and projecting into said sidewall air-gap, and sealing only said narrower gap or narrower gaps, and further providing a second non-perforated cap layer operatively associated with and extending over said top surface of said first cap layer.