Abstract: The present disclosure pertains to a method for plasma etching of low k materials, particularly polymeric-based low k materials. Preferably the polymeric-based materials are organic-based materials. The method employs an etchant plasma where the major etchant species are generated from a halogen other than fluorine and oxygen. The preferred halogen is chlorine. The volumetric (flow rate) ratio of the halogen:oxygen in the plasma source gas ranges from about 1:20 to about 20:1. The atomic ratio of the halogen:oxygen preferably falls within the range from about 1:20 to about 20:1. When the halogen is chlorine, the preferred atomic ratio of chlorine:oxygen ranges from about 1:10 to about 5:1. When this atomic ratio of chlorine:oxygen is used, the etch selectivity for the low k material over adjacent oxygen-comprising or nitrogen-comprising layers is advantageous, typically in excess of about 10:1.

Abstract: Copper can be pattern etched in a manner which provides the desired feature dimension and integrity, at acceptable rates, and with selectivity over adjacent materials. To provide for feature integrity, the portion of the copper feature surface which has been etched to the desired dimensions and shape must be protected during the etching of adjacent feature surfaces. This is particularly important for feature sizes less than about 0.5 &mgr;m, where presence of even a limited amount of a corrosive agent can eat away a large portion of the feature.

Abstract: Copper can be pattern etched in a manner which provides the desired feature dimension and integrity, at acceptable rates, and with selectivity over adjacent materials. To provide for feature integrity, the portion of the copper feature surface which has been etched to the desired dimensions and shape must be protected during the etching of adjacent feature surfaces. To avoid the trapping of reactive species interior of the etched copper surface, hydrogen is applied to that surface. Hydrogen is adsorbed on the copper exterior surface and may be absorbed into the exterior surface of the copper, so that it is available to react with species which would otherwise penetrate that exterior surface and react with the copper interior to that surface. Sufficient hydrogen must be applied to the exterior surface of the etched portion of the copper feature to prevent incident reactive species present due to etching of adjacent feature surfaces from penetrating the previously etched feature exterior surface.

Abstract: An integrated process and system for etching a hole in an oxide layer and conformally coating a liner for metal filling. The wafer with a patterned photoresist mask is loaded into a first transfer chamber held at a vacuum of less than 1 Torr. An oxide etch reactor etches the oxide down to a nitride etch stop and barrier layer to form a hole through the oxide. Thereafter, the photoresist is ashed, and the barrier layer is removed. The wafer is transferred through a gated vacuum passageway to a second transfer chamber held at a vacuum no more than 10−6 Torr. In at least two PVD or CVD deposition chambers connected to the second transfer chamber, a barrier layer of Ta/TaN is coated onto sides of the hole and a copper seed layer is deposited over the barrier layer. The invention may be limited to the operations subsequent to ashing.

Abstract: Copper can be pattern etched in a manner which provides the desired feature dimension and integrity, at acceptable rates, and with selectivity over adjacent materials. To provide for feature integrity, the portion of the copper feature surface which has been etched to the desired dimensions and shape must be protected during the etching of adjacent feature surfaces. To avoid the trapping of reactive species interior of the etched copper surface, hydrogen is applied to that surface. Hydrogen is adsorbed on the copper exterior surface and may be absorbed into the exterior surface of the copper, so that it is available to react with species which would otherwise penetrate that exterior surface and react with the copper interior to that surface. Sufficient hydrogen must be applied to the exterior surface of the etched portion of the copper feature to prevent incident reactive species present due to etching of adjacent feature surfaces from penetrating the previously etched feature exterior surface.

Abstract: Copper can be pattern etched at acceptable rates and with selectivity over adjacent materials using an etch process which utilizes a solely physical process which we have termed “enhanced physical bombardment”. Enhanced physical bombardment requires an increase in ion density and/or an increase in ion energy of ionized species which strike the substrate surface. To assist in the removal of excited copper atoms from the surface being etched, the power to the ion generation source and/or the substrate offset bias source may be pulsed. In addition, when the bombarding ions are supplied from a remote source, the supply of these ions may be pulsed. Further, thermal phoresis may be used by maintaining a substrate temperature which is higher than the temperature of a surface in the etch chamber.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for transmitting an optical signal through an optical fiber. The apparatus includes an optical signal source, which generates an optical signal having a plurality of optical channels onto which data is modulated. Each of the optical channels is defined by a different carrier wavelength. A phase modulator imparts phase modulation to the plurality of optical channels so that channels nearest a zero dispersion wavelength of the optical fiber are more closely spaced to one another than channels farthest in wavelength from the zero dispersion wavelength of the optical fiber.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for forming reliable interconnects in which the overlap of the line over the plug or via is minimized or eliminated. In one aspect, a barrier plug comprised of a conductive material, such as tungsten, is deposited over the via to provide an etch stop during line etching and to prevent diffusion of the metal, such as copper, into the surrounding dielectric material if the line is misaligned over the via. Additionally, the barrier plug prevents an overall reduction in resistance of the interconnect and enables reactive ion etching to be employed to form the metal line. In another aspect, reactive ion etching techniques are employed to selectively etch the metal line and the barrier layer to provide a controlled etching process which exhibits selectivity for the metal line, then the barrier and then the via or plug.

Abstract: Copper can be pattern etched in a manner which provides the desired feature dimension and integrity, at acceptable rates, and with selectivity over adjacent materials. To provide for feature integrity, the portion of the copper feature surface which has been etched to the desired dimensions and shape must be protected during the etching of adjacent feature surfaces. This is particularly important for feature sizes less than about 0.5 &mgr;m, where presence of even a limited amount of a corrosive agent can eat away a large portion of the feature.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for forming reliable interconnects in which the overlap of the line over the plug or via is minimized or eliminated. In one aspect, a barrier plug comprised of a conductive material, such as tungsten, is deposited over the via to provide an etch stop during line etching and to prevent diffusion of the metal, such as copper, into the surrounding dielectric material if the line is misaligned over the via. Additionally, the barrier plug prevents an overall reduction in resistance of the interconnect and enables reactive ion etching to be employed to form the metal line. In another aspect, reactive ion etching techniques are employed to selectively etch the metal line and the barrier layer to provide a controlled etching process which exhibits selectivity for the metal line, then the barrier and then the via or plug.

Abstract: A first embodiment of the present invention pertains to a method of patterning a semiconductor device conductive feature while permitting easy removal of any residual masking layer which remains after completion of the etching process. A multi-layered masking structure is used which includes a layer of high-temperature organic-based masking material overlaid by either a patterned layer of inorganic masking material or by a layer of patterned high-temperature imageable organic masking material. The inorganic masking material is used to transfer a pattern to the high-temperature organic-based masking material and is then removed. The high-temperature organic-based masking material is used to transfer the pattern and then may be removed if desired. This method is also useful in the pattern etching of aluminum, even though aluminum can be etched at lower temperatures.

Abstract: A Raman amplifier is provided that includes at least a portion of optical fiber in which an optical signal travels. The optical fiber portion may encompass all or part of the optical transmission path of an optical communication system. A pump energy unit is provided that includes first and second pump sources providing pump power at first and second wavelengths, respectively. The first and second wavelengths generate first and second gain profiles in the optical fiber portion. The first and second gain profiles overlap in wavelength. An optical coupler couples the pump power to the optical fiber portion. Since the gain profiles overlap, the Raman amplifier has a greater bandwidth than can be achieved with a pump operating at a single wavelength.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for dispersion mapping that yields improved transmission performance for optical transmission systems by providing a more optimal balance between the reduction of both accumulated chromatic dispersion and nonlinear mixing. In particular, the chromatic dispersion is arranged on both a short length scale (within one amplification period) and a long length scale so that the average dispersion returns to zero. The dispersion management within one fiber span is arranged so that the magnitude of the dispersion is large in the section of the fiber span in which the optical power is large and is small in the section of the fiber span in which the optical power is small. This arrangement reduces both the amount of nonlinear mixing and the accumulated chromatic dispersion within the given fiber span.

Abstract: The present invention adheres to an optimized coil-domed geometry including a particular dome apex height range relative to the dome base and a particular wafer position range relative to the dome apex.

Abstract: A helicon wave, high density RF plasma reactor having improved plasma and contaminant control. The reactor contains a well defined anode electrode that is heated above a polymer condensation temperature to ensure that deposits of material that would otherwise alter the ground plane characteristics do not form on the anode. The reactor also contains a magnetic bucket for axially confining the plasma in the chamber using a plurality of vertically oriented magnetic strips or horizontally oriented magnetic toroids that circumscribe the chamber. The reactor may utilize a temperature control system to maintain a constant temperature on the surface of the chamber.

Abstract: An optical transmission system is provided that includes a transmitting terminal, a receiving terminal remotely located from the transmitting terminal, and an optical transmission path connecting the transmitting terminal to the receiving terminal. The optical transmission path includes at least one optical amplifier such that portions of the optical transmission path located between adjacent optical amplifiers or terminals denote a transmission span. The path includes constituent optical fiber having a positive dispersion shift, dispersion compensating optical fiber having a negative dispersion shift, and dispersion slope compensating fiber having a negative dispersion slope.

Abstract: A method and apparatus provides pump energy to an optical fiber located along an optical transmission path. The optical fiber imparts Raman amplification to an optical signal traveling therein when pumped at a pump wavelength. In accordance with the method, a first beam of pump energy is generated at the pump wavelength of the optical signal and a second beam of pump energy at a wavelength one Raman Stokes order below the pump wavelength. The first beam of pump energy is introduced to the optical fiber so that it contrapropagates with respect to the optical signal. The second beam of pump energy is introduced to the optical fiber so that it co-propagates with respect to the optical signal. The second beam of pump energy does not pump the signal (thus minimizing noise) but rather serves to pump the first pump beam by the production of Raman Stokes- shifted light.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a post-etch treatment for plasma etched metal-comprising features in semiconductor devices. The post-etch treatment significantly reduces or eliminates surface corrosion of the etched metal-comprising feature. It is particularly important to prevent the formation of moisture on the surface of the feature surface prior to an affirmative treatment to remove corrosion-causing contaminants from the feature surface. Avoidance of moisture formation is assisted by use of a high vacuum; use of an inert, moisture-free purge gas; and by maintaining the substrate at a sufficiently high temperature to volatilize moisture.

Abstract: The present disclosure pertains to a method of patterning a semiconductor device feature which provides for the easy removal of any residual masking layer which remains after completion of a pattern etching process. The method provides for a multi-layered masking structure which includes a layer of high-temperature organic-based masking material overlaid by either a layer of a high-temperature inorganic masking material which can be patterned to provide an inorganic hard mask, or by a layer of high-temperature imageable organic masking material which can be patterned to provide an organic hard mask. The hard masking material is used to transfer a pattern to the high-temperature organic-based masking material, and then the hard masking material is removed. The high-temperature organic-based masking material is used to transfer the pattern to an underlying semiconductor device feature.

Abstract: A high-powered optical pump includes at least two sub-pumps. Each sub-pump generates light at different wavelengths. The outputs of the sub-pumps are coupled to a remote pump fiber. The resulting light transmitted on the remote pump fiber results in a lower Raman gain and Raman noise spectral peak than that generated by existing single wavelength high-powered optical pumps at the same power level. Therefore, increased power can be transmitted on the remote pump fiber in contrast to a single wavelength pump. Additionally, the total gain spectrum available for the amplification of signals is increased.