A novel high pressure low temperature aluminum plug technology for sub-0.5 /spl mu/m contact/via geometries

Several recent papers have demonstrated aluminum reflow for contact/via filling in 0.5 /spl mu/m applications. However, aluminum reflow processes have not been widely accepted due to the higher deposition temperatures required and the difficulty in globally filling the high aspect ratio contacts and vias of ULSI circuits. Global filling is of particular concern for sub-0.5 /spl mu/m applications, since a viable aluminum reflow technology must be capable of achieving equivalent or better yield and reliability as compared to conventional tungsten plug technology. Yield and reliability results presented in this paper demonstrate that enhanced aluminum fill at temperatures less than 450/spl deg/C is indeed a viable process for sub-0.5 /spl mu/m applications.<>