CU ECP planarization by insertion of polymer treatment step between gap fill and bulk fill steps

Abstract

The method generally includes filling features in a substrate by plating metal ions from a gap fill solution onto the substrate, reducing plating activity in the features in a polymer treatment step by conditioning the substrate surface with a conditioning solution, and plating the substrate surface to a desired thickness by plating metal ions from a bulk fill solution onto the substrate surface. The method may also include treating the substrate with a conditioning solution comprising suppressors after a seed layer deposition to substantially eliminate conformal deposition in features of the substrate and plating metal ions from a plating solution onto the substrate.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for plating metal onto a substrate, comprising: 
 substantially filling features in the substrate by plating metal ions from a gap fill solution onto the substrate; and    reducing plating activity in the features prior to completely filling the features and plating a surface of the substrate by conditioning the substrate surface with a conditioning solution.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising plating the substrate with metal ions from a bulk fill solution.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the conditioning solution comprises deionized water.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the conditioning solution comprises suppressors.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the gap fill solution comprises accelerators and suppressors.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reducing plating activity occurs during substrate transfer from a gap fill cell to a bulk fill cell by rinsing the substrate with the conditioning solution.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the substrate is transferred from a gap fill cell to a conditioning cell and then to a bulk fill cell, wherein the bulk fill solution comprises levelers and accelerators.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the bulk fill solution and the conditioning solution are contained in a bulk fill cell.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the reducing plating activity comprises providing a period of no-current for a time sufficient to allow diffusion of the gap fill solution to form the bulk fill solution.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising pre-treatment of the substrate with a solution comprising suppressors to substantially eliminate conformal deposition in the features prior to substantially filling the features.  
     
     
         11 . A method for plating metal onto a substrate, comprising: 
 disposing a substrate in a gap fill solution to substantially fill features in the substrate by plating metal ions onto the substrate;    rinsing the substrate with a conditioning solution to substantially terminate plating activity in the features;    transferring the substrate from the gap fill solution to a bulk fill solution; and then    plating metal ions from the bulk fill solution onto the substrate.    
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the conditioning solution comprises suppressors.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the conditioning solution comprises deionized water.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the gap fill solution comprises accelerators and suppressors.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the bulk fill solution comprises levelers and accelerators.  
     
     
         16 . A method for plating metal onto a substrate, comprising: 
 disposing a substrate in a gap fill cell containing a gap fill solution to substantially fill features in the substrate by plating metal ions from the gap fill solution onto the substrate;    transferring the substrate from the gap fill cell to a conditioning cell containing a conditioning solution to substantially terminate plating activity in the features; and    transferring the substrate from the conditioning cell to a bulk fill cell containing a bulk    fill solution to plate a surface of the substrate to a desired thickness by plating metal ions from the bulk fill solution onto the substrate surface.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the conditioning solution comprises suppressors.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the conditioning solution comprises deionized water.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the gap fill solution comprises accelerators and suppressors.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the bulk fill solution comprises levelers and accelerators.  
     
     
         21 . A method for plating metal onto a substrate, comprising: 
 disposing a substrate in a plating cell containing a gap fill solution to substantially fill features in the substrate by plating metal ions from the gap fill solution onto the substrate;    draining the gap fill solution from the plating cell upon completion of substantially filling the features;    rinsing the substrate with a conditioning solution;    filling the plating cell with a bulk fill solution; and    plating the surface for the substrate to a desired thickness by plating metal ions from the bulk fill solution onto the substrate.    
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the conditioning solution comprises suppressors.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the conditioning solution comprises deionized water.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the gap fill solution comprises accelerators and suppressors.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the bulk fill solution comprises levelers and accelerators.  
     
     
         26 . A method for plating metal onto a substrate, comprising: 
 disposing a substrate in a plating cell containing a plating solution;    applying an electrical current to the plating cell to substantially fill features in the substrate by plating metal ions from the plating solution onto the substrate;    terminating an electrical current supplied to the plating cell for a time sufficient to allow diffusion of the plating solution to a point of equilibrium; and then providing the electrical current to the plating cell to plate the substrate to a desired thickness.    
     
     
         27 . A method for plating metal onto a substrate, comprising: 
 treating the substrate with a conditioning solution comprising suppressors after a seed layer deposition to substantially eliminate conformal deposition in features of the substrate; and    plating metal ions from a plating solution onto the substrate.