Enhancement of the film growth rate by promoting iodine adsorption in the catalyst-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of Cu

Abstract

The effect of H2 plasma pretreatment on the growth rate of films in the catalyst-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of Cu is presented. Cu(I) hexafluoroacetylacetonate-vinyltrimethylsilane [Cu(I)(hfac)(vtms)] and ethyl iodide (C2H5I) were used as a Cu precursor and a chemical source of iodine, respectively. Before adsorbing iodine onto the sputtered Cu seed layer, a pretreatment with H2 plasma promoted the adsorption of iodine. In addition, the Cu film growth rate was almost linearly enhanced with the surface concentration of the iodine adatom. The increment of the surface concentration of the iodine adatom was confirmed by secondary ion mass spectroscopy analysis. The iodine adatoms were not buried during the Cu deposition, but most of them continuously floated out to the film surface. Thus, the iodine on the surface of the Cu seed layer retained its catalytic effect until the film deposition finished. As a result, the H2 plasma pretreatment performed on the Cu seed layer prior to adsorbing iodine enhances the Cu film growth rate and improves the film qualities, such as electrical resistivity and surface smoothness, by promoting iodine adsorption.