Substrate with a Copper-Containing Coating and Method for Its Preparation by Atomic Layer Deposition

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This invention describes a method for producing thin, conformal copper or copper-containing coatings on substrates using atomic layer deposition (ALD) with a fluorine-free copper(I) precursor. The precursor has a specific chemical structure which allows the deposition of smooth, uniform metal layers—even at low temperatures—especially on complicated or three-dimensional surfaces like trenches and vias. The process avoids typical issues like non-uniform film growth and island formation and eliminates contaminating fluorine residues in the final product.

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• Seed or adhesion layers for electroplating copper in the manufacture of advanced microelectronic devices (e.g., ULSI chips, integrated circuits).
• Formation of copper interconnects in multi-layer semiconductor devices.
• Metallization of deep or high aspect-ratio features (through-silicon-vias, trenches, holes) in 3D IC and wafer stacking technologies.
• Production of conductive layers in thin-film solar cells.
• Deposition of smooth, uniform copper films on various substrates including ceramics, metals, nitrides, and oxides used in electronics.
• Fabrication of nanoelectronic and microelectronic components requiring thin, defect-free copper layers.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables highly uniform, ultra-thin copper or copper-oxide coatings down to a few nanometers thick—even on complex geometries.
• Avoids fluorine contamination, improving adhesion, electrical reliability, and device lifetime.
• Allows precise control of film thickness by adjusting the number of ALD cycles.
• Achieves closed, defect-free coatings even at low process temperatures, reducing agglomeration and island formation.
• Facilitates reliable coating of 3D structures and challenging substrate topologies (e.g., deep trenches, vias).
• Permits use of precursors with better storage stability and processing properties (liquid at room temperature, easily volatilized).
• Improves electrical conductivity and film quality for advanced electronic components.
• Compatible with various substrate materials (metals, transition metal nitrides, oxides, semiconductors, polymers).

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a coated substrate having a coating made of copper or a coating comprising copper by means of atomic layer disposition (ALD). To this end, a fluorine-free copper (I) complex of the formula L2Cu (XnX) is used as a copper precursor, wherein L is a s donor/p acceptor or a s,p donor/p acceptor ligand and wherein XnX is a bidentate ligand, namely a ß-diketonate, a ß-ketoiminate, a ß-diiminate, and amidinate, a carboxylate, or a thiocarboxylate. A smooth ALD coating (2) containing copper is obtained on tantalum nitride (3).