Surface Reactions in Microelectronics Process Technology

Current integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing consists of more than 800 process steps, nearly all of which involve reactions at surfaces that significantly impact device yield and performance. From initial surface preparation through film deposition, patterning, etching, residue removal, and metallization, an understanding of surface reactions and interactions is critical to the successful continuous scaling, yield, and reliability of electronic devices. In this review, some of the most important surface reactions that drive the development of microelectronic device fabrication are described. The reactions discussed do not constitute comprehensive coverage of this topic in IC manufacture but have been selected to demonstrate the importance of surface/interface reactions and interactions in the development of new materials, processing sequences, and process integration challenges. Specifically, the review focuses on surface reactions related to surface cleaning/preparation, semiconductor film growth, dielectric film growth, metallization, and etching (dry and wet).