{"schema_version":"1.0","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-11532548","patent":{"patent_number":"US-11532548","title":"Nitrogen plasma treatment for improving interface between etch stop layer and copper interconnect","assignee":null,"inventors":[],"filing_date":"2020-10-14T00:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2022-12-20T00:00:00.000Z","cpc_codes":["H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L"],"num_claims":20,"abstract":"Interconnect structures exhibiting reduced accumulation of copper vacancies along interfaces between contact etch stop layers (CESLs) and interconnects, along with methods for fabrication, are disclosed herein. A method includes forming a copper interconnect in a dielectric layer and depositing a metal nitride CESL over the copper interconnect and the dielectric layer. An interface between the metal nitride CESL and the copper interconnect has a first surface nitrogen concentration, a first nitrogen concentration and/or a first number of nitrogen-nitrogen bonds. A nitrogen plasma treatment is performed to modify the interface between the metal nitride CESL and the copper interconnect. The nitrogen plasma treatment increases the first surface nitrogen concentration to a second surface nitrogen concentration, the first nitrogen concentration to a second nitrogen concentration, and/or the first number of nitrogen-nitrogen bonds to a second number of nitrogen-nitrogen bonds, each of which minimizes accumulation of copper vacancies at the interface."},"analysis":{"summary":null,"layman_explanation":null,"technical_analysis":null,"business_analysis":null,"faqs":null,"topics":[],"tech_cluster":null},"seo":{"title":"Nitrogen plasma treatment for improving interface between etch stop layer and copper interconnect","description":"Interconnect structures exhibiting reduced accumulation of copper vacancies along interfaces between contact etch stop layers (CESLs) and interconnects, along with methods for fabrication, are disclos","keywords":[]},"attribution":{"source":"Patentable","source_url":"https://patentable.app","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-11532548","license":"CC-BY-4.0-like","license_terms":"AI-generated analysis on this page (summary, layman_explanation, technical_analysis, business_analysis, faqs) may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL above. Patent abstracts, claims, and bibliographic data are USPTO public domain.","required_link":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-11532548","citation_suggestion":"Patentable. \"Nitrogen plasma treatment for improving interface between etch stop layer and copper interconnect\" (US-11532548). https://patentable.app/patents/US-11532548","copyright_holder":"Nomic Interactive Technology LLC"},"links":{"html":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-11532548","json":"https://patentable.app/api/llm-context/US-11532548","site":"https://patentable.app","llms_txt":"https://patentable.app/llms.txt"},"generated_at":"2026-05-31T01:13:08.918Z"}