초록 ▼

A typical integrated-circuit fabrication requires interconnecting millions of microscopic transistors and resistors with aluminum wires. Making the aluminum wires flush, or coplanar, with underlying insulation requires digging trenches in the insulation, and then filling the trenches with aluminum t

A typical integrated-circuit fabrication requires interconnecting millions of microscopic transistors and resistors with aluminum wires. Making the aluminum wires flush, or coplanar, with underlying insulation requires digging trenches in the insulation, and then filling the trenches with aluminum to form the aluminum wires. Trench digging is time consuming and costly. Moreover, aluminum has higher electrical resistance than other metals, such as gold. Accordingly, the invention provides a new "self-trenching" or "self-planarizing" method of making coplanar gold wires. Specifically, one embodiment forms a first layer that includes silicon and germanium; oxidizes a region of the first layer to define an oxidized region and a non-oxidized region; and reacts gold with the non-oxidized region. The reaction substitutes, or replaces, the non-oxidized region with gold to form gold wires coplanar with the first layer. Another step removes germanium oxide from the oxidized region to form a porous insulation having a very low dielectric constant, thereby reducing capacitance. Thus, the present invention not only eliminates the timing-consuming, trench-digging step of conventional methods, but also reduces resistance and capacitance which, in turn, enable faster, more-efficient integrated circuits.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A self-planarizing method of making a gold structure, the method comprising:forming a first layer including silicon and germanium;oxidizing a region of the first layer to define an oxidized region and a non-oxidized region; andsubstituting gold for at least a portion of t

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A self-planarizing method of making a gold structure, the method comprising:forming a first layer including silicon and germanium;oxidizing a region of the first layer to define an oxidized region and a non-oxidized region; andsubstituting gold for at least a portion of the non-oxidized region to form the gold structure.