Aqueous cleaner for the removal of post-etch residues

Abstract

Cleaning compositions and processes for cleaning post-plasma etch residue from a microelectronic device having said residue thereon. The composition achieves highly efficacious cleaning of the residue material, including titanium-containing, copper-containing, tungsten-containing, and/or cobalt-containing post-etch residue from the microelectronic device while simultaneously not damaging the interlevel dielectric, metal interconnect material, and/or capping layers also present thereon.

1 . An aqueous cleaning composition, comprising at least one corrosion inhibitor, water, optionally at least one chelating agent, optionally at least one etchant, optionally at least one passivating agent, and optionally at least one complexing agent, wherein said aqueous cleaning composition is suitable for cleaning post-plasma etch residue from a microelectronic device having said residue thereon. 
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The cleaning composition of  claim 1 , comprising the at least one etchant. 
     
     
         4 . The cleaning composition of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one etchant comprises a fluoride species selected from the group consisting of hydrofluoric acid, fluoroboric acid, tetramethylammonium hexafluorophosphate, ammonium fluoride salts, ammonium bifluoride salts, tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate, tetramethylammonium tetrafluoroborate, tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate, tetrapropylammonium tetrafluoroborate, tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate, propylene glycol/HF, propylene glycol/tetraalkylammonium fluoride, propylene glycol/benzyltrimethylammonium fluoride, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The cleaning composition of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one etchant comprises a fluoride selected from the group consisting of ammonium bifluoride, tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The cleaning composition of  claim 1 , comprising the at least one passivating agent, wherein the at least one passivating agent comprises a species selected from the group consisting of boric acid, 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid, malonic acid, iminodiacetic acid, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The cleaning composition of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one etchant comprises a quaternary phosphonium tetrafluoroborate having the formula PR 4 BF 4 , wherein R may be the same as or different from one another and is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, straight-chained C 1 -C 6  alkyl, branched C 1 -C 6  alkyl, or cyclic C 1 -C 6  alkyl, straight-chained C 6 -C 10  aryl, and branched C 6 -C 10  aryl. 
     
     
         8 . The cleaning composition of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one passivating agent comprises boric acid. 
     
     
         9 . The cleaning composition of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one metal corrosion inhibitor comprises a species selected from the group consisting of benzotriazole (BTA), 1,2,4-triazole (TAZ), 5-aminotetrazole (ATA), 1-hydroxybenzotriazole, 5-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-thiol, 3-amino-1H-1,2,4 triazole, 3,5-diamino-1,2,4-triazole, tolyltriazole, 5-phenyl-benzotriazole, 5-nitro-benzotriazole, 3-amino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole, 1-amino-1,2,4-triazole, 2-(5-amino-pentyl)-benzotriazole, 1-amino-1,2,3-triazole, 1-amino-5-methyl-1,2,3-triazole, 3-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole, 3-isopropyl-1,2,4-triazole, 5-phenylthiol-benzotriazole, halo-benzotriazoles (halo=F, Cl, Br, I), naphthotriazole, 1H-tetrazole-5-acetic acid, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (2-MBT), 1-phenyl-2-tetrazoline-5-thione, 2-mercaptobenzimidazole (2-MBI), 4-methyl-2-phenylimidazole, 2-mercaptothiazoline, 2,4-diamino-6-methyl-1,3,5-triazine, thiazole, imidazole, benzimidazole, triazine, methyltetrazole, Bismuthiol I, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, 1,5-pentamethylenetetrazole, 1-phenyl-5-mercaptotetrazole, diaminomethyltriazine, imidazoline thione, 4-methyl-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol, 5-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-thiol, benzothiazole, tritolyl phosphate, indazole, adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine, phosphate inhibitors, amines, pyrazoles, propanethiol, silanes, secondary amines, benzohydroxamic acids, heterocyclic nitrogen inhibitors, citric acid, ascorbic acid, thiourea, 1,1,3,3-tetramethylurea, urea, urea derivatives, uric acid, potassium ethylxanthate, glycine, dodecylphosphonic acid, iminodiacetic acid, acid, boric acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid, sulfolane, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine, quinoxaline, acetyl pyrrole, pyridazine, histadine, pyrazine, glutathione (reduced), cysteine, cystine, thiophene, mercapto pyridine N-oxide, thiamine HCl, tetraethyl thiuram disulfide, 2,5-dimercapto-1,3-thiadiazoleascorbic acid, ascorbic acid, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The cleaning composition of  claim 1 , comprising the at least one complexing agent, wherein the at least one complexing agent comprises a species selected from the group consisting of butylenediaminetetraacetic acid, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), ethylenediaminetetrapropionic acid, (hydroxyethyl)ethylenediaminetriacetic acid (HEDTA), N,N,N′,N′-ethylenediaminetetra(methylenephosphonic) acid (EDTMP), triethylenetetraminehexaacetic acid (TTHA), 1,3-diamino-2-hydroxypropane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid (DHPTA), methyliminodiacetic acid, propylenediaminetetraacetic acid, 1,5,9-triazacyclododecane-N,N′,N″-tris(methylenephosphonic acid) (DOTRP), 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N′,N″,N′″-tetrakis(methylenephosphonic acid) (DOTP), nitrilotris(methylene)triphosphonic acid, diethylenetriaminepenta(methylenephosphonic acid) (DETAP), aminotri(methylenephosphonic acid), 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP), bis(hexamethylene)triamine phosphonic acid, 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-N,N′,N″-tris(methylenephosphonic acid (NOTP), 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid, tartaric acid, gluconic acid, saccharic acid, glyceric acid, phthalic acid, maleic acid, mandelic acid, lactic acid, dihydroxybenzoic acid, catechol, gallic acid, propyl gallate, pyrogallol, cysteine, dihydroxysalicylic acid, glyphosphate, N-(Phosphonomethyl)-iminodiacetic acid, formic acid, propanoic acid, butanoic acid, N-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-iminodiacetic acid, pyridine-2,5-dicarboxylic acid, pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid, 7-Iodo-8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonic acid, 2-amino-2-propylphosphonic acid, 1,2-dihydroxybenzene-4-sulfonic acid, 4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-benzene disulfonic acid (Tiron), solochrome violet R, 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid, chromotropic acid, nitroacetic acid, oxydiacetic acid, thiodiacetic acid, 8-hydroxy-7-(arylazo)-quinoline-5-sulfonic acid, 2-oxobutanoic acid, acetoacetic acid, phenylserine, squaric acid, acetohydroxamic acid, 3-hydroxy-5,7-disulfo-2-naphthoic acid, 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene-6-sulfonic acid, sulfoxine, oxine, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-(1,1-benzopyran)-3,5,7-triol, 3-hydroxy-7-sulfo-2-naphthoic acid, 1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene-4-sulfonic acid, N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)glycine, N-(phosphonomethyl)-iminodiacetic acid, iminobis(methylenephosphonic acid), 1-oxopropane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid, propane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid, N,N′,N″-tris[2-(N-hydroxycarbamoyl)ethyl]-1,3,5-benzenetricarboxamide (BAMTPH), desferriferrioxamine-B, 1,7-dihydroxy-4-sulfo-2-naphthanoic acid, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, pyridoxal-5-(dihydrogenphosphate), pyridoxal, amino(phenyl)methylene-diphosphoric acid, ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA), ethylenebis(imino-(2-hydroxyphenyl)methylene(methyl)-phosphonic acid)), N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-ethylenedinitrilo-N,N′,N′-triacetic acid, trimethylenedinitrilotetracetic acid, (2-dihydroxytrimethylene)-dinitrilotetracetic acid, xylenol orange, methylthymol blue, 3-hydroxyglutamic acid, L-phosphoserine, DL-amino-3-phosphopropanoic acid, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The cleaning composition of  claim 1 , wherein the amount of water is in a range from about 50 wt % to about 99 wt %, based on the total weight of the composition. 
     
     
         12 . The cleaning composition of  claim 1 , wherein the pH is in a range from about 0 to about 7. 
     
     
         13 . The cleaning composition of  claim 1 , wherein
 the composition is substantially devoid of abrasive material, oxidizing agents, ammonia, strong bases, and amidoxime complexing agents.   
     
     
         14 . The cleaning composition of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one organic solvent. 
     
     
         15 . The cleaning composition of  claim 1 , further comprising a source of silica. 
     
     
         16 . The cleaning composition of  claim 1 , wherein said composition further comprises post-plasma etch residue selected from the group consisting of titanium-containing residue, polymeric-residue, copper-containing residue, tungsten-containing residue, cobalt-containing residue, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A method of removing material from a microelectronic device having said material thereon, said method comprising contacting the microelectronic device with an aqueous cleaning composition for sufficient time to at least partially remove said material from the microelectronic device, wherein the aqueous cleaning composition includes at least one corrosion inhibitor, water, optionally at least one chelating agent, optionally at least one etchant, optionally at least one passivating agent, and optionally at least one complexing agent. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the material comprises post-plasma etch residue comprising residue selected from the group consisting of titanium-containing compounds, polymeric compounds, copper-containing compounds, tungsten-containing compounds, cobalt-containing compounds, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said contacting comprises conditions selected from the group consisting of: time of from about 1 minute to about 30 minutes; temperature in a range of from about 40° C. to about 70° C.; and combinations thereof.