Method of fabrication of aluminum contacts through a thick insulating layer in an integrated circuit

Claim 1

A method of fabrication of an interconnection layer in an integrated circuit, comprising the steps which consist in depositing a relatively thick insulating layer on a substrate which incorporates integrated circuit elements already formed, etching a narrow contact opening in said layer, depositing by vacuum evaporation and etching an interconnection metal, wherein said method comprises, after etching of the narrow contact openings and prior to deposition by evaporation of the interconnection metal: deposition by chemical decomposition in gas phase of a conductive material having a high covering power both on vertical substrate surfaces and on horizontal substrate surfaces, the deposition being performed to a sufficient depth to ensure that the entire volume of the narrow contact opening is filled with conductive material and to ensure that the thickness of said material opposite to said opening is distinctly greater than the thickness above the insulating layer; etching of said material by vertical anisotropic etching to a uniform depth corresponding substantially to the thickness deposited over the entire surface of the insulating layer so as to remove the conductive material outside the opening while removing only a small proportion of said material within said opening.

Claim 2

A method of fabrication of an interconnection layer in an integrated circuit, comprising the steps which consist in depositing a relatively thick insulating layer on a substrate which incorporates integrated circuit elements already formed, etching a narrow contact opening in said layer, depositing by vacuum evaporation and etching an interconnection metal, wherein said method comprises, after etching of the narrow contact openings and prior to deposition by evaporation of the interconnection metal: deposition by chemical decomposition in gas phase of a conductive material having a high covering power both on vertical substrate surfaces and on horizontal substrate surfaces, the deposition being performed to a sufficient depth to ensure that the entire volume of the narrow contact opening is filled with conductive material and to ensure that the thickness of said material opposite to said opening is distinctly greater than the thickness above the insulating layer; etching of said material by vertical anisotropic etching to a uniform depth corresponding substantially to the thickness deposited over the entire surface of the insulating layer so as to remove the conductive material outside the opening while removing only a small proportion of said material within said opening.