| abstract |
A low-stress contact via structure for a device employing an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers over a substrate can be formed by forming a trench extending to the substrate through the alternating stack. After formation of an insulating spacer and a diffusion barrier layer, a remaining volume of the trench can be filled with a combination of an aluminum portion and a non-metallic material portion to form a contact via structure. The non-metallic material portion can include a semiconductor material portion or a dielectric material portion, and can prevent reflow of the aluminum portion and generation of a cavity in subsequent thermal processes. If a semiconductor material portion is employed, the aluminum portion and the semiconductor material portion can exchange places during a metal induced crystallization anneal process of the semiconductor material. |