Verfahren zur Herstellung einer Kupferleitung mit erhöhter Widerstandsfähigkeit gegen Elektromigration in einem Halbleiterelement

A copper line that is formed in a patterned dielectric layer has a copper/silicon film formed on a surface thereof to substantially suppress an electromigration path through this surface. In an in situ process, the exposed copper surface is first cleaned by a reactive plasma ambient including nitrogen and ammonia and after a certain clean period, a gaseous compound comprising silicon, for example silane, is added to the reactive plasma ambient to form the copper/silicon film. Additionally, a capping layer may be deposited, wherein due to the copper/silicon film, any deposition technique or even spin-coating may be used.