Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) processes have been developed to produce prototype barrier coatings for protection from detrimental gases. The strategy used is based on a combination of molecular precursor design and advanced plasma processing and represents a route to an effective, barrier solution. Silicon carbide room temperature deposition processes have been established on several reactor systems. The impact of process-operating factors on the structure and barrier performance has been analyzed and a wide range of tunability has been found. A metrology has been developed to estimate the optical, mechanical, and application-relevant barrier properties. In addition, coatings have been analyzed for subnanometer structural defects by positronium annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS). None of the barriers present evidence of any mesopores or open porosity. Furthermore, the amount of nanostructural defects in layers has been found to depend on both plasma chemistry and power. Based on the PALS results, structural models of different types of barrier layers are proposed. Significant progress in barrier performance has been demonstrated in terms of water vapor transmission rate down in the range of 10−4g∕m2d.
The trimethylsilane (3MS) based low-k a-SiC0:H films can be made using 3MS, He and N 2 0 in typical PECVD equipment. In this study, the structure, composition, and electrical characteristics of these films were evaluated with different process conditions. Rl3S and FTIR were evaluated to understand the composition and structure of films. The films have been characterized as-deposited and after annealing at 4OOOC to see the thermal stability. 3MS low-k a-SiC0:H films showed low bulk film density ( 1.14 -1.34 g/cm3), low-k (2.6 < k < 3.2), low leakage current density (J < lo-'' A/ cm2 at lMV/cm), and relatively high breakdown field (E > 4 MV/cm at lmA/cm2).
Silsesquioxane resins are of particular interest for use as insulator materials in flat panel display applications due to their balance of electrical, optical, and mechanical properties. In this study, a series of HSQ and MSQ resins were synthesized and characterized in terms of their structures and thin film properties. These resin systems yielded high quality thin films with high modulus, good adhesion to silicon and glass substrates, high optical transparency (>98 % @ 300 − 800 nm), good planarization properties, excellent gap fill capability, good thermal and chemical stability to various photoresist and ITO etch chemicals necessary for the fabrication of flat panel displays.
MS 3702, Dallas, Texas 75265, (972) 995-5261Copper has been integrated with ultra-low dielectric constant (k) xerogel in a damascene architecture for the first time. For high performance microelectronics, the lowest delay interconnect system will require both a low resistivity conductor and a low-k dielectric. Copper, with a bulk resistivity of 1.7 pohm-cm, and xerogel, with a tunable dielectric constant of 1.3-3.0, provide the near ultimate in materials properties.Porous silica xerogel has several characteristics that make it an attractive interlayer dielectric (ILD). Because it is composed of a highly porous network of S O z , xerogel has high thermal stability and a low thermal expansion coefficient [1,2]. It can be produced with a wide range of dielectric constants by tuning the porosity in the deposition process, Figure 1. The porosity also controls the mechanical properties of the xerogel, and thus, can be optimized for damascene processing. Xerogel with a
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