Advanced Interconnects: Materials, Processing, and Reliability

Baklanov, Mikhaı̈l R.; Adelmann, Christoph; Zhao, Larry; Gendt, Stefan De

doi:10.1149/2.0271501jss

Cited by 116 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The GSG waveguide can be considered to be a uniform transmission line. With the sample on the waveguide, it can be modeled as a homogenous dielectric filled waveguide, 26 such that the wave propagation constant (Γ) can be defined as: 32 [1] While in principle, both dielectrics and conductors contribute to the energy loss, the loss tangent of the device-under-test (DUT) is sufficiently large such that the energy loss into the dielectric far exceeds conductor loss. Thus, we attribute all the insertion losses to energy absorption into the dielectric film, and use the attenuation constant as a measure of MW absorption into the film.…”

Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopic Characterization of Thermal Stability of Low-k Dielectric Thin Films for Micro- and Nanoelectronic Applications

Sunday

Montgomery²,

Amoah³

et al. 2017

ECS Trans.

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In this paper, we discuss the use of broadband microwaves (MW) to characterize the thermal stability of organic and hybrid silicon-organic thin films meant for insulation applications in micro-and nanoelectronic devices. We take advantage of MW propagation characteristics to extract and examine the relationships between electrical properties and the chemistry of prototypical low-k materials. The impact of thermal anneal at modest temperatures is examined to shed light on the thermal-induced performance and reliability changes within the dielectric films. These changes are then correlated with the chemical changes in the films, and could provide basis for rational selection of organic dielectrics for integrated devices.Semiconductor manufacturers have been shrinking transistor size in integrated circuits (IC) to improve chip performance and energy efficiency. Consequently, interconnect delay has become a bottle neck for advanced very-large-scale integration (VLSI) systems, and new materials are needed for technology nodes beyond 22 nm to address this problem. 1 The introduction of emerging materials comes with a myriad of reliability issues arising primarily from the thermomechanical properties of the new materials. In contrast with conventional silicon oxides, low-and ultra-low dielectric constant (i.e., low-k and ULK) materials, with tunable dielectric constants, tend to have decreased thermal performance and diminished mechanical properties. [2][3][4] Due to the differences in the thermal, chemical and mechanical properties of these materials, stress can build up within the integrated systems that use these new materials, and may cause mechanical damage. The low-k dielectric materials have different coefficients of thermal expansion from the metals they clad, which leads to the formation of strong local tensile stresses and thermal issues, particularly if the device is thermally cycled in the broad processing temperature range of 25°C to 450°C. With many of the emerging dielectric materials, repeated thermal cycling results in molecular and structural changes, such that the lowest-lying dielectric layer may not have the same properties as the back-end-of line dielectrics of the same composition which have beenThis is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY, http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse of the work in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. * Electrochemical Society Member. z yaw.obeng@nist.gov Author ManuscriptAccepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal National Institute of Standards and Technology • U.S. Department of CommercePublished in final edited form as: ECS J Solid State Sci Technol. 2017 ; 6(9): N155-N162. doi:10.1149/2.0141709jss. NIST Author ManuscriptNIST Author Manuscript NIST Author Manuscript exposed to fewer thermal cycles. These material changes can have significant impact on the performance and reliability of the integrated system because the ...

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Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopic Characterization of Thermal Stability of Low-k Dielectric Thin Films for Micro- and Nanoelectronic Applications

Sunday

Montgomery²,

Amoah³

et al. 2017

ECS Trans.

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“…3 One of the greatest obstacles limiting the industry from further scaling down copper (Cu) interconnects, which is the most widely used interconnect material, is the electromigration (EM) and diffusion of Cu. [4][5][6] Various barrier, liner and capping layers for Cu interconnects have been reported in the effort to stabilize Cu atoms by suppressing their diffusion and migration, including SiN x , SiCN and transition metal nitrides. [7][8][9] However, when it comes to a 22 nm technology node and below, dimensions of interconnects are already less than the mean free path (MFP) of Cu (~40 nm), while Cu metal conductivity decreases exponentially as it shrinks in size below MFP due to surface and grain boundry scattering.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct-Liquid-Evaporation Chemical Vapor Deposition of Nanocrystalline Cobalt Metal for Nanoscale Copper Interconnect Encapsulation

Feng

Gong

Lou

et al. 2017

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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In advanced microelectronics, precise design of liner and capping layers becomes critical, especially when it comes to the fabrication of Cu interconnects with dimensions lower than its mean free path. Herein, we demonstrate that direct-liquid-evaporation chemical vapor deposition (DLE-CVD) of Co is a promising method to make liner and capping layers for nanoscale Cu interconnects. DLE-CVD makes pure, smooth, nanocrystalline and highly conformal Co films with highly controllable growth characteristics. This process allows full Co 2 encapsulation of nanoscale Cu interconnects, thus stabilizing Cu against diffusion and electromigration. Electrical measurements and high-resolution elemental imaging studies show that the DLE-CVD Co encapsulation layer can improve the reliability and thermal stability of Cu interconnects. Also, with the high conductivity of Co, the DLE-CVD Co encapsulation layer can potentially further decrease the power consumption of nanoscale Cu interconnects, paving the way for Cu interconnects with higher efficiency in future high-end microelectronics.

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“…[1,2] In order to reduce the dielectric constant below 2.5 porosity needs to be introduced in the organosilicate films. However, due to the detrimental effect of this approach on the mechanical reliability treatments for improved stability are under investigation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laser anneal of oxycarbosilane low-k film

Redzheb

Armini

Vanstreels

et al. 2016

2016 IEEE International Interconnect Technology Conference / Advanced Metallization Conference (IITC/AMC)

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Abstract-Submilisecondlaser anneal has been experimentally investigated for porogen removal and its ability to improve the mechanical strength in oxycarbosilane ultra low-k films compromised due to the introduction of porosity. We report the occurrence of extensive bond rearrangements inferred from Fourier-transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy, elastic recoil detection (ERD) and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) in the energy range of 1.4-8 eV. The laser anneal affects most notably the organic content of the organosilicate matrix leading to depletion and reorganization. Nevertheless, the tested conditions reveal a processing window which allows for 13% improvement of Young's modulus as compared to the reference film, annealed in a conventional furnace at 400°C for 2 h, while not impacting the relative dielectric constant of 2.25.

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Advanced Interconnects: Materials, Processing, and Reliability

Cited by 116 publications

References 41 publications

Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopic Characterization of Thermal Stability of Low-k Dielectric Thin Films for Micro- and Nanoelectronic Applications

Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopic Characterization of Thermal Stability of Low-k Dielectric Thin Films for Micro- and Nanoelectronic Applications

Direct-Liquid-Evaporation Chemical Vapor Deposition of Nanocrystalline Cobalt Metal for Nanoscale Copper Interconnect Encapsulation

Laser anneal of oxycarbosilane low-k film

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