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Channel Cracking Technique For Toughness Measurement Of Sioch Low-K Films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Helene Brillet-Rouxel ,
Michel Dupeux ,
Muriel Braccini  and
Stéphane Orain
Helene Brillet-Rouxel
Affiliation:
[email protected], STMicroelectronics, Mechanical & Thermal Simulations, 850 rue Jean Monnet, Crolles, N/A, 38926, France, +33 4 38 92 25 59
Michel Dupeux
Affiliation:
[email protected], LTPCM(CNRS/INPG/UJF), Domaine Universitaire BP75, Grenoble, N/A, 38041, France
Muriel Braccini
Affiliation:
[email protected], LTPCM(CNRS/INPG/UJF), Domaine Universitaire BP75, Grenoble, N/A, 38041, France
Stéphane Orain
Affiliation:
[email protected], PHILIPS semiconductors, 860, rue Jean Monnet, Crolles, N/A, 38926, France
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Abstract

The technique of channel cracking is used to study the crack growth in SiOCH low-k films. Various film thicknesses are produced using consecutive PECVD deposits on silicon substrates in up to the critical thickness for which spontaneous cracks appear. After determining mechanical properties and residual stresses of these films, samples are cleaved, and subjected to four-point bending tests. During the loading in ambient environment, cracks propagate from defects due to cleavage. Propagation of these cracks is observed in situ in order to correlate crack growth velocities to film thickness and total stress in the film. These results allow plotting crack growth rate versus stress intensity factor for crack velocity varying from 10-9 to 10-4 m/s for a stress intensity factor about 0.1 MPa√m. Moreover, in this range of velocities a model is proposed for this material to determine the film stress required to produce channel cracking, for a given film thickness.

Keywords

dielectricfracturemicroelectronics
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 914: Symposium F – Materials, Technology and Reliability of Low-k Dielectrics and Copper Interconnects , 2006 , 0914-F03-05
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

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