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Nanoscale Elastic Imaging of Aluminum/Low-k Dielectric Interconnect Structures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2011

G. S. Shekhawat ,
O.V. Kolosov ,
G.A.D. Briggs ,
E. O. Shaffer ,
S. Martin  and
R. E. Geer
G. S. Shekhawat
Affiliation:
Center for Advanced Thin Film Technology, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, 12222
O.V. Kolosov
Affiliation:
Department of Materials, Oxford University, OX1 3PH, UK
G.A.D. Briggs
Affiliation:
Department of Materials, Oxford University, OX1 3PH, UK
E. O. Shaffer
Affiliation:
The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI, 48674
S. Martin
Affiliation:
The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI, 48674
R. E. Geer
Affiliation:
Center for Advanced Thin Film Technology, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, 12222
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Abstract

A new characterization tool based on ultrasonic force microscopy (UFM) has been developed to image the nanometer scale mechanical properties of aluminum/low-k polymer damascence integrated circuit (IC) test structures. Aluminum and polymer regions are differentiated on the basis of elastic modulus with a spatial resolution ≤ 10 nm. This technique reveals a reactive-ion etch (RIE)-induced hardening of the low-k polymer that is manifested in the final IC test structure by a region of increased hardness at the aluminum/polymer interface. The ability to characterize nanometer scale mechanical properties of materials used for IC back-end-of-line (BEOL) manufacture offers new opportunities for metrological reliability evaluation of low-k integration processes.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 612: Symposium D – Materials, Technology & Reliability for Advanced Interconnects.. , 2000 , D10.7.1
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2000

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