Mechanical Properties and Porosity of Organo-Silicate Glass (OSG) Low-k Dielectric Films

Vella, Joseph; Edwards, N. V.; Kulik, J.; Junker, K.

doi:10.1557/proc-695-l6.25.1

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(10 reference statements)

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“…Comparison to other literature values for hardness of CVD organosilicon-type films shows that the high-power V 3 D 3 sample compares favorably in terms of hardness ͑1.3 GPa͒ vs. dielectric constant (3.0 Ϯ 0.1). Vella et al 31,32 reports hardness values for CVD OSG films in the range of 1.2-2.0 GPa, while Grill et al 27 report a dense OSG hardness of approximately 1.7 GPa for a dielectric constant of 2.8. Lu et al 30 describe an OSG system with a hardness of 2.4 GPa for a dielectric constant of 2.7.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[24][25][26][27][28][29] Some mechanical property data exists for these systems as well. 27,[30][31][32] From a semiconductor processing standpoint, it is convenient to envision using an all-CVD process vs. a spin-on process to fabricate a porous thin film, due to the numerous advantages CVD processing allows, including seamless compatibility with existing toolsets, lower environmental impact, and less solvent/ material waste. 33 However, the PECVD matrix-porogen route has proved to be a difficult one.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Organosilicon Thin Films Deposited from Cyclic and Acyclic Precursors Using Water as an Oxidant

Burkey

Gleason

2004

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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Pulsed-plasma chemical vapor deposition was used to deposit thin films from four different organosilicon precursors using water as the oxidant. The precursors varied in structure, chemical composition, and type of organic substituent. Differences in film structure were observed based on precursor structure and type of organic substituents. More reactive substituents, such as vinyl groups, facilitated cross-linking. At low power (200 W), film structure was dictated by precursor identity. At high power (400 W) film structure became more uniform and precursor identity was less important. Mechanical and thermal properties correlated with plasma power and could be explained by the continuous random network theory and percolation of rigidity arguments. Low-power samples are relatively soft, with hardness values between 0.13 and 0.54 GPa. High-power samples are more extensively cross-linked and oxidized, resulting in enhanced mechanical properties, and had hardness values between 0.68 and 3.2 GPa, depending upon precursor identity. Thermal stability was strongly correlated to the degree of cross-linking, with non-cross-linked films showing up to 30% thickness loss upon annealing. Cross-linked films exhibited less than 8% thickness loss. Dielectric constants for the films ranged between 2.4 and 4.3 and were primarily dependent upon the extent of oxidation and organic content remaining in the films. © 2004 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Organosilicon Thin Films Deposited from Cyclic and Acyclic Precursors Using Water as an Oxidant

Burkey

Gleason

2004

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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“…Spectroscopic ellipsometry performed on these films showed a substantial difference in refractive index, which given chemical similarity, suggest difference in relative electron density or porosity (Fig. 1b) [19,20]. While exploring the process space of this new tool, including reaction temperature, partial pressures of inert and reactant gases, films of varying mechanical properties were generated.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since fracture toughness strongly depends on the flaw size, preliminary measurements of low-k relative electron density/ porosity with spectroscopic ellipsometry have been made [20], but at this point more thorough theoretical analysis is required to accurately assess thin film fracture toughness using the nanoindentation technique in order to correlate the two types of measurements.…”

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Nanoindentation of Silicate Low-K Dielectric Thin Films

et al. 2002

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The capabilities of nanoindentation to characterize low-k organo silicate glass (OSG) thin films is explored as a relatively rapid and inexpensive metric of mechanical properties, adhesion strength, and fracture toughness. One method of decreasing the static dielectric constant of OSG interlayer dielectrics requires the introduction of porosity in the material which has a dramatic impact on its mechanical and toughness properties. Percolation theory is used to formulate a correlation between porosity and elastic modulus. Using cube corner diamond indentation and scratch testing fracture toughness calculations are also discussed.

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“…Despite such a large difference in mechanical properties, the films appeared virtually identical when compared by XPS and also by TEM cross-section. 31 Accordingly, spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) was performed to see if any difference that could explain between the two sets of films could be observed that would explain the unusual differences in mechanical properties. We have argued that ellipsometry is sensitive to electron density and thus to local structural arrangement; therefore, differences in crystal structure, interface and surface properties, stoichiometry and relative porosity, if present, should manifest themselves in the optical data.…”

Section: Critical Issues For Low-k Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Status and Prospects For VUV Ellipsometry (Applied to High K and Low K Materials)

Edwards

2003

AIP Conference Proceedings

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The recent commercialization of Vacuum Ultraviolet spectroscopic ellipsometry (VUV SE) instruments means that it is now possible to routinely perform SE measurements at wavelengths below 190 nm. This new capability has obvious implications for lithographic work but also for the characterization of other materials of importance to the Si industry. These are materials that are nominally transparent at long wavelengths but that possess unique absorption signatures in the VUV, such as newly emerging high-k gate materials (e.g. Al 2 O 3 , HfO 2 , ZrO 2 , Y 2 O 3 ) and low k materials (porous SiO 2 , organo-silicate glasses), as well as more familiar dielectrics (e.g. SiO x N y , Si 3 N 4 , SiOF, and TEOS). We provide a review of recent progress and a critical assessment of the capabilities of VUV SE with respect to a selected examples of these materials, with special emphasis on low k and high k materials. These capabilities include increased access to unique VUV spectral features as a means of tuning process parameters and increased ability to determine the thickness of thin films grown on Si. We also address the initial challenges that had to be overcome in order to develop optical constants at short wavelengths and to enable this sort of materials characterization.

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Mechanical Properties and Porosity of Organo-Silicate Glass (OSG) Low-k Dielectric Films

Cited by 6 publications

References 12 publications

Organosilicon Thin Films Deposited from Cyclic and Acyclic Precursors Using Water as an Oxidant

Organosilicon Thin Films Deposited from Cyclic and Acyclic Precursors Using Water as an Oxidant

Nanoindentation of Silicate Low-K Dielectric Thin Films

Status and Prospects For VUV Ellipsometry (Applied to High K and Low K Materials)

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