Abstract
To reduce the RC (resistance–capacitance) time delay of interconnects, a key development of the past 20 years has been the introduction of porous low-k dielectrics to replace the traditional use of SiO2. Moreover, in keeping pace with concomitant reduction in technology nodes, these low-k materials have reached thicknesses below 100 nm wherein the porosity becomes a significant fraction of the film volume. The large degree of porosity not only reduces mechanical strength of the dielectric layer but also renders a need for non-destructive approaches to measure the mechanical properties of such ultra-thin films within device configurations. In this study, surface Brillouin scattering (SBS) is utilized to determine the elastic constants, Poisson’s ratio, and Young’s modulus of these porous low-k SiOC:H films (∼ 25–250 nm thick) grown on Si substrates by probing surface acoustic phonons and their dispersions.
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Zizka, J., King, S., Every, A. et al. Acoustic Phonons and Mechanical Properties of Ultra-Thin Porous Low-k Films: A Surface Brillouin Scattering Study. J. Electron. Mater. 47, 3942–3950 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-018-6276-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-018-6276-8