Chemical Bonding in Low-k Dielectric Materials for Interconnect Isolation: Characterization using XAS and EELS

Journal Article · Tue Feb 07 00:00:00 EST 2006 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2173540· OSTI ID:20798169

Schmeisser, D; Hoffmann, P ^[1]; Zheng, F; Himpsel, F ^[2]; Stegmann, H ^[3]; Zschech, E ^[4]

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1. Angewandte Physik -- Sensorik, BTU Cottbus, Konrad-Wachsmann-Allee17, 03046 Cottbus (Germany)
2. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Physics, B408 Sterling Hall, 1150 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706-1390 (United States)
3. Carl Zeiss NTS GmbH, Carl-Zeiss-Str. 56, 73447 Oberkochen (Germany)
4. AMD Saxony LLC and Co KG, Wilschdorfer Landstr. 101, 01109 Dresden (Germany)

In chemical vapor deposited (CVD) organosilicate glasses (OSG), which are used as interlayer dielectric (ILD) materials, the substitution of oxygen in SiO2 by methyl groups (-CH3) reduces the permittivity significantly. However, plasma processing for resist stripping, trench etching and post-etch cleaning removes C and H containing molecular groups from the near-surface layer of OSG. Therefore, compositional analysis and chemical bonding characterization of structured ILD films with nanometer resolution is necessary for process optimization. OSG thin films as-deposited and after plasma treatment are studied using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). In both techniques, the fine structure near the C-K absorption or energy loss edge, respectively, allows to differentiate between C-H, C-C, and C-O bonds, and consequently, between individual low-k materials and their modifications. Examination of the C-K near-edge structures reveal a modified bonding of the remaining C atoms in the plasma-treated sample regions.

• OSTI ID: 20798169
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 817, Issue 1; Conference: 8. international workshop on stress-induced phenomena in metallization, Dresden (Germany), 12-14 Sep 2005; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2173540; (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY
ATOMS
CHEMICAL BONDS
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
ELECTRONS
ETCHING
FINE STRUCTURE
GLASS
K ABSORPTION
LAYERS
OPTIMIZATION
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PERMITTIVITY
PLASMA
PROCESSING
THIN FILMS
X-RAY SPECTRA
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY