GOALI: Interconnect Processing Enhancement by Measurement of Nanoscale Dielectric Constant Degradation and Development of Experimentally Verified Models of Nanoscale Deformation

本研究结合实验和建模活动，通过使用扫描力显微镜来测量不同加工参数对纳米级分辨率Cu-damascene互连结构的介电性能和变形的影响。我们利用静电力显微镜来检测电介质沉积过程中的等离子体处理、电路图案的反应离子蚀刻、氧化等离子体去除光刻胶以及惰性气体等离子体增强附着力所引起的不良介电常数梯度。这将有助于优化等离子体加工参数，以尽量减少或消除制造过程中的介电退化。在纳米尺度变形研究中，采用扫描力显微镜（SFM）以纳米尺度分辨率测量热循环引起的面外变形。与此同时，模拟界面滑动和扩散变形的有限元策略正在开发中，并用于预测互连结构中的变形。这些预测使用我们的SFM方法进行了验证，因此这些模型可以作为可靠的设计工具来预测热加工过程中的变形。这项工作的更广泛的技术影响包括UNH与两家主要半导体制造商IBM和Intel之间的重要合作，将一种新的介质成像技术转移到工业上，并开发了一种实验验证的纳米级变形模型，该模型将对互连工业和其他纳米制造领域（如MEMS和NEMS）有用。更广泛的教育影响包括技术重要领域的研究生教育，在本科工程课程中纳入现实世界的项目，以及通过在跨学科环境中支持女研究生来加强妇女对科学的参与。

This research combines experimental and modeling activities that are integrated by the use of scanning force microscopy to measure the effects of different processing parameters on dielectric properties and deformation in Cu-damascene interconnect structures with nanoscale resolution. We utilize electrostatic force microscopy to detect undesirable dielectric constant gradients that are caused by plasma processing during dielectric deposition, reactive ion etching of the circuit pattern, oxidizing plasma removal of photoresist, and adhesion enhancement with inert gas plasmas. This will help optimize plasma processing parameters to minimize or eliminate dielectric degradation during manufacturing. In our study of nanoscale deformation, scanning force microscopy (SFM) is used to measure the out-of-plane deformation resulting from thermal cycling with nanometer scale resolution. In parallel, finite element strategies to model interfacial sliding and diffusive deformation are being developed and used to predict deformation in interconnect structures. These predictions are validated using our SFM method so the models can be used as reliable design tools to predict deformation during thermal processing. The broader technological impacts of this work include a significant collaboration between UNH and two major semiconductor manufacturers, IBM and Intel, technology transfer of a new dielectric imaging technique to industry and a development of an experimentally verified model of nanoscale deformation that will be useful to the interconnect industry and other nanomanufacturing areas such as MEMS and NEMS. The broader educational impacts include graduate education in a technologically important area, incorporation of a real world project in undergraduate engineering courses, and enhanced participation of women in science by the support of a female graduate student in an interdisciplinary setting.