GOALI: An Electrochemical Atomic Layer Deposition Process for Scalable Nanomanufacturing of On-chip Copper-based Interconnects

微处理器和存储设备中的先进纳米电子电路利用载流铜互连。在现代设备中，互连宽度通常接近几十纳米。然而，根据摩尔定律，高性能计算中对高互连线堆积密度的需求导致了互连线宽度的相应收缩。到2020年，互连宽度预计将缩小到10纳米以下。推动这种激进的互连尺寸缩小的一个关键障碍是无法获得具有以下属性的互连制造工艺：(I)操纵纳米或以下材料所需的史无前例的原子级控制；以及(Ii)易于扩大规模并与产生可靠、低成本可制造性的大面积衬底集成。这项学术与工业联系机会(GOALI)计划奖将探索一种具有上述属性的纳米级互连制造的新方法。这对于维护摩尔定律和确保美国半导体行业继续保持在先进纳米电子领域的技术领先地位至关重要。这项研究不仅将在纳米电子领域产生广泛影响，还将在许多其他对美国经济和社会至关重要的领域产生广泛影响，如先进能源系统和环境补救。除了在可扩展纳米制造方面取得突破外，这项研究还将为美国工业界追逐的下一代科学家和工程师提供经验工程教育和专业发展。该项目的目标是研究一种新的电化学原子层沉积(e-ALD)工艺，用于铜和铜合金互连的可扩展纳米制造。尽管铜具有巨大的潜力，但最先进的电化学原子层沉积铜还没有达到商业可行性，这主要是因为它的产量低，使用有毒金属，如铅，以及无法制造与纳米电子应用相关的特定铜合金。为了克服这些障碍，一步无铅电化学原子层沉积过程将被研究。通过对电极电位和电解液化学之间相互作用的基本表征，以及通过使用新型的、环境友好的电解液成分，将实现一步沉积铜和铜合金纳米薄膜。该项目将消除用于纳米级铜互连线金属化的电化学原子层沉积技术工业化实施的关键技术障碍。一个由学术和工业科学家组成的跨学科团队将通过交流尖端电化学和先进纳米电子学方面的知识来合作进行研究。

Advanced nanoelectronic circuits in microprocessors and memory devices utilize current-carrying copper interconnects. In modern devices, interconnect widths routinely approach a few tens of nanometers. However, the need for high interconnect packing density in high-performance computing drives a commensurate shrinking in the interconnect width in accordance with Moore's law. By the year 2020, interconnect widths are expected to shrink well below ten nanometers. A critical hurdle in driving such aggressive interconnect size reduction is the unavailability of an interconnect fabrication process with the following attributes: (i) Unprecedented atomic-level control needed to manipulate materials at the nanometer scale or below; and (ii) Ease of scale-up and integration with large-area substrates yielding reliable, low-cost manufacturability. This Grant Opportunity for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) Program award will explore a novel approach towards nano-scale interconnect fabrication with the aforementioned attributes. This is critical for safeguarding Moore's law and for ensuring that the US semiconductor industry continues to maintain technological leadership in advanced nanoelectronics. This research will have broad impacts not just in the field of nanoelectronics, but also in many other areas central to the US economy and society, such as advanced energy systems and environmental remediation. In addition to enabling breakthroughs in scalable nanomanufacturing, this research will provide experiential engineering education and professional development to the next generation of scientists and engineers highly sought after by the US industry.The goal of the project is to study a novel electrochemical atomic layer deposition (e-ALD) process for the scalable nanomanufacturing of copper and copper-alloy interconnects. In spite of its enormous potential, state-of-the-art electrochemical atomic layer deposition of copper has not reached commercial viability primarily due to its low throughput, use of toxic metals, such as lead, and its inability to fabricate specific copper-alloys of relevance to nanoelectronic applications. To overcome these barriers, a 'one-step' lead-free electrochemical atomic layer deposition process will be investigated. Through fundamental characterization of the interplay between the electrode potential and the electrolyte chemistry, and through use of novel, environmentally benign electrolyte components, one-step deposition of copper and copper-alloy nano-films will be achieved. The project will eliminate a key technological roadblock in industrial-scale implementation of electrochemical atomic layer deposition technology for the metallization of nano-scale copper interconnects. An inter-disciplinary team of academic and industrial scientists will collaborate on the research through the exchange of knowledge in cutting-edge electrochemistry and advanced nanoelectronics.