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

本研究将实验和模拟活动结合起来，利用扫描力显微镜测量不同工艺参数对纳米级铜-大马士革互连结构介电性能和变形的影响。我们利用静电力显微镜来检测介质沉积过程中的等离子体处理、电路图形的反应离子刻蚀、氧化等离子体去除光刻胶以及与惰性气体等离子体的粘附性增强所引起的不良介电常数梯度。这将有助于优化等离子体工艺参数，以最大限度地减少或消除制造过程中的介质退化。在我们对纳米尺度变形的研究中，扫描力显微镜(SFM)被用来测量热循环引起的面外变形，具有纳米级的分辨率。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之间的重大合作，一种新的介电成像技术的技术转让给行业，以及开发一种经过实验验证的纳米级变形模型，该模型将对互连行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一个重要技术领域的研究生教育，将一个现实世界的项目纳入本科工程课程，以及在跨学科背景下通过一名女研究生的支持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.