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Adhesion Strength Evaluation of Low-k Interconnect StructuresUsing a Nanoscratch Method

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2011

Jiping Ye ,
Kenichi Ueoka ,
Nobuo Kojima ,
Junichi Shimanuki ,
Miyoko Shimada  and
Shinichi Ogawa
Jiping Ye
Affiliation:
Research Department, NISSAN ARC, LTD., 1 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka 237-0061, Japan
Kenichi Ueoka
Affiliation:
Research Department, NISSAN ARC, LTD., 1 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka 237-0061, Japan
Nobuo Kojima
Affiliation:
Research Department, NISSAN ARC, LTD., 1 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka 237-0061, Japan
Junichi Shimanuki
Affiliation:
Research Department, NISSAN ARC, LTD., 1 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka 237-0061, Japan
Miyoko Shimada
Affiliation:
Semiconductor Leading Edge Technologies, Inc., 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba 305-8569, Japan
Shinichi Ogawa
Affiliation:
Semiconductor Leading Edge Technologies, Inc., 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba 305-8569, Japan
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Abstract

A convenient nanoscratch method was combined with atomic force microscope(AFM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations to conduct thefirst-ever evaluation of the adhesion strength of a complicatedmicrostructureCu/Ta/TaN/pSiO2/low-k/SiC/pSiO2/Si-substrate with theaim of correlating the fracture strength with the results of chemicalmechanical polishing (CMP) tests. Concretely, this evaluation focused on thefact that specimens having a low-k layer pretreated with rare-gas plasmaprior to the deposition of the SiO2 layer exhibited lowdelaminated densities in the Cu CMP process. It was found that a specimenwith the rare-gas plasma pretreatment exhibited a higher frictioncoefficient, a higher critical load and brittle adhesive failure resultingfrom delamination at the interface between the low-k and SiC layers. Aspecimen without the rare-gas plasma pretreatment displayed a lower frictioncoefficient, a lower critical load, and ductile cohesive failure in thelow-k layer. Because less plastic deformation was observed in the low-klayer subjected to the rare-gas plasma pretreatment, it is assumed that thepretreatment reinforced the mechanical properties of the low-k layer, makingit more resistant to ductile cohesive failure. These results agreed with theCMP test data and indicated that the nanoscratch method makes it possible topredict the ability of complicated Cu/low-k interconnect structures towithstand the CMP process.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 812: Symposium F – Materials, Technology and Reliability for Advanced Interconnects and Low-k Dielectrics-2004 , 2004 , F5.6
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

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