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Solid state MAS NMR spectroscopic characterization of plasma damage and UV modification of low k dielectric films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Thomas Abell ,
Kristof Houthoofd ,
Francesca Iacopi ,
Piet Grobet  and
Karen Maex
Thomas Abell
Affiliation:
Intel affiliate at IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven, Belgium (thomas.j.abell@intel.com)
Kristof Houthoofd
Affiliation:
Department of Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, KU Leuven, Belgium
Francesca Iacopi
Affiliation:
IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
Piet Grobet
Affiliation:
Department of Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, KU Leuven, Belgium
Karen Maex
Affiliation:
IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven, Belgium Department of Electrical Engineering, KU Leuven, Belgium
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Abstract

29Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR) spectroscopy was employed to characterize short-range atomic structure modifications to low k dielectric films that were subjected to post-deposition plasma exposure or UV curing. Comparison of spectra from single thick depositions of a CVD low k film (k∼3.0) with sequential thin depositions of the same film revealed ∼3% increase in Si-O crosslinking that was attributed to interfacial plasma damage. Comparison of a second CVD low k film (k∼3.0) before and after UV curing revealed ∼11% increase in Si-O crosslinking with commensurate losses of Si-OH and Si-CH3 groups. UV curing was believed to result in bulk modification. This crosslinking was found to increase the Young's modulus of the film from 11 to 16 GPa as measured on 700 nm films by nanoindentation. NMR analysis was found to provide significant information beyond that provided by FTIR but required special sample preparation and extensive data collection.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 863: Symposium B – Materials, Technology and Reliability of Advanced Interconnects , 2005 , B1.8
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2005

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