Shu-Jen Han, Dharmendar Reddy, et al.
ACS Nano
The scaling of BEOL interconnect technology in ULSI circuitry requires the integration of Cu wiring with ultra-low K (ULK) dielectrics. We present the results of a study of the interaction between different-stoichiometry Ta(N)/Cu barrier processes and porous ULK dielectrics (k=2.4) at 32nm groundrules Auger and diffraction analysis of blanket wafers was used to benchmark two different stoichiometries of TaN barrier deposited using commercially-available ionized PVD sources. Comparison TEM and EDX/EELS images indicates that barrier oxidation is occurring in the low nitrogen-content Ta(N) barrier, which is absent at the higher stoichiometry. These differences are further manifested in defect-density analysis of patterned wafers comparing the two processes. These results illustrate the critical importance the TaN barrier properties play in enabling the integration of Cu/ULK interconnects at 32nm at beyond. © 2010 Materials Research Society.
Shu-Jen Han, Dharmendar Reddy, et al.
ACS Nano
Ronald Troutman
Synthetic Metals
T. Schneider, E. Stoll
Physical Review B
G. Will, N. Masciocchi, et al.
Zeitschrift fur Kristallographie - New Crystal Structures