AVS 53rd International Symposium
    Electronic Materials and Processing Thursday Sessions
       Session EM-ThP

Paper EM-ThP33
Etch Induced Sidewall Damage Evaluation in Porous Low-k MSQ Films

Thursday, November 16, 2006, 5:30 pm, Room 3rd Floor Lobby

Session: Electronic Materials and Processing Poster Session
Presenter: B. Kong, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea
Authors: N.-E. Lee, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea
B. Kong, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea
T. Choi, Lam Research Corporation
S. Sirard, Lam Research Corporation
D. Kim, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea
Correspondent: Click to Email
As device feature sizes shrink down to 45nm and below, films with lower dielectric constants (k) are needed to reduce the RC delay in copper backend applications. The plasma etch-induced damage (carbon depletion, moisture uptake, silanol formation) of porous low-k methyl silsesquioxane (MSQ, k=2.2) films was investigated. Etch-induced damage was characterized on both blanket and trench patterned MSQ materials. The MSQ materials were etched with CF4 and C4F8-based chemistries under various process conditions. Simple CF4/O2 chemistry minimized the damage of porous MSQ during plasma etching. The addition of Ar or H2 increased the damage. The highest damage levels were observed with simultaneous Ar, H2 and N2 addition. Also, the use of higher powers and/or lower pressures resulted in more etch-induced damage.