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Application of Nanoindentation to Characterize Fracture in ILD Films Used in the BEOL.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Eva E. Simonyi ,
E. Liniger ,
M. Lane ,
Q. Lin ,
C. D. Dimitrakopoulos  and
C. Tyberg
Eva E. Simonyi
Affiliation:
IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, 1101 Kitchawan Rd., Yorktown Heights, NY 10463, U.S.A.
E. Liniger
Affiliation:
IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, 1101 Kitchawan Rd., Yorktown Heights, NY 10463, U.S.A.
M. Lane
Affiliation:
IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, 1101 Kitchawan Rd., Yorktown Heights, NY 10463, U.S.A.
Q. Lin
Affiliation:
IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, 1101 Kitchawan Rd., Yorktown Heights, NY 10463, U.S.A.
C. D. Dimitrakopoulos
Affiliation:
IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, 1101 Kitchawan Rd., Yorktown Heights, NY 10463, U.S.A.
C. Tyberg
Affiliation:
IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, 1101 Kitchawan Rd., Yorktown Heights, NY 10463, U.S.A.
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Abstract

It is of importance to understand cracking behavior in low dielectric constant, low modulus materials. Nanoindentation method is presented as a tool to estimate the critical film thickness, thickness above which spontaneous cracking could occur, for ILD films used in the BEOL. The critical film thickness was then used to calculate cohesive energies and fracture toughness of the films. Materials were investigated using nanoindentation combined with AFM imaging. The results were compared to data acquired by four point bend methods.

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References

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