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Moisture Induced Degradation of Porous Low-k Materials

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Mikhail Baklanov ,
David O'Dwyer ,
Adam M Urbanowicz ,
Quoc Toan Le ,
Steven Demuynck  and
Eun Kee Hong
Mikhail Baklanov
Affiliation:
baklanov@imec.be, IMEC, AMPS, Kapeldreef 75, Leuven, N/A, B-3001, Belgium, +32 16 281 606, +32 16 281 214
David O'Dwyer
Affiliation:
odwyer@imec.be, IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, Leuven, N/A, B-3001, Belgium
Adam M Urbanowicz
Affiliation:
urbano@imec.be, IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, Leuven, N/A, B-3001, Belgium
Quoc Toan Le
Affiliation:
lqt@imec.be, IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, Leuven, N/A, B-3001, Belgium
Steven Demuynck
Affiliation:
demuynck@imec.be, IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, Leuven, N/A, B-3001, Belgium
Eun Kee Hong
Affiliation:
Eun.Kee.Hong@imec.be, Assignee at IMEC from SAMSUNG Electronics, Kapeldreef 75, Leuven, N/A, B-3001, Belgium
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Abstract

Interaction of moisture with porous low-k films is evaluated by using in situ ellipsometry setup. The adsorbed water amount is calculated from change of refractive index measured during the adsorption. Pristine low-k films reversibly adsorb 2 - 5% of water that reflects presence of constitutive hydrophilic centrums. Plasma and thermal treatments increase the number of hydrophilic centrums. Once the amount of these centrums has reached a certain critical value sufficient to form a continuous water film, bulk water condensation is observed. Change of properties during the water adsorption in the damaged films is not fully reversible. Each additional adsorption cycle increases the dielectric function of the film because of decreasing porosity, increasing skeleton density and shrinkage. The pressure corresponding to the bulk condensation allows us to calculate internal contact angle (internal surface energy) of low-k materials. The water molecules adsorbed on separate OH groups play the role of a catalyst that hydrolyses the siloxane bridges initially present on hydrophobic surface.

Keywords

adsorptionporosimetryfilm
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 914: Symposium F – Materials, Technology and Reliability of Low-k Dielectrics and Copper Interconnects , 2006 , 0914-F02-06
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

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