Ananth Naman

Dry Etch and Wet Clean Process Characterization of Ultra Low-k (ULK) Material Nanoglass®E

NANOGLASS®E (NGE) ultra low-k (ULK) dielectric material, with a k-value of ∼2.2, was integrated for 130 nm Cu/ULK interconnect process technology. This work deals with the characterization of reactive ion etching (RIE) and wet chemical processing of this film. Blanket films were characterized for etch rate, surface roughness, k-value change and chemical compatibility. Trench etching and post etch wet clean processes were developed and optimized enabling process integration for single damascene structures. Trench etch processes were evaluated for two etch schemes viz., etching under - photo resist and etching under hardmask. The details of each scheme will be described and advantages observed will be discussed. To evaluate effect of wet clean processes three different formulations were used. After formation of single damascene wafers, metal comb and serpentine structures were measured for metal continuity and bridging. Electrical continuity was achieved for long serpentine structures with 0.18μm/0.18μm line width/spacing. Based on voltage ramp test results the film was found to be sensitive to certain plasma etch conditions.