Peter S. McAnally

A planarized multilevel interconnect scheme with embedded low-dielectric-constant polymers for sub-quarter-micron applications

The new embedded polymer structure combines the advantages of SiO/sub 2/ and low dielectric constant of polymeric materials. The interconnect performance is improved through line-to-line capacitance reduction by utilizing polymer only between tightly spaced lines. Double-level-metal interconnect structures have been successfully fabricated using a variety of low-dielectric-constant insulators. The new multilevel interconnect scheme alleviates many of the integration and reliability problems associated with polymers, and can be easily adopted to standard production process.<<ETX>>

Process Integration Of Low-Dielectric-Constant Materials

As device geometries and operating voltage continue to scale while functional density increases, it is imperative to reduce the RC time delay. The replacement of Si0 2 as an intermetal dielectric with an insulator of lower dielectric constant is a particularly attractive solution since it provides immediate performance improvement through reduction in capacitance. An embedded polymer integration scheme improves the interconnect performance through line-to-line capacitance reduction by using polymer only between tightly spaced lines. The gapfill polymeric materials do not degrade the electromigration performance of standard multilayered TiN/Al/TiN interconnects. Embedded polymers alleviate many of the integration and reliability problems associated with polymer integration, and can be easily adopted into a standard production process.

Implementation of low-dielectric-constant materials for ULSI circuit performance improvement

As device geometries and operating voltage continue to decrease while functional density increases, it is imperative to reduce the RC time delay. The new embedded polymer structures improves the interconnect performance through line-to-line capacitance reduction by using polymer only between tightly spaced lines. The gapfill polymeric materials do not degrade the electromigration performance of standard multilayered TiN-Al-TiN interconnects. This scheme alleviates many of the integration and reliability problems associated with polymers, and can be easily adopted into a standard production process.