Vimal Kamineni

Optical properties of large-area polycrystalline chemical vapor deposited graphene by spectroscopic ellipsometry

Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to characterize the complex refractive index of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene grown on copper foils and transferred to glass substrates. Two ellipsometers, with respective wavelength ranges extending into the ultraviolet and infrared (IR), have been used to characterize the CVD graphene optical functions. The optical absorption follows the same relation to the fine structure constant previously observed in the IR region, and displays the exciton-dominated absorption peak at ∼4.5 eV. The optical functions of CVD graphene show some differences when compared to published values for exfoliated graphene.

Optical metrology of Ni and NiSi thin films used in the self-aligned silicidation process

The thickness-dependent optical properties of nickel metal and nickel monosilicide (NiSi) thin films, used for self-aligned silicidation process, were characterized using spectroscopic ellipsometry. The thickness-dependent complex dielectric function of nickel metal films is shown to be correlated with the change in Drude free electron relaxation time. The change in relaxation time can be traced to the change in grain boundary (GB) reflection coefficient and grain size. A resistivity based model was used as the complementary method to the thickness-dependent optical model to trace the change in GB reflection coefficient and grain size. After silicidation, the complex dielectric function of NiSi films exhibit non-Drude behavior due to superimposition of interband absorptions arising at lower frequencies. The Optical models of the complete film stack were refined using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattered spectroscopy, and x-ray reflectivity (XRR).

Thickness Measurement of Thin‐metal Films by Optical Metrology

Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and resistivity measurements were used to characterize Nickel‐metal films used for self‐aligned silicidation process. Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometer (VASE) in the VUV range of wavelengths was used to measure the thickness and optical properties of Nickel films. The thickness‐dependent optical properties of thin‐metal films are shown to be correlated to the change in electron relaxation time and resistivity. The change in electron relaxation time and resistivity can be traced to the change in grain boundary reflection coefficient and grain size. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data aided with sputtering is used to show the evidence of the various stack layers that would be used in the VASE modeling. X‐ray reflectivity (XRR) and Rutherford backscattered spectroscopy (RBS) measurements on thin‐metal films were performed to complement the thickness measurements made with SE.

Electron-phonon interaction effects on the direct gap transitions of nanoscale Si films

This study shows that the dielectric function of crystalline Si quantum wells (c-Si QW) is influenced by both carrier confinement and electron-phonon interactions. The energy shifts and lifetime broadening of the excitonic E1 direct gap transition of c-Si QWs from 2 to 10 nm are found to have a significant dimensional and temperature dependence that can be traced to changes in the phonon dispersion of nanoscale films. The influence of electron-phonon interactions on the dielectric function was verified by altering the phonon dispersion using different dielectric layers above a 5 nm c-Si QW.

Tungsten and cobalt metallization: A material study for MOL local interconnects

Middle-of-the-line (MOL) interconnect and contact resistances represent significant impacts to high-end IC performance at ≤ 10 nm nodes. CVD W-based metallization has been used for all nodes since the inception of damascene. However, it is now being severely challenged due to limited scaling of the traditional PVD Ti/CVD TiN barrier and ALD nucleation layers. This study reports the use of alternate barriers, along with metal-to-metal contact interface cleans, to reduce contact resistance for W-based MOL metallization. As well, we report the first use of Co metal for MOL contacts and local interconnects, with successful integration below a Cu BEOL dual damascene V0/M1 module. Metal line resistances are compared among the various options, and the challenges with each option are highlighted.

Optical and structural characterization of thermal oxidation effects of erbium thin films deposited by electron beam on silicon

Thermal oxidation effects on the structural, compositional, and optical properties of erbium films deposited on silicon via electron beam evaporation were analyzed by x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and spectroscopic ellipsometry. A gradual rise in oxidation temperature from 700 to 900 °C resulted in a transition from ErO- to Er2O3-rich phase. Additional increase in oxidation temperature above 1000°C led to the formation of erbium silicate due to further oxygen incorporation, as well as silicon out-diffusion from the substrate. A silicon oxide interfacial layer was also detected, with its thickness increasing with higher oxidation temperature. Additionally, film refractive index decreased, while its Tauc bandgap value increased from ∼5.2 eV to ∼6.4 eV, as the oxidation temperature was raised from 700 °C to above 900 °C. These transformations were accompanied by the appearance of an intense and broad absorption band below the optical gap. Thermal oxidation ...

Experimental study of nanoscale Co damascene BEOL interconnect structures

We characterize integrated dual damascene Co and Cu BEOL lines and vias, at 10 nm node dimensions. The Co to Cu line resistance ratios for 24 nm and 220 nm wide lines were 2.1 and 3.5, respectively. The Co via resistance was just 1.7 times that of Cu, with the smaller ratio attributed to the barrier layer series via resistance. Electrical continuity of Co via chain structures was good, while some chain-chain shorts and leakage suggests metal residuals from the Co polish process. The Co lines and vias, fabricated using conventional BEOL processes, exhibit good Co fill by TEM, with no visible evidence of Co in the dielectric. The relatively smaller resistance increase for Co vias suggests a potential via resistance benefit, a thinner or less resistive barrier can be employed. Co line resistance will likely not be competitive with Cu until after the next technology node.

Formation of optical barriers with excellent thermal stability in single-crystal sapphire by hydrogen ion implantation and thermal annealing

We report a study on the use of hydrogen ion implantation to form optical barriers with excellent thermal stability in single-crystal sapphire. Sapphire crystals are implanted with H ions of energies 0.2–1 MeV to doses 1016–1017 cm−2, followed by thermal annealing between 600–1200 °C. Prism coupling experiments and spectroscopic ellipsometry indicate the formation of an optical barrier with decreased refractive index around the projected range of H ions in sapphire. The refractive index reduction is found to increase with annealing temperatures, reaching a maximum of ∼3.2% following annealing at 1200 °C. The correlation of the structural properties with the formation of optical barriers and their thermal stability in sapphire crystals, is duscussed.

Mueller based scatterometry measurement of nanoscale structures with anisotropic in-plane optical properties

The uses of strained channel became prevalent at the 65 nm node and have continued to be a large part of logic device performance improvements in every technology generation. These material and integration innovations will continue to be important in sub-22nm devices, and are already being applied in finFET devices where total available in-channel strains are potentially higher. The measurement of structures containing these materials is complicated by the intrinsic correlation of the measured optical thickness and variation of optical properties with strain, as well as the dramatic reduction in total volume of the device. Optical scatterometry has enabled characterization of the feature shape and dimensions of complex 3D structures, including non-planar transistors and memory structures. Ellipsometric methods have been successfully applied to the measurement of thin films of SiGe and related strained structures. A direction for research is validating that the thin film stress results can be extended into the much more physically complex 3D shape. There are clear challenges in this: the stress in a SiGe fin is constrained to match the underlying Si along one axis, but the sides and top are free, leading to very large strain gradients both along the fin width and height. Practical utilization of optical techniques as a development tool is often limited by the complexity of the scatterometry model and setup, and this added material complexity presents a new challenge. In this study, generalized spectroscopic ellipsometric measurements of strained grating was undertaken, in parallel with reference cross sectional and top down SEM data. The measurements were modeled for both anisotropy calculations, as well as full scatterometry calculations, fitting the strain and structure. The degree to which strain and CD can be quickly quantified in an optical model is discussed. Sum decomposition method has been implemented to extract the effective anisotropic coefficients and a discussion on the effect of anisotropy toward modeling is presented. Finally, errors in the scatterometry measurement are analyzed, and the relative strengths and limitations of these optical measurements compared.

Specific contact resistivity of n-type Si and Ge M-S and M-I-S contacts

We have theoretically investigated the specific contact resistivity of n-type Si and Ge metal-insulator-semiconductor contacts with various insulating oxides. We have found a significant reduction of the contact resistivity for both Si and Ge with an insertion of insulators at low and moderate donor doping levels. However, at the higher doping levels (>1020 cmu-3), the reduction of the contact resistivity is negligible and the contact resistivity increases as the insulator thickness increase. Thus, we have shown that the lowest possible contact resistivity can be achieved with the metal-semiconductor contact with highest possible activated doping density.