A novel multi-level interconnect scheme with air as low K inter-metal dielectric for ultradeep submicron application

Abstract

In this letter, a novel multi-level interconnect scheme with air as the low K inter-metal dielectric for ultra large scale integrated circuit (ULSI) application in ultradeep submicron (UDSM) range is proposed. The detailed process integration with copper dual damascene processing is described. The feasibility of the scheme is examined by trimethylaluminum Raphael simulation for the effective dielectric constant and the cutoff frequency in a standard divide by three counter. The simulation results are also compared with these reported air gap formation technologies. The results show the developed multi-level interconnect system is suitable for UDSM application.