Broadband Spectroscopic Characterization of Hybrid Low-k Dielectric Thin Films for Micro- and Nanoelectronic Applications

Abstract

Broadband Spectroscopic Characterization Of Organic and Hybrid Dielectrics Thin Films for Micro- and Nanoelectronic Applications Yaw S. Obeng*, Chukwudi A., Okoro, Karl R. Montgomery, Papa K. Amoah, Lin You, Joseph Kopanski, Jan Obrzut Engineering Physics Division, Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899 Micro- and nanoelectronic devices use materials of varying dielectric constants for specific applications1, 2, as in electrical insulation and isolation; however the matching of materials to applications has is frequently guided by intuition3. The electrical performance of the materials, e.g., dielectric constant, is frequently evaluated by measuring the metric such as impedance measurements on metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors, and by assuming that the MIM devices are ideal4. However, as we have shown elsewhere, these devices are imperfect, and the chemistry and physics of the materials also play crucial roles in their application utility, especially in low operating voltage devices5, 6. Thus, material selection based on such characterization frequently result in sub-optimal choices. In this paper, we discuss the use of broadband microwaves (MW) (up to 20 GHz) characterize organic and hybrid silicon-organic thin films meant for insulation applications in micro- and nanoelectronic devices. Specifically, we will take advantage of MW propagation characteristics7, to extract and examine the relationships between electrical and mechanical properties, and the chemistry of prototypical materials. The impact of moisture on the electrical behavior of any material defects will be evaluated from the impact of thermal anneal at modest temperatures on the samples. These studies will shed light on the chemical changes that occur within the dielectric films that could impact the performance and reliability, as well as provide basis for rational selection of organic dielectrics for integrated device. 1. R. P. Ortiz, A. Facchetti and T. J. Marks, Chemical Reviews 110(1), 205-239 (2010). 2. W. Volksen, R. D. Miller and G. Dubois, Chemical Reviews 110(1), 56-110 (2010). 3. V. Sharma, C. Wang, R. G. Lorenzini, R. Ma, Q. Zhu, D. W. Sinkovits, G. Pilania, A. R. Oganov, S. Kumar, G. A. Sotzing, S. A. Boggs and R. Ramprasad, Nat Commun 5(2014). 4. E. Verrelli, N. Kemp, M. O'Neill, F. Cheng, F. A. Alharti and S. M. Kelly, SID Symposium Digest of Technical Papers 44, 108-111 (2013). 5. Y. S. Obeng, C. A. Okoro, P. K. Amoah, R. R. Franklin and P. Kabos, ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology 5(4), P3025-P3030 (2016). 6. C. A. Okoro and Y. S. Obeng, Thin Solid Films 520(15), 5060-5063 (2012). 7. J. Obrzut, ACTA IMEKO 4 (3), 42-46 (2015).