Environmentally protected hot-stage atomic force microscope for studying thermo-mechanical deformation in microelectronic devices

Abstract

A commercial atomic force microscope (AFM) was equipped with a hot stage for conducting thermal cycling experiments up to 398 K, as well as a vacuum and purge system to provide a protective environment during heating. Two different hot-stage configurations, one for studying features in the plane of a microelectronic device, and the other for studying features on its cross section, were developed. It is shown that the AFM retains its calibration with no significant introduction of errors at temperatures up to 398 K. Two applications of in situ hot-stage atomic force microscopy, related to microelectronic devices, have been demonstrated. First, the in-plane coefficient of thermal expansion of a low dielectric constant (low-k) thin film dielectric material used in back-end interconnect structures was measured. Second, the equipment was used to conduct in situ studies of deformation of Cu thin film interconnect lines at the back end of silicon chips, under thermo-mechanical loads simulating those imposed on chip-level interconnect structures by a microelectronic package. The design of a bimetallic thermo-mechanical loading stage, which was used for the latter experiments in conjunction with the hot stage, is also discussed.