Investigation on Electrical and Optical Properties of Hydrogen Doped Boron Carbide Thin Films

Abstract

As complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices shrink to smaller size, the resistance-capacitance (RC) delay in metal interconnects remains critical bottleneck for improving performance. Search for new low-k dielectric materials to reduce the dielectric capacitance has been a priority for a long time. Boron carbide (B4C) has attracted interest as a material for low-k dielectric applications owing to its unique properties. In this work, thin films of boron carbide are deposited by RF magnetron sputtering in presence of hydrogen gas. Metal-insulator-metal structure using aluminum and boron carbide are formed. Herein, we investigate the dielectric properties (frequency dependent dielectric constant), electrical properties (resistivity) and optical properties (transmission) of hydrogen doped boron carbide thin films. Further, the effect of deposition parameters on properties of hydrogen doped boron carbide films is reviewed.