Vacuum Ultraviolet Curing of Low-k Organosilicate Dielectrics.

摘要

The goal of this project is to optimize the vacuum-ultraviolet spectrum to identify those wavelengths that will have the most beneficial effect on improving dielectric properties and minimizing damage. To do this, the effects of vacuum-ultraviolet radiation (VUV) on organosilicate glass (SiCOH) will be examined. Changes to the electrical, chemical and mechanical properties of low-k organosilicate dielectrics induced by vacuum-ultraviolet radiation are investigated. VUV-generated changes to the permittivity and dielectric thickness are measured with both capacitance-voltage characteristics and a reflectometer. FTIR measurements are utilized to find the effect of VUV irradiation on chemical properties of SiCOH and XPS with nanoindentation measurements are used to investigate changes in mechanical properties. Measurements of the band gap and defect-state concentrations of SiCOH are made with VUV spectroscopy. These investigations are used to optimize VUV or UV/VUVexposure conditions to determine the wavelengths and intensities that can mitigate processing-induced damage. Thus, a "UV/VUV curing" process can be established and comparisons between UV/VUV curing and conventional industrial UV curing will be made. Investigations have shown that a combined UV/VUV curing could overcome some drawbacks of industrially UV curing and improve properties of dielectrics more efficiently than UV curing.