Adhesion and time-dependent fracture in integrated circuit technologies
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- In order to maintain scaling in accordance with Moore's Law, a number of novel materials are being integrated at both the device and interconnect levels in modern microprocessors. The successful integration of these new materials requires that they tolerate the inherent stresses present in the structure, as well as the environments, temperatures, and loads associated with fabrication and packaging. This dissertation presents results from several studies focused on the fracture properties of materials at both the device and interconnect levels in modern integrated circuits. Innovative methods for performing thin film adhesion measurements on high strength films are introduced and were used to measure interface fracture energies as high as 35 J/m^2. Additionally, a novel technique for quantifying the effects of environment and temperature on the kinetics of thin film interface debonding is described and was used to quantify growth rates on the order of 1 nm / sec. Using these techniques, combined with surface science measurements of the resulting fracture surfaces, correlations between thin film fracture properties and other device or film properties are explored. While this dissertation specifically addresses materials used in integrated circuits, the techniques and concepts outlined here are applicable to a number of emerging nanoscience and energy technologies. At the device level, a correlation between adhesion and work function tuning behavior of bilayer metal gate electrodes on high-k films is explored. Angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the high-k and metal gate fracture surfaces provides strong evidence of a diffusion mechanism responsible for this behavior. At the interconnect level, effects of Cu electroplating chemistry and diffusion barrier composition on barrier adhesion and stress-induced voiding in Cu films are examined, and the critical role of electroplating impurities and interfacial oxygen is addressed. Additionally, the first evidence of time-dependent environmentally assisted debonding of Cu / barrier interfaces in oxidizing and reducing environments is reported and modeled. The kinetics of debonding vary over six orders of magnitude depending on environment and temperature, demonstrating the important role that environment may play in determining defect growth in Cu interconnects.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2011 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Birringer, Ryan Paul |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering |
| Primary advisor | Dauskardt, R. H. (Reinhold H.) |
| Thesis advisor | Dauskardt, R. H. (Reinhold H.) |
| Thesis advisor | Nix, William D |
| Thesis advisor | Pease, R. (R. Fabian W.) |
| Advisor | Nix, William D |
| Advisor | Pease, R. (R. Fabian W.) |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Ryan Paul Birringer. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. |
| Thesis | Thesis (Ph. D.)--Stanford University, 2011. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2011 by Ryan Paul Birringer
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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