Metal aspect ratio

Another important use of dielectrics is as intermetal dielectrics (IMDs), where the dielectrics insulate metal lines from each other. The dielectric material must fill small gaps with high aspect ratios (depth to width) while maintaining all other dielectric properties. It is essential that the IMDs are void-free at submicrometer dimensions for both performance and rehabiUty. 

As with any other fabrication process, masks are needed to define the features to be etched. It is common that the etch used for the semiconductor also etches the masking material. For this reason many different masks are used in etching, including photoresist, dielectric films, and metals. Masking can be a complex issue, especially when very deep etches (>5 fim) are performed with high aspect ratios (148). 

Steel, copper, and brass fiber may have a variety of aspect ratios, shape, ie, straight versus curved fibers and cross-sectional geometry, surface roughness, and chemical compositions. Fibers having tight specifications in terms of cleanliness, chemical composition, and aspect ratio ate necessary. The fibers are usually machined from larger metallic forms. 

Figure 9-6T. (Top) Cascade Mini-Ring, (metal and plastic). Originally used by permission of Mass Transfer, Inc., now, Glitsch, Inc. (middle and bottom) Elevation and plan views of Ballast rings (right) and Cascade Mini-Rings (left). Note how high aspect ratio of former permits occlusion of interior surfaces. Low aspect ratio of Cascade Mini-Rings, on the other hand, favors orientation that exposes internal surfaces for excellent film formation, intimate mixing, and gas-liquid contact. Used by permission of Glitsch, Inc. Bull. 345.

As far as conducting fillers are concerned, we have rather a wide range of choice. In addition to the traditional and long used fillers, such as carbon black and metal powders [13] fiber and flaky fillers on organic or metal bases, conducting textures, etc recently appeared and came into use. The shape of the filler particles varies widely, but only the particle aspect ratio, the main parameter which determines the probability... 

Interconnect. Three-dimensional structures require interconnections between the various levels. This is achieved by small, high aspect-ratio holes that provide electrical contact. These holes include the contact fills which connect the semiconductor silicon area of the device to the first-level metal, and the via holes which connect the first level metal to the second and subsequent metal levels (see Fig. 13.1). The interconnect presents a major fabrication challenge since these high-aspect holes, which may be as small as 0.25 im across, must be completely filled with a diffusion barrier material (such as CVD titanium nitride) and a conductor metal such as CVD tungsten. The ability to fill the interconnects is a major factor in selecting a thin-film deposition process. 

Electrochemistry provides routes to directly prepare nanostructures both delocalized in a random or organized way and localized at predefined surface sites with adjustable aspect ratios. Purity, monodispersity, ligation, and other chemical properties and treatments are definitely important in most cases. By delocalized electrodeposition it is possible to decorate large areas of metal or semiconductor surfaces with structures of a narrow size distribution stable nuclei-clusters can be... 

SupercriUcal Fluid DeposiUon (SFD) Metal films may be grown from precursors that are soluble in CO2. The SFD process yields copper films with fewer defects than those possible by using chemical vapor deposition, because increased precursor solubility removes mass-transfer hmitations and low surface tension favors penetration of high-aspect-ratio features [Blackburn et al.. Science, 294, 141-145 (2001)]. 

On the submicron scale, the current distribution is determined by the diffusive transport of metal ion and additives under the influence of local conditions at the interface. Transport of additives in solution may be non-locally controlled if they are consumed at a mass-transfer limited rate at the deposit surface. The diffusion of additives in solution must then be solved simultaneously with the flux of reactive ion. Diffusive transport of inhibitors forms the basis for leveling [144-147] where a diffusion-limited inhibitor reduces the current density on protrusions. West has treated the theory of filling based on leveling alone [148], In his model, the controlling dimensionless groups are equivalent to and D divided by the trench aspect ratio. They determine the ranges of concentration within which filling can be achieved. 

The development of low-dielectric-constant materials as ILDs is crucial to achieve low power consumption, reduce signal delay, and minimize interconnect cross-talk for high-performance VLSI devices. In one of the multilevel interconnect process routes, metal lines (e.g., A1—Cu or Cu) are patterned through reactive ion etching, and then dielectric films are filled in the trenches formed between these lines. These trenches can have widths in the sub-0.5 pm range and aspect ratios greater than 3. Therefore, small gap-filling capability is also required for such dielectrics. 

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