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Adhesion of Cu and low-k Dielectric Thin Films with Tungsten Carbide

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

A. M. Lemonds ,
K. Kershen ,
J. Bennett ,
K. Pfeifer ,
Y-M. Sun ,
J. M. White  and
J. G. Ekerdt
A. M. Lemonds
Affiliation:
International Sematech, 2706 Montopolis Drive, Austin, Texas 78714
K. Kershen
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
J. Bennett
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
K. Pfeifer
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
Y-M. Sun
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
J. M. White
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
J. G. Ekerdt*
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: ekerdt@che.utexas.edu
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Abstract

The adhesion of copper and various dielectric materials to tungsten carbide was studied using interfacial critical debond energies obtained by the four-point flexure method. Tungsten carbide (W2C), films 33.3 nm thick, were vapor deposited onto SiO2, spin-on carbon polymer resin (CPR), chemically vapor deposited organosilicate glass (OSG), and spin-on siloxane-organic polymer (SOP) surfaces using direct-current magnetron sputtering of a W metal target and a methane substrate plasma. Thick copper films (42.5 nm) were vapor deposited onto W2C. Some interfaces were modified by an Ar plasma, 1-nm W deposition, or O2 plasma treatment prior to Cu deposition. A W2C film deposited onto a CPR substrate was annealed for 2 h at 673 K in a 99% N2/1% H2gas mixture. For the untreated dielectric surfaces, the debond energy ranged from 39.9 to 3.95 J/m2. In order of descending adhesion energy, the substrates are ranked CPR, SiO2, SOP, and OSG. Ar plasma treatment of the SiO2 surface increased the debond energy from 20.3 to 41.3 J/m2. The Cu/W2C debond energy was 20.4 J/m2. Ar plasma or 1-nm W deposition treatment to the carbide surface moved the point of delamination from the Cu/W2C interface to the W2C/CPR interface for a Cu/W2C/CPR multilayer structure.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 17 , Issue 6 , June 2002 , pp. 1320 - 1328
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2002

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