Low-k nanoporous interdielectrics: Materials, thin film fabrications, structures and properties

The use of low dielectric constant (low-k) interdielectrics in multilevel structure integrated circuits (ICs) can lower line-to-line noise in interconnects and alleviate power dissipation issues by reducing the capacitance between the interconnect conductor lines. Because of these merits, low-k interdielectric materials are currently in high demand in the development of advanced ICs. One important approach to obtaining low-k values is the incorporation of nanopores into dielectrics. The development of advanced ICs requires a method for producing low-k dielectric materials with uniform distributions of unconnected, closed, individual pores with dimensions considerably smaller than the circuit feature size. Thus the control of both pore size and pore size distribution is crucial to the development of nanoporous low-k dielectrics. This article reviews recent developments in the imprinting of closed nanopores into spin-on materials to produce low-k nanoporous interdielectrics for the production of advanced ICs. This review further provides an overview of the methodologies and characterization techniques used for investigating low-k nanoporous interdielectrics.