In:
Advanced Materials, Wiley, Vol. 34, No. 15 ( 2022-04)
Abstract:
A reliable method for preparing a conformal amorphous carbon (a‐C) layer with a thickness of 1‐nm‐level, is tested as a possible Cu diffusion barrier layer for next‐generation ultrahigh‐density semiconductor device miniaturization. A polystyrene brush of uniform thickness is grafted onto 4‐inch SiO 2 /Si wafer substrates with “self‐limiting” chemistry favoring such a uniform layer. UV crosslinking and subsequent carbonization transforms this polymer film into an ultrathin a‐C layer without pinholes or hillocks. The uniform coating of nonplanar regions or surfaces is also possible. The Cu diffusion “blocking ability” is evaluated by time‐dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) tests using a metal−oxide−semiconductor (MOS) capacitor structure. A 0.82 nm‐thick a‐C barrier gives TDDB lifetimes 3.3× longer than that obtained using the conventional 1.0 nm‐thick TaN x diffusion barrier. In addition, this exceptionally uniform ultrathin polymer and a‐C film layers hold promise for selective ion permeable membranes, electrically and thermally insulating films in electronics, slits of angstrom‐scale thickness, and, when appropriately functionalized, as a robust ultrathin coating with many other potential applications.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0935-9648
,
1521-4095
DOI:
10.1002/adma.202110454
Language:
English
Publisher:
Wiley
Publication Date:
2022
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1474949-X
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