Process Extendibility: A Strategic Move in Low-k Battle
Staff -- Semiconductor International, 4/1/1999
AlliedSignal
and other suppliers of spin-on low-k materials are striving to offer customers
the one thing a CVD solution may not be able to offer: extendibility to future
device generations. "Success in this market will depend on the ability of
suppliers to rapidly transform new product ideas into integrated product and
process solutions for their customers," said Jack Bolick, VP and general manager
of AlliedSignal's Electronic Materials Wafer Fabrication Group (Sunnyvale,
Calif.). The company recently invested over $30 million in a new integration
facility, expanding its characterization and demonstration capabilities to
include multilevel metal integration and high-performance reliability testing of
packaged devices. Employees at its Sunnyvale integration lab, complete with Class 10 cleanroom, tracks, CVD, etch, CMP, stripping and film characterization equipment with Class 1 minienvironments, will work in tandem with AlliedSignal's IC fab in Columbia, Maryland.
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| Fig. 1. XSEM of HOSP M1 after Electroplated Cu Deposition in 1.60 µm L/1.05 µm S COMB Structure. |
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| Fig. 2. XSEM of HOSP M1 after Electroplated Cu Deposition in 0.35 µm L/0.40 µm S COMB Structure. |
Among the various product platforms, AlliedSignal's FLARE
products are the closest to production implementation, with several Japanese
customers currently undergoing qualification routines (SEMATECH integrated FLARE
in '97). Nanoglass, with a tunable k between 2.5 and 1.8, successfully
integrated by Texas Instruments (Dallas) in early '98, is not expected to be
used before the 0.13 µm generation of devices. HOSP targets today's 0.18 µm
processes, with a k value of 2.5, demonstrated gapfill of features as small as
0.05 µm, and low stress deposition of films over a micron thick (50 MPa after
cure and repeated thermal cycling). HOSP has been undergoing evaluation by
several top-tier semiconductor manufacturers over the last six months. Figures 1
and 2 demonstrate HOSP's integration with copper. "We are confident all our
low-k products will be integrated in manufacturing sites in the next twelve
months," said Dave Richter, AlliedSignal's marketing manager. Both FLARE and
HOSP are processed on standard tracks, whereas Nanoglass requires more custom
processing. The company's Global Exact program ensures batch-to-batch,
day-to-day and fab-to-fab process repeatability for customers worldwide. 
