Finite Size Effects in Highly Scaled Ruthenium Interconnects

Ru has been considered a candidate to replace Cu-based interconnects in VLSI circuits. Here, a methodology is proposed to predict the resistivity of (Ru) interconnects. First, the dependence of the Ru thin film resistivity on the film thickness is modeled by the semiclassical Mayadas-Shatzkes (MS) approach. The fitting parameters thus obtained are then used as input in a modified MS model for nanowires to calculate wire resistivities. Predicted experimental resistivities agreed within about 10%. The results further indicate that grain boundary scattering was the dominant scattering mechanism in scaled Ru interconnects.Comment: 4 pages. 2 figure

Resistivity scaling model for metals with conduction band anisotropy

It is generally understood that the resistivity of metal thin films scales with film thickness mainly due to grain boundary and boundary surface scattering. Recently, several experiments and ab initio simulations have demonstrated the impact of crystal orientation on resistivity scaling. The crystal orientation cannot be captured by the commonly used resistivity scaling models and a qualitative understanding of its impact is currently lacking. In this work, we derive a resistivity scaling model that captures grain boundary and boundary surface scattering as well as the anisotropy of the band structure. The model is applied to Cu and Ru thin films, whose conduction bands are (quasi-)isotropic and anisotropic respectively. After calibrating the anisotropy with ab initio simulations, the resistivity scaling models are compared to experimental resistivity data and a renormalization of the fitted grain boundary reflection coefficient can be identified for textured Ru.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

Hall effect measurement for precise sheet resistance and thickness evaluation of Ruthenium thin films using non-equidistant four-point probes

We present a new micro Hall effect measurement method using non-equidistant electrodes. We show theoretically and verify experimentally that it is advantageous to use non-equidistant electrodes for samples with low Hall sheet resistance. We demonstrate the new method by experiments where Hall sheet carrier densities and Hall mobilities of Ruthenium thin films (3-30 nm) are determined. The measurements show that it is possible to measure Hall mobilities as low as 1 cm2V−1s−1 with a relative standard deviation of 2-3%. We show a linear relation between measured Hall sheet carrier density and film thickness. Thus, the method can be used to monitor thickness variations of ultra-thin metal films

Thickness dependence of the resistivity of Platinum group metal thin films

We report on the thin film resistivity of several platinum-group metals (Ru, Pd, Ir, Pt). Platinum-group thin films show comparable or lower resistivities than Cu for film thicknesses below about 5\,nm due to a weaker thickness dependence of the resistivity. Based on experimentally determined mean linear distances between grain boundaries as well as ab initio calculations of the electron mean free path, the data for Ru, Ir, and Cu were modeled within the semiclassical Mayadas--Shatzkes model [Phys. Rev. B 1, 1382 (1970)] to assess the combined contributions of surface and grain boundary scattering to the resistivity. For Ru, the modeling results indicated that surface scattering was strongly dependent on the surrounding material with nearly specular scattering at interfaces with SiO2 or air but with diffuse scattering at interfaces with TaN. The dependence of the thin film resistivity on the mean free path is also discussed within the Mayadas--Shatzkes model in consideration of the experimental findings.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figure

Alternative metals for advanced interconnects

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Atomic Layer Deposition of Ruthenium Thin Films from (Ethylbenzyl) (1-Ethyl-1,4-cyclohexadienyl) Ru: Process Characteristics, Surface Chemistry, and Film Properties

The process characteristics, the surface chemistry, and the resulting film properties of Ru deposited by atomic layer deposition from (ethylbenzyl)(1-ethyl-1,4-cyclohexadienyl)Ru(0) (EBECHRu) and O2 are discussed. The surface chemistry was characterized by both combustion reactions as well as EBECHRu surface reactions by ligand release. The process behavior on TiN starting surfaces at 325 °C was strongly influenced by Ti(O,N)x segregation on the growing Ru surface with consequences for both the growth per cycle as well as the film properties. For optimized process conditions, the films showed high purity with low C and O concentrations of the order of 1020 at./cm3. Higher deposition temperature led to strong (001) fiber texture of the films on SiO2 starting surfaces. Annealing in forming gas improved the crystallinity and led to resistivity values as low as 11 μΩcm for Ru films with a thickness of 10 n