Thermal stability of diamondlike carbon films

1996 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 3068-3075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. L. Akkerman ◽  
H. Efstathiadis ◽  
F. W. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stability ◽  
Carbon Films ◽  
Diamondlike Carbon ◽  
Thermal Stability Of

scholarly journals Thermal stability and diffusion characteristics of ultrathin amorphous carbon films grown on crystalline and nitrogenated silicon substrates by filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shengxi Wang ◽  
Anurag Roy ◽  
Kyriakos Komvopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stability ◽  
Amorphous Carbon ◽  
Silicon Substrate ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Carbon Films ◽  
Vacuum Arc ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Prolonged Heating ◽  
Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc ◽  
Thermal Stability Of

AbstractAmorphous carbon (a-C) films are widely used as protective overcoats in many technology sectors, principally due to their excellent thermophysical properties and chemical inertness. The growth and thermal stability of sub-5-nm-thick a-C films synthesized by filtered cathodic vacuum arc on pure (crystalline) and nitrogenated (amorphous) silicon substrate surfaces were investigated in this study. Samples of a-C/Si and a-C/SiNx/Si stacks were thermally annealed for various durations and subsequently characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). The TEM images confirmed the continuity and uniformity of the a-C films and the 5-nm-thick SiNx underlayer formed by silicon nitrogenation using radio-frequency sputtering. The EELS analysis of cross-sectional samples revealed the thermal stability of the a-C films and the efficacy of the SiNx underlayer to prevent carbon migration into the silicon substrate, even after prolonged heating. The obtained results provide insight into the important attributes of an underlayer in heated multilayered media for preventing elemental intermixing with the substrate, while preserving the structural stability of the a-C film at the stack surface. An important contribution of this investigation is the establishment of an experimental framework for accurately assessing the thermal stability and elemental diffusion in layered microstructures exposed to elevated temperatures.

Diamondlike Carbon Materials as Low-k Dielectrics for Multilevel Interconnects in Ulsi

1996 ◽  
Vol 443 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Grill ◽  
V. Patel ◽  
K.L. Saenger ◽  
C. Jahnes ◽  
S.A. Cohen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stability ◽  
Dielectric Constant ◽  
Dielectric Constants ◽  
Internal Stresses ◽  
Diamondlike Carbon ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Etch Stop ◽  
Si Content ◽  
Low K ◽  
Thermal Stability Of

AbstractA variety of diamondlike carbon (DLC) materials were investigated for their potential applications as low-k dielectrics for the back end of the line (BEOL) interconnect structures in ULSI circuits. Hydrogenated DLC and fluorine containing DLC (FDLC) were studied as a low-k interlevel and intralevel dielectrics (ILD), while silicon containing DLC (SiDLC) was studied as a potential low-k etch stop material between adjacent DLC based ILD layers, which can be patterned by oxygen-based plasma etchingIt was found that the dielectric constant (k) of the DLC films can be varied between >3.3 and 2.7 by changing the deposition conditions. The thermal stability of these DLC films was found to be correlated to the values of the dielectric constant, decreasing with decreasing k. While DLC films having dielectric constants k>3.3 appeared to be stable to anneals of 4 hours at 400 °C in He, a film having a dielectric constant of 2.7 was not, losing more than half of its thickness upon exposure to the same anneal. The stresses in the DLC films were found to decrease with decreasing dielectric constant, from 700 MPa to about 250 MPa. FDLC films characterized by a dielectric constant of about 2.8 were found to have similar thermal stability as DLC films with k >3.3. The thermally stable FDLC films have internal stresses <300 MPa and are thus promising candidates as a low-k ILD.For the range of Si contents examined (0-9% C replacement by Si), SiDLC films with a Si content of around 5% appear to provide an effective etch-stop for oxygen RIE of DLC or FDLC films, while retaining desirable electrical characteristics. These films showed a steady state DLC/SiDLC etch rate ratio of about 17, and a dielectric constant only about 30% higher than the 3.3 of DLC.

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