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Stress Hysteresis and Mechanical Characterization of Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposited Dielectrics

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Abstract

Two plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited (PECVD) dielectric films pertinent to microelectronic-based applications were examined for thermo-mechanical stability. Both films-silicon nitride and silicon oxy-nitride-showed significant permanent non-equilibrium changes in film stress on thermal cycling and annealing. The linear relationship between stress and temperature changed after the films were annealed at 300°C, representing a structural change in the film resulting in a change in coefficient of thermal expansion and/or biaxial modulus. A double-substrate method was used to deduce both properties before and after the anneal of selected films and the results compared with the modulus deconvoluted from the load-displacement data from small-scale depth-sensing indentation experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Jeremy Thurn & Robert F. Cook

  2. Wafer Process Development, Seagate Technology, Bloomington, MN, 55435, USA

    Mallika Kamarajugadda & Laura C. Stearns

Authors
  1. Jeremy Thurn
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  2. Robert F. Cook
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  3. Mallika Kamarajugadda
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  4. Laura C. Stearns
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Thurn, J., Cook, R.F., Kamarajugadda, M. et al. Stress Hysteresis and Mechanical Characterization of Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposited Dielectrics. MRS Online Proceedings Library 695, 391 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-695-L3.9.1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-695-L3.9.1

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