Applied Materials Launches Revolutionary Low k Barrier Film for Copper Chips
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 12, 1999--
BLOk(TM) Barrier and Etch Stop Film Dramatically Lowers k Value
of Overall Copper Damascene Structure to Enable Faster Devices
Applied Materials, Inc., the industry's leading supplier of equipment to manufacture copper chips, announces its breakthrough BLOk (Barrier LOw k) dielectric CVD (chemical vapor deposition) film. BLOk provides an alternative to silicon nitride films, enabling chipmakers to reduce the dielectric constant (k) of their overall copper damascene structures to achieve faster, more powerful devices.
Silicon nitride (SiN) films are currently used as a copper
barrier and etch stop in combination with low k dielectrics to form
insulating film "stacks" between the chip's copper circuitry.
"However, silicon nitride's high k value (greater than 7)
significantly limits the effect of many low k dielectric films,
increasing the stack's effective k by up to 20 percent," said Kevin
Fairbairn, general manager of Applied Materials' PECVD product unit.
"In addition to having a dielectric constant of less than 5, BLOk
addresses the many integration challenges that are key to successful
damascene processing, offering up to twice the etch selectivity of
SiN, better copper barrier properties and good adhesion to other
films. Used with a low k dielectric like our Black Diamond(TM) film,
BLOk can enable a stack with an effective k value of 3.0 or below,
simplifying the challenges of achieving gigahertz-level device
speeds," stated Fairbairn.
Although silicon carbide-based films traditionally exhibit poor
electrical integrity and have been difficult to etch, BLOk, which is a
proprietary amorphous film composed of silicon, carbon and hydrogen,
actually exceeds the performance of nitride as a diffusion barrier and
demonstrates leakage that is six to seven orders of magnitude better
than conventional silicon carbide material.
Applied Materials has already characterized BLOk on its
Dielectric Etch IPS(TM) Centura(R) system to provide an integrated
process that first etches through the primary intermetal dielectric,
Black Diamond, and then stops on the BLOk layer before proceeding with
a soft etch to break through the BLOk and stop on the copper. This
two-step process prevents sputtering of the copper onto the dielectric
sidewalls and eliminates copper contamination to the device.
The BLOk process uses Applied Materials' industry-leading DxZ CVD
chamber, enabling chipmakers to rapidly integrate the process into
their production lines using proven, well-known hardware. The process
can also be retrofitted on existing DxZ chambers for copper pilot
lines. BLOk will also be available later this year on the company's
Producer(TM) platform to provide even greater throughput and cost of
ownership advantages.
Multiple customers in the U.S., Asia and Europe are using the
BLOk process in copper device development, including work that
combines it with the company's Black Diamond low k dielectric film.
Black Diamond, a silicon oxide-based CVD film with k less than or
equal to 2.7, provides a low-risk, cost-effective solution for
intermetal dielectric structures that is easily integrated into the
dual damascene process flow. Applied Materials is the only company
that offers products for all of the key process steps required for
dual damascene copper interconnect fabrication.
Applied Materials, Inc. is a Fortune 500 global growth company
and the world's largest supplier of wafer fabrication systems and
services to the global semiconductor industry. Applied Materials is
traded on the Nasdaq National Market System under the symbol "AMAT."
Applied Materials' web site is www.appliedmaterials.com.
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CONTACT: Applied Materials, Inc.
Betty Newboe, 408/563-0647 (editorial/media)
Carolyn Schwartz, 408/748-5227 (financial community)
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INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS COMED PRODUCT