Fabrication of air gap dielectrics by nanoimprint lithography

作者：Erenturk Burcin; Park Myoung Hwan; Rotello Vincent M; Carter Kenneth R^*

来源：Microelectronic Engineering, 2012, 98: 89-96.

DOI：10.1016/j.mee.2012.03.006

• Low-k dielectrics
• Poly(methylsilsesquioxane)
• Sacrificial template
• Nanoimprint lithography

We report a simple and high-resolution method to fabricate air gap dielectrics with well-defined geometries. This method utilizes nanoimprint lithography to pattern a thermally labile organic polymer, poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA), subsequently used as a sacrificial template to form air gap nanochannels in a low-k spin-on-glass, poly(methylsilsesquioxane) (PMSSQ). The morphology and dimensions of obtained structures were characterized by cross-sectional SEM, revealing well-defined, continuous and uniform nanochannels. Dielectric constant measurements showed that introduction of these air gap nanochannels into the PMSSQ layer decreased the dielectric constant value from 2.8 to 1.9, while nanoindentation experiments confirmed that the nanochannels were mechanically robust as the air gap films retained the hardness of 1 GPa. Infusion with a fluorescent dye solution and subsequent quenching with gold nanoparticles demonstrated continuous nature and uniform distribution of the nanochannels throughout the sample.

• 出版日期2012-10