Conduction and material transport phenomena of degradation in electrically stressed ultra low-k dielectric before breakdown

The electrical degradation of ultra low-k SiCOH dielectric before breakdown is investigated. A new technique to obtain information before breakdown has been developed to define stress conditions and observe degradation patterns before total destruction occurs. Electrical measurements and physical inspection in specifically designed test structures have been made to focus on intrinsic properties. A typical leakage current characteristic, voiding and tantalum transport have been observed. These observations have been interpreted by quantitatively adapting physical effects. This investigation provides a model that describes the observed phenomena in a qualitatively manner. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4768918]