Preliminary Hard X-ray Micro-spectroscopic Investigations on Thin-Film Ta-and-W Based Diffusion Barriers for Copper Interconnect Technology.

Within the microelectronics industry, the requirement for reducing device dimensions for increased circuit performance and lower manufacturing costs has led to many avenues of research in advanced materials and fabrication processes. One of the most important challenges in ultra-large scale integrated technology is the fabrication of thin-film diffusion barriers that prevent copper interconnect lines diffusing through the barrier material and into the neighboring silicon layers. In this paper, we present preliminary synchrotron x-ray spectroscopy measurements as a tool for studying the properties of these buried barrier layers and consider the opportunity of applying the spatial resolution of an x-ray microbeam in probing different regions of the barrier material. © 2007 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]