Breaking The Copper Bottleneck With Molybdenum Hybrid Metallization


Scaling the back end of line (BEOL) in advanced semiconductor logic devices is a major challenge. Metal lines and via filling in BEOL have historically used copper (Cu) as the electrical conductor. But as device dimensions shrink, Cu use has become problematic. The small critical dimensions (CD) of the Cu metal lines and vias in the latest BEOL structures have created an increase in resistance,... » read more

Analysis Of BEOL Metal Schemes By Process Modeling


The semiconductor industry has been diligently searching for alternative metal line materials to replace the conventional copper dual damascene scheme, because as interconnect dimensions shrink, the barrier accounts for an increasing fraction of the total line volume. The barrier layer's dimensions cannot be scaled down as quickly as the metal line width (figure 1). Popular barrier materials su... » read more