Vertical scale-down of Cu/low-k interconnect development for BEOL reliability improvement of 12nm DRAM

IF 1.6 4区工程技术 Q3 ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC

Microelectronics Reliability Pub Date : 2025-03-06 DOI:10.1016/j.microrel.2025.115650

J.H. Lee, B.W. Woo, Y.M. Lee, N.H. Lee, Y.Y. Lee, Y.S. Lee, S.B. Ko, S. Pae

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The effect of vertical scale-down of Cu interconnects on power consumption efficiency and back-end of the line (BEOL) reliability was investigated in 12nm DDR5 DRAM with four metal layers. The hydrostatic stress gradient, which drives stress migration (SM) failure was calculated using the finite element method, and it decreased in the scaled interconnect, thus leading to an improvement in the SM reliability. The time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) lifetime was also enhanced by the decrease in electric field between scaled Cu interconnects, which was demonstrated by both of the simulation and measurement. Although scaled interconnect could deteriorate the EM lifetime due to the increase in grain boundary, controlling the barrier metal thickness and utilizing advanced capping layer have compensated for the electro-migration (EM) deterioration. As a result, 12nm DDR5 DRAM meets 125°C BEOL reliability criteria while implementing low power through vertical scale-down of Cu interconnect.

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来源期刊

Microelectronics Reliability 工程技术-工程：电子与电气

CiteScore

3.30

自引率

12.50%

发文量

342

审稿时长

68 days

期刊介绍： Microelectronics Reliability, is dedicated to disseminating the latest research results and related information on the reliability of microelectronic devices, circuits and systems, from materials, process and manufacturing, to design, testing and operation. The coverage of the journal includes the following topics: measurement, understanding and analysis; evaluation and prediction; modelling and simulation; methodologies and mitigation. Papers which combine reliability with other important areas of microelectronics engineering, such as design, fabrication, integration, testing, and field operation will also be welcome, and practical papers reporting case studies in the field and specific application domains are particularly encouraged. Most accepted papers will be published as Research Papers, describing significant advances and completed work. Papers reviewing important developing topics of general interest may be accepted for publication as Review Papers. Urgent communications of a more preliminary nature and short reports on completed practical work of current interest may be considered for publication as Research Notes. All contributions are subject to peer review by leading experts in the field.