Vibrational spectroscopy of low-k/ultra-low-k dielectric materials on patterned wafers

Comparing with much valuable research on vibrational spectroscopy on low-k dielectrics in different substrates, this paper investigates the vibrational spectroscopy of low-k and ultra-low-k dielectric materials on patterned wafers. It is found that both Raman and FTIR spectroscopy are necessary as complement to characterize low-k and ultra-low-k dielectric materials on patterned wafers. Significant differences in the Raman and FTIR spectra between low-k and ultra-low-k dielectric materials are also observed. Moreover, Raman spectroscopy has an advantage in analyzing the mixed structure of low-k/ultra-low-k and Cu at nanometer-scaled sizes. The results in this paper show that Raman combined with FTIR spectroscopy is an effective tool to characterize dielectric thin film properties on patterned wafers. (C) 2011 American Vacuum Society. [DOI: 10.1116/1.3625099]