Line of SiLK Resins Expanded

N/Amical Company introduced today a new "self-priming" formulation of SiLK semiconductor dielectric resins that delivers the lowest cost-of-ownership (CoO) among the leading low-k interlevel dielectrics (ILDs) for 0.13 micron processing.

The new formulation SiLK J resin uses the same organic polymer and solvent system, and has the same basic film properties as previously released SiLK products, but it contains an additive that eliminates the need for an adhesion promoter. As a result, SiLK J requires fewer coat and cure steps per layer, increasing tool throughput and reducing CoO for the dielectric material.

SiLK J is the latest low-k material with k = 2.65 in Dow's family of ILD products. In addition to SiLK J resin, Dow also offers SiLK I resin for copper dual-damascene processing and SiLK H resin, which is designed for gap fill structures in aluminum/
tungsten technologies.

SiLK J resin has a "built-in" adhesion promoter that provides good substrate adhesion to standard CVD oxide, nitride and silicon carbide films, and barrier metals including Ti, TiN, Ta and TaN without the use of ancillary chemicals or additional process steps. This prevents delamination or peeling between layers during subsequent processing steps such as chemical mechanical planarization (CMP). SiLK resins also exhibit excellent fracture toughness to withstand the mechanical stresses of wire bonding and CMP.

SiLK resins are stable at temperatures up to 450°C (842° F), providing a wide processing window. The resin has the highest glass transition temperature (Tg > 490° C) among all organic candidates evaluated for ILD applications, preventing the hardmask "creep" commonly associated with low-Tg materials. SiLK resin also is not sensitive to humidity, with low moisture absorption and degassing.

SiLK resin has no fluorine in its composition, which prevents contamination of metal barrier levels. The material has an etch selectivity ratio greater than 20:1 vs. hardmask, and etches in O2/N2 plasma, reducing the need for PFC gases. ILDs made from SiLK resins also demonstrate excellent resistance to copper migration and are compatible with CVD or electroplated copper.

<%=company%>, Customer Information Group, Attn: E# 1-316G1, P.O. Box 1206, Midland,MI 48641-1206, Tel: 1-800-441-4369