Extraction of elastic modulus of porous ultra-thin low-k films by two-dimensional finite-element simulations of nanoindentation

Continuous scaling of integrated circuits has led to the introduction of highly porous low dielectric constant (low-k) materials, whose inferior mechanical properties raise concerns regarding the reliability of integrated circuits. Nanoindentation is proven to be a straightforward method to study mechanical properties of films. However, in the case of low-k, the measurement and analysis are complex due to the porous nature of the films and reduced film thicknesses which give rise to substrate effects. A methodology that combines nanoindentation experiments with finite-element simulations is proposed and validated in this study to extract the substrate-free elastic modulus of porous ultra-thin low-k films. Furthermore, it is shown that imperfections of the nanoindentation probe significantly affect the finite-element results. An effective analytical method that captures the actual nanoindenter behavior upon indentation is proposed by taking both tip radius and conical imperfections into account. Using this...

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