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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 March 2011
This work is aimed at understanding the nature of the interactions betweenmetal interconnects and nanoporous dielectrics in integrated circuits.Electrical testing of MIS capacitors is used to assess Cu diffusion andcharge injection in the dielectric in the presence of an electric field. Wehave found that surface modification of nanoporous silica reveals theimportance of chemically bound or adsorbed water species in the dielectricand how they trigger metal diffusion. We propose that a combination ofmoisture-related species in the dielectric and interfacial oxygen oxidizeCu. The copper oxide acts as a source for Cu ions available for diffusion. Aquantitative analysis of Cu drift in nanoporous dielectrics that shows theimportance of surface chemistry is presented and the mechanism of metaldiffusion and charge injection in nanoporous dielectrics is discussed.