Lisa McElwee-White, Department of Chemistry, Timothy J. Anderson, Department of Chemical Engineering, David P. Norton, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, all of the University of Florida, in collaboration with Steven W. Johnston, Intel Corporation, Sung Min Cho, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea, and Karin Pruessner, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida are funded with an award from the Collaborative Research in Chemistry Program with funds provided by the Division of Chemistry, the Division of Physics, the Division of Molecular, Cellular Biology and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities. This multifaceted team will investigate new diffusion barrier materials that are more stable toward copper diffusion than titanium nitride for future generations of integrated circuits. This collaborative project involves preparation of single source precursors for metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) of WNx followed by screening of the precursors, CVD and ALD growth studies, and characterization of the deposited material. Comparative studies of microstructure and Cu diffusion in MOCVD and physical vapor deposition (PVD) WNx films will allow evaluation of their potential in barrier applications.
A critical problem in the electronics industry, development of a suitable barrier material against Cu diffusion and a method of depositing it in high aspect ratio vias, will be investigated using a multidisciplinary approach This collaboration connects precursor chemistry development, deposition process refinement, materials characterization, computational modeling and device fabrication. The investigators will investigate WNx in addition to new materials. Students and postdoctoral associates will gain exposure to team-based training and problem solving skills that reach outside their own disciplines of graduate study. In addition, the interaction with Intel will broaden their perspectives beyond academic research. This collaboration has a history of diversity that reflects the local population. Activities such as educational module development and outreach to grade 8-12 girls will encourage participation by others in related areas of science.
