Low dielectric constant materials are an important component of microelectronic devices. This comprehensive book covers the latest low-dielectric-constant (low-k) materials technology, thin film materials characterization, integration and reliability for back-end interconnects and packaging applications in microelectronics. Highly informative contributions from leading academic and industrial laboratories provide comprehensive information about materials technologies for < 0.18 um process technology. Topics include: Organic dielectric materials, Inorganic dielectric materials, Composite dielectric materials, Metrology and characterization techniques, Integration, Reliability. This volume will be an invaluable resource for professionals, scientists, researchers and graduate students involved in dielectric technology development, materials science, polymer science, and semiconductor devices and processing.

Low dielectric constant materials are an important component of microelectronic devices. This comprehensive book covers the latest low-dielectric-constant (low-k) materials technology, thin film materials characterization, integration and reliability for back-end interconnects and packaging applications in microelectronics. Highly informative contributions from leading academic and industrial laboratories provide comprehensive information about materials technologies for < 0.18 um process technology. Topics include: Organic dielectric materials, Inorganic dielectric materials, Composite dielectric materials, Metrology and characterization techniques, Integration, Reliability. This volume will be an invaluable resource for professionals, scientists, researchers and graduate students involved in dielectric technology development, materials science, polymer science, and semiconductor devices and processing.

Interest in developing low-dielectric constant materials is driven by requirements from the microelectronics sector to improve performance in interconnections by reducing parasitic capacitance and cross talk. The continuing increase in density of semiconductor devices is becoming limited by the dielectric properties of the insulator which threatens to slow the rate of productivity. The requirement for dielectric constant is rapidly approaching an e value of 2.0, with continued improvement sought even below this level to maintain this progression, commonly known as Moore's Law. Synthetic methods of obtaining materials in this range are addressed in this book. The materials solution to the interconnect problem - changing the insulator to lower the dielectric constant from 4.0, the e of silicon dioxide - introduces a host of reliability concerns, as well as changes to the process of manufacturing semiconductor devices. Topics include: porous films - organic and inorganic; porous films - organic/low-k integration; low-k integration; low-k/advanced interconnect; low-dielectric constant materials and applications in microelectronics and low-k film property/integration.