Highly effective low-k dielectric test structures and reliability assessment for 28NM technology node and beyond

Low-k/ultra-low-k dielectric is expected to have large-scale implementation in the manufacturing of modern advanced IC technology nodes. The reliability performance of a low-k dielectric must meet the given target lifetime based on semiconductor electrical requirements. Reliability test structures are specifically devised in this paper. We proposed a series of fundamental improvements on test structures in terms of practical applications. Our data shows that intrinsic reliability of the low-k dielectrics can be further optimized through the process tuning without the variation in k value.