Characterization of methyl-doped silicon oxide film for inter-layer dielectrics application

In this work, methyl-doped silicon oxide films deposited using Flowfill/sup TM/ chemical vapor deposition (CVD) have been characterized for use in inter-layer dielectrics (ILD) application. Films with different methyl contents were studied to understand the effects of incorporated methyl groups on the properties. Chemical composition and bonding structure, dielectric constant (k), refractive index (RI), density, thermal stability, moisture permeability, and hardness were investigated. Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of these films and their stability under O/sub 2/, N/sub 2/ and H/sub 2/ plasma treatments were also studied.