The mechanical influence of the porosity and nano-scale pore size effect of the SiOC(H) dielectric film

We propose a molecular modeling method which is capable of modeling the mechanical impact of the porosity and pore size to the amorphous silicon-based low-dielectric (low-k) material. Due to the electronic requirement of advanced electronic devices, low-k materials are in demand for the IC backend structure. However, due to the amorphous nature and porosity of this material, it exhibits low mechanical stiffness and low interfacial strength, as well as inducing numerous reliablity issues. The mechanical impact of the nano-scaled pore, including the porosity ratio and pore size, is simulated using molecular dynamics on the mechanical stiffness and interfacial strength. A fitting function is formulated based on the continuum homogenour theory and atomic interaction in nano-scale. The simulation results are fitted into analytical equation based on the homogenous theory.