Young's modulus characterization for the fragile low-k film by the improved surface acoustic waves technique

Low dielectric constant (k) materials applied for the ULSI interconnect insulator are required to meet the fast development of high-speed devices. Introducing nanopores into dielectrics reduces their k value effectively but also degrades the film hardness drastically. In this work, Young's moduli of several promising porous low-k films are determined by an improved technique of surface acoustic waves (SAWs). The twin-transducer is introduced to insure the propagation alignment of the laser generated SAWs, consequently increasing the accuracy of the measurement.