Copper interconnect technology for the 32 nm node and beyond

Copper interconnects have gained wide acceptance in the microelectronics industry due to improved resistivity and reliability compared to Al interconnects. However, there are many challenges with implementation of Cu interconnects at the 32 nm node and beyond, including increased resistivity, integration with porous low-k materials, and reliability. In addition, for RF and mixed signal technology, integration of passive devices is required. In this paper, each of these topics is addressed.