Characterization of chemical vapor deposited amorphous fluorocarbons for low dielectric constant interlayer dielectrics

C-F materials, deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) have been studied for their potential use as a low dielectric constant intermetal dielectric material for semiconductor applications. Though a dielectric constant of similar to 2.4 has been determined, thermal stability of the material needs to be improved. It is shown that the presence of O and/or OH in the system causes a pyrolytic decomposition of the material causing CO and CO2 to outgas from the material at low temperatures. This causes the C-F matrix to disintegrate and release CFx ions. Minimizing the O/OH content in the films improves thermal stability. Various structural properties of the films have been investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. (C) 1999 Intel Corporation.