Ion-beam-induced insulator deposition for chip circuit modification

As semiconductor manufacturing technologies become more complex and the number of metallization levels increases, the complexity of chip circuit modification using focused ion beam technology has also increased. The fabrication of an insulating Aim in a localized region to protect exposed metal greatly enhances the modification capability. It is often necessary to remove a portion of an overlying metal line to gain access to an underlying area of interest. To maintain functionality, this overlying metal line must be reconnected without shorting to underlying metallurgy. We have developed an ion-beam-induced process for circuit modification which uses an oxygen and siloxane precursor. Test structures were fabricated to evaluate the electrical integrity of these films. Results indicating sufficient dielectric strength for both memory and logic applications and the material analysis of this insulator film, are presented.