Adhesion and dielectric strength of ultra-low dielectric constant PTFE thin films

Previous work has demonstrated the potential of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) thin films for ULSI applications. The films are deposited from PTFE nanoemulsions. They have an ultra-low dielectric constant of 1.7 to 2.0, a leakage current of less than 1.0 nA/cm(2) @ 0.2 MV/cm and a dielectric strength of from 0.5 to 2.4 MV/cm. They are thermally stable (isothermal weight loss < 1.0 %/hr at 450 degrees C), uniform (thickness standard deviation < 2 %), and have excellent gap-fill properties (viscosity of 1.55 cP and surface tension of 18 mN/m). The films are inert with respect to all known semiconductor process chemicals, yet they are easily etched in an oxygen plasma. This paper discusses the processing technology that has been developed to process PTFE films with these properties. Specifically, it addresses two recent discoveries: 1) Good adhesion of spin-coated PTFE to SiO2 surfaces; and 2) high dielectric strength of PTFE thin films spin-coat deposited onto rigid substrates. The adhesion-promoting and thermal treatments necessary to produce these properties are detailed. Stud pull test results and test results from metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor structures are given.