In a move which it claims as a breakthrough, Applied Materials has unveiled a new approach to patterning copper interconnects that is believed to be applicable at the 10nm node and beyond.
According to the company, as process technology scales, innovation in hardmask technology is required in order to preserve the pattern integrity of tightly packed interconnect structures.
Interconnect alignment is currently performed using a titanium nitride (TiN) hardmask. However, as process dimensions get smaller, problems are encountered relating to film density and stress. Cirrus HTX is said to enable the TiN hardmask to be scaled to meet future patterning needs.
"Precision engineering of metal hardmask films is key to addressing the patterning challenges for advanced interconnects," said Dr Sundar Ramamurthy, general manager of Applied's Metal Deposition Products business unit. "Cirrus HTX, incorporating our VHF based technology, offers the flexibility of tuning stress in TiN films from compressive to tensile to overcome specific integration challenges."
