Interactions of Moisture and Isopropanol with Low-K Dielectrics Films

All of us, humans, utilize electronic devices on a daily basis. These devices result from the semiconductor industry. Consumers' demand for more sophisticated electronic devices has resulted in decreasing the size of these devices down to dealing with nanotechnology instead of micro technology. This revolutionary transition has resulted in the urge of new manufacturing process and materials for this industry, new materials such as low-k dielectric films, which act as insulators in a chip. A study that involved the IPA interaction with low-k dielectric films was conducted. IPA, Isopropanol, was used because it is an organic compound that is commonly used for both cleaning and drying in semiconductor manufacturing. A Fourier transform infrared spectrometer was used. Basically, ultra high pure nitrogen gas passed through a bubbler filled with Isopropanol. To purge the system, UHP N2 was utilized. The well-controlled cell was able to hold 5 one inch square coupons. Feeding of impurities, in this case IPA, was next. Scans were taken until adsorption had reached steady state. Then the system was purged; scans were taken until desorption reached steady state. The peak of wavelengths 2840-3020 that was monitored clearly reflected the addition of IPA into the cell. Results showed that the rapid increase in IPA concentration is the concentration on the gas phase in the cell. The slow increase is the concentration that is being adsorbed on the surface of the coupons, pattern which also applies to the desorption phase.