Hardness studies of RF sputtered deposited BCN thin films

In today’s technological advancement of ULSI integration, the inter-dielectric layer (IDL) with small RC delays needs low-k materials which are sturdy enough to withstand mechanical stress posed by multilayer devices. Also it has to prevent any metallic diffusion into the dielectric layer. Some porous materials like silicon dioxide doped with fluorine reduces k value around 3. Using organic polymers that are porous in nature can achieve dielectric values as low as 2. Even though one can achieve low-k with these materials, these materials cannot withstand considerable mechanical stress. Recently i