X-Ray Reflectivity Porosimetry for the Characterization of Porous Low-K Dielectric Constant Thin Films

Published

April 1, 2004

Author(s)

Christopher Soles, V. J. Lee, R C. Hedden, D W. Liu, Barry J. Bauer, Wen-Li Wu

Abstract

X-ray reflectivity porosimetry is a highly sensitive measurement method used to quantify the capillary condensation of a solvent vapor inside porous low-k dielectric films on a silicon substrate. As the partial pressure of the solvent environment over the film increases, capillary condensation occurs in progressively larger pores. This results in an appreciable increase in the electron density of the film. By monitoring the changes in the critical angle for total X-ray reflectance, one can directly calculate the average electron density, and therefore the solvent uptake. By invoking traditional porosimetry absorption/desorption procedures, characteristics such as porosity and the distribution of pore sizes can be extracted.

Proceedings Title

Polymers for Microelectronics and Nanolectronics | |

Volume

25(1)

Conference Dates

August 1, 2002

Conference Location

Undefined

Conference Title

ACS Symposium Series

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

Low-k kielectric, porosimetry, thin film, x-ray Reflectivity

Citation

Soles, C. , Lee, V. , Hedden, R. , Liu, D. , Bauer, B. and Wu, W. (2004), X-Ray Reflectivity Porosimetry for the Characterization of Porous Low-K Dielectric Constant Thin Films, Polymers for Microelectronics and Nanolectronics | |, Undefined, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=852163 (Accessed October 13, 2025)