High performance dielectrics and processes for ULSI interconnection technologies

One method of improving the performance of silicon integrated circuits is to reduce the delay of the interconnections between individual devices by reducing the resistance and capacitance of the connection. Even though it is possible to replace the commonly used aluminium conductors in current interconnection technologies with copper, no company has done so in production, due to a series of unanswered questions pertaining to the cost and leverage of doing so. This paper will attempt to elucidate the performance and cost benefits of this approach and will try to identify and resolve some of the important integration issues related to the inclusion of polymers and copper conductors into ULSI interconnections.