Thickness dependent dielectric strength of a low-permittivity dielectric film

The dielectric strength of a promising interlevel low relative permittivity dielectric is investigated for various film thicknesses and temperatures by using I-V measurements with metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structures. It is found that the dielectric breakdown mechanism also depends on thickness. For relatively thick films (thickness >500 nm), the dielectric breakdown is electromechanical in origin, i.e. the dielectric strength is proportional to the square root of Young's modulus of the films. By scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation, a microcrack in thicker films may contribute to a lower value of Young's modulus, which may confirm that the electromechanical breakdown is the dominant mechanism for dielectric breakdown of thicker films. In addition, the thickness dependent dielectric strength can be described by the well-known inverse power-law relation by using different exponents to describe different thickness ranges. However for thinner films, i.e. <500 nm, the experimentally observed relationships among the dielectric strength, Young's modulus, and film thickness cannot be explained by the existing models.