Scanning Microwave Microscopy of Aluminum CMOS Interconnect Lines Buried in Oxide and Water

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the use of scanning microwave microscopy to image buried aluminum interconnect lines in oxide and water, showing minimal image degradation in water compared to air, which is promising for in-situ semiconductor diagnostics.

Contribution

It introduces a microwave imaging technique for buried interconnects in water, with comparative analysis against atomic force microscopy in different environments.

Findings

Microwave images in water are only ~60% degraded compared to air.

Microwave microscopy effectively images buried interconnects in aqueous environments.

The technique offers potential for in-situ semiconductor diagnostics.

Abstract

Using a scanning microwave microscope, we imaged in water aluminum interconnect lines buried in aluminum and silicon oxides fabricated through a state-of-the-art 0.13 um SiGe BiCMOS process. The results were compared with that obtained by using atomic force microscopy both in air and water. It was found the images in water was degraded by only approximately 60% from that in air.