TABLE OF CONTENTS Fabrication of circuits is divided into two major segments. First the active and passive parts are fabricated in and on the wafer surface. This is called the front end of the line (FEOL). In the back end of the line (BEOL), the metal systems necessary to connect the devices and different layers are added to the chip. In this chapter, the materials, specifications, and methods used to complete the metallization segment is presented along with other uses of metals in chip manufacturing. Vacuum pumps (used in CVD, evaporation, ion implant, and sputtering systems) are explained at the end of the chapter.
Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to:
List the requirements of a material for use as a chip surface conductor.
Draw cross sections of single and a two layer metal schemes.
Describe the purpose and operation a low-k dielectric layer.
Make a list of three materials used in the metallization of semiconductor devices and identify their specific use(s).
Describe the principle of sputtering.
Draw and identify the parts of a sputtering system.
Describe the principle and operation of turbo and cryogenic high-vacuum pumps.
The most common use of metal films in semiconductor technology is for surface wiring. The materials, methods, and processes of "wiring" the component parts together is generally referred to as the metallization process. Depending on device complexity and performance requirements, the circuit may require a single-metal system, or a...
