Integrated monitoring of ULK dielectrics out-gassing and measurement of pore sealing efficiency by residual gas analysis technique

Residual gas analysis is a well-known technique used in the semi-conductor industry. This paper presents the RGA as an effective method to monitor wafer out-gassing during the degas process prior to barrier/copper seed deposition. The technique is easy to use, repeatable and very sensitive to the hydrophobic or hydrophilic nature of the surfaces. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that RGA is the technique of choice to evaluate the pore sealing efficiency of ultra low-k dielectric in high volume manufacturing environment.