Freescale Semiconductor,inc.

Greg Braeckelmann

Marius Orlowski

Andreas Wild

Emmanuel Petitprez

Hisao Kawasaki

Providing a first layer of a semiconductor structure having at least one air gap between conductive lines formed in the first layer. The air gap extends into the first layer from a first surface of the first layer. A barrier dielectric material over the first surface and the air gap is selected to have a dielectric constant less than 3.5 and to provide a barrier to prevent chemicals entering the at least one air gap. An air gap can extend from a first surface of the first layer to at least a portion of side surfaces of the at least two conductive lines to expose at least a portion of the side surfaces.

Method of sealing an air gap in a layer of a semiconductor structure and semiconductor structure

An integrated circuit comprising one or more dielectric layers the or each dielectric layer being provided with one or more interconnects wherein the interconnect comprises metallic atoms moving from a first region of the interconnect to a second region of the interconnect when a current flows, characterized in that the interconnect comprises a donor zone in the first region of the interconnect for providing metallic atoms in order to compensate for movement of atoms from the first region and a receptor zone at the second region of the interconnect for receiving metallic atoms in order to compensate for movement of atoms to the second region.

Improvements for reducing electromigration effect in an integrated circuit

A method of sealing an air gap in a layer of a semiconductor structure comprises providing a first layer of the semiconductor structure having at least one air gap for providing isolation between at least two conductive lines formed in the first layer. The at least one air gap extends into the first layer from a first surface of the first layer. The method further comprises forming a barrier layer of a barrier dielectric material over the first surface of the first layer and the at least one air gap. The barrier dielectric material is selected to have a dielectric constant less than 3.5 and to provide a barrier to prevent chemicals entering the at least one air gap. In another embodiment, the at least one air gap extends from a first surface of the first layer to at least a portion of side surfaces of the at least two conductive lines to expose at least a portion of the side surfaces, and a barrier layer of a barrier dielectric material is formed over the exposed portions of the side surfaces of each of the at least two conductive lines.

Growing community of inventors

Holzkirchen, Germany

Greg Braeckelmann