Gas Property Data and Flow Standards for Improved Gas Delivery Systems

Recently, however, copper has been introduced for interconnect conductivity, replacing aluminum alloys. A variety of low-dielectric constant materials are being introduced to reduce parasitic capacitance, replacing silicon dioxide. As dimensions continue to shrink, the traditional silicon dioxide gate dielectric thickness has been reduced to the point where tunneling current has become signifi cant and is compromising the performance of the transistors. This is requiring the introduction of higher dielectric constant materials. Initially the addition of nitrogen to the gate material is suffi cient, but in the near future more exotic materials such as transition metal oxides, silicates, and aluminates will be required. As dimensions are reduced, gate depletion effects and dopant diffusion through the gate dielectric are limiting transistor performance. With the replacement of the traditional silicon dioxide/polysilicon gate stack processes with materials capable of supporting ever shrinking geometries, the task of the industry becomes more diffi cult. The overall task represented by the projects below refl ects the need for analytical techniques with unparalleled spatial resolution, accuracy, robustness and ease of use.