Project description
Novel nanoscale cleaning and passivating for high-functioning interconnects
A key challenge in putting ever more components into ever smaller integrated circuits is manufacturing high-performing connections (interconnects) among these components. Copper has been the metal of choice for the last couple of decades, but it cannot meet the conductivity requirements of interconnects fewer than 10 nanometres in length. While nickel-aluminium (NiAl) is a promising substitute, it is subject to surface oxidation, and in situ cleaning and passivation is difficult at such small scales. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the CRIME project aims to develop and demonstrate a novel nanoscale cleaning and passivating process for NiAl for advanced microelectronics nodes.
Objective
Interconnects impose major limits on the performance on integrated circuits during the exponential reduction of feature size of microchips. The semiconductor industry faces challenges in the metallization of interconnects below the 10 nm half pitch and is looking to alternative metallization schemes to replace copper, the traditional choice for the last 20 years, which no longer meet the conductivity requirements at decreasing length scales. Binary metals such as nickel-aluminium (NiAl) have been identified as a promising candidate that performs well with respect to resistivity at critical dimensions (sub-10 nm) to replace copper. However, there are several challenges associated with the instability of these materials regarding surface oxidation, leading to performance degradation.
The objective of CRIME is the in-situ removal of the surface oxide and in-situ passivation of binary intermetallic compounds to prevent surface oxidation at the sub-10 nm half pitch for interconnect applications. To meet the future size requirements of interconnects, the downscaling of the cleaning and passivation processes from blankets to sub-10 nm half-pitch and the formation of patterned lines, with the aim of sub-7 nm half-pitch, will be performed.
This will be achieved through an interdisciplinary approach that combines material science, chemistry, chemical engineering, nanoelectronics, and physics, to test different metal oxide removal and surface cleaning chemistries in combination with organic and inorganic passivation layers in-situ to overcome the formation of an oxide top layer. The passivation layers will be deposited in the liquid and vapour phase and various analytic techniques will be used to elucidate the surface chemistry and surface reaction mechanisms.
CRIME goes beyond the state-of-the-art as the cleaning and passivating process and the downscaling of these processes on NiAl at the nanoscale and for advanced microelectronics nodes has not been previously demonstrated
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences electrochemistry electrolysis
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics semiconductivity
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics microelectronics
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nanoelectronics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
3001 Leuven
Belgium
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