Impact of Liner Metals on Copper Resistivity at beyond 7nm Dimensions

Abstract

The impacts of ruthenium and cobalt liners on copper resistivity have been investigated at beyond 7nm dimensions. Liner metal conduction was carefully evaluated in a Cu resistivity derivation using the temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR) approach. Cu resistivity with Ru liner is higher than with a Co liner by 10-15%, which is verified by RC plot. The resistivity difference is attributed to interface scattering and possibly grain boundary scattering. Interface ab initio calculations show 3-7% increase of Cu resistivity from Co liner to Ru liner.