Studies of two-dimensional h-BN and MoS2 for potential diffusion barrier application in copper interconnect technologyStudies of two-dimensional h-BN and MoS<sub>2</sub> for potential diffusion barrier application in copper interconnect technology, Published online: 08 December 2017; doi:10.1038/s41699-017-0044-0Atomically thin h-BN and MoS2 may provide a viable alternative to conventional barrier materials in Cu interconnects. A team led by Zhihong Chen at Purdue University utilized two-dimensional crystals to mitigate Cu diffusion into the dielectric, a known cause of chip failure. By means of time-dependent dielectric breakdown measurements to investigate the diffusion barrier properties of atomically thin h-BN and MoS2, they recorded a substantial improvement of the time-to-breakdown, owing to a reliability enhancement of the dielectric underneath Cu under normal operating conditions. A number of structural and electrical characterizations, including scanning transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy confirmed that two-dimensional h-BN and MoS2 films effectively prevent Cu diffusion, highlighting their potential applicability as sub-nanometer barrier for interconnect technology.

Published in: "NPJ 2D Materials and Applications".