Young's modulus characterization for the fragile low-k film by the improved surface acoustic waves technique

Low dielectric constant (k) materials applied for the ULSI interconnect insulator are required to meet the fast development of high speed devices. Introducing nanopores into dielectrics reduces their k value effectively but also degrades the film hardness drastically In this work, Young's moduli of several promising porous low-k films are determined by an improved technique of surface acoustic waves (SAWs). The twin-transducer is introduced to insure the propagation alignment of the laser generated SAWs, consequently increase the accuracy of the measurement.