Factors affecting the interconnection resistance and yield in the fabrication of multilayer polyimide/metal thin film structures

The use of a lift-off technique to fabricate a high-density structure consisting of multiple layers of metal/polyimide thin film structure on a silicon substrate is described. To achieve better performance and high yield, the authors evaluated the process design, the processing parameters, and the thickness of the Cr/Cu/Cr metallurgy, along with the use of suitable polyimide dielectrics. The plasma processing conditions, the types of passivation metals on Cu, and the use of a siloxane-polyimide as the gap-fill etch-stop material were all shown to play a very critical role in affecting the interconnection resistance and yield of the multilayer thin film structures. By optimizing these parameters the feasibility of fabricating high-density thin film wiring layers with good yield is demonstrated