Recently, researchers from Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and Cambridge University published a research result in the journal Nature. They found that amorphous boron nitride can be used as a new interconnect Insulating materials to accelerate the promotion of next-generation chip systems.
In the process of miniaturization of logic and storage devices in electronic circuits, reducing the size of interconnects (metal wires connecting different components on the chip) is essential to ensure rapid response of the device and improve its performance. Research work has been focused on the development of materials with excellent insulation properties to separate interconnections from each other. A suitable material should be a diffusion barrier that prevents metal from migrating into the semiconductor and is thermally, chemically and mechanically stable.
The researchers used a silicon substrate and inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition technology to synthesize an amorphous boron nitride (a-BN) layer with a thickness of 3nm. a-BN has an ultra-low dielectric constant of 1.78. Diffusion barrier tests performed on this new material under very harsh conditions also show that it can prevent metal atoms from migrating from interconnects to insulators. Coupled with a high breakdown voltage, these characteristics make a-BN very attractive in practical electronic applications. a-BN can be grown on a wafer scale at a low temperature of 400°C, so it is expected to be widely used in semiconductors, such as DRAM and NAND solutions, especially the next-generation storage solutions for large servers.
Link to the paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2375-9