Three-dimensional imaging of pore structures inside low-κ dielectrics

The three-dimensional reconstruction of a porous low-dielectric constant film (κ=2.5), resolving pores as small as 1 nm, was achieved using annular dark-field scanning transmission electron tomography, enabling quantitative measurements of the pore morphologies and size distribution. Most large pores were elliptical. Together with log-normal pore-size distribution, this suggests pore coalescence during the material’s growth. Ellipsometric porosimetry indicates a high degree of interconnectivity between pores. Tomography shows the material exhibits little large-scale pore connectivity, thus placing an upper limit on the size of the interconnections at below 1 nm. Systematic errors in the tomographic and ellipsometric size distributions appear to be largely complementary.