Low-dielectric constant materials are needed to improve the performance and speed of future integrated circuits. In fact, the diversity of contributors to this book is testimony to the global significance of the topic to the future of semiconductor manufacturing. Presentations include those by semiconductor equipment manufacturers and chemical source suppliers, academia from six countries, four government laboratories and five major device manufacturers. Approaches to designing and implementing reduction in dielectric constant for intermetal dielectric materials are featured and range from the evolution of silicon dioxide to fluorinated silicate glass, to the use of inorganic/organic polymers and spin-on-material, to fluorinated diamond-like carbon and nanoporous silica. The book also addresses the practical aspects of the use of low-dielectric constant materials such as chemical mechanical polishing of these materials and optimization of wiring delays in devices utilizing low-k material.

The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners.

The proliferation of lasers and systems employing lasers has brought with it the potential for adverse effects from these bright, coherent light sources. This includes the possibility of damage from pulsed lasers, as well as temporary blinding by continuous-waver lasers. With nearly every wavelength possible being emitted by these sources, there exists a need to develop optical limiters and tunable filters which can suppress undesired radiation of any wavelength. This book addresses a number of materials and devices which have the potential for meeting the challenge. The proceedings is divided into five parts. Parts I and II cover research in organic and inorganic materials primarily based on nonlinear absorption or phase transitions for optical limiting of pulsed lasers. Part III includes photo-refractive materials and liquid crystals which find primary applications in dynamic filters. Part IV covers various aspects of device and material characterization, including nonlinear beam propagation effects. Theoretical modelling of materials properties is the subject of Part V.

Recent developments in microelectronics technologies have created a great demand for interlayer dielectric materials with a very low dielectric constant. They will play a crucial role in the future generation of IC devices (VLSI/UISI and high speed IC packaging). Considerable efforts have been made to develop new low as well as high dielectric constant materials for applications in electronics industries. Besides achieving either low or high dielectric constants, other materials' properties such as good processability, high mechanical strength, high thermal and environmental stability, low thermal expansion, low current leakage, low moisture absorption, corrosion resistant, etc., are of equal importance. Many chemical and physical strategies have been employed to get desired dielectric materials with high performance. This is a rapidly growing field of science--both in novel materials and their applications to future packing technologies. The experimental data on inorganic and organic materials having low or high dielectric constant remail scattered in the literature. It is timely, therfore, to consolidate the current knowledge on low and high dielectric constant materials into a sigle reference source. Handbook of Low and High Dielectric Constant Materials and Their Applications is aimed at bringing together under a sigle cover (in two volumes) all low and high dielectric constant materials currently studied in academic and industrial research covering all spects of inorgani an organic materials from their synthetic chemistry, processing techniques, physics, structure-property relationship to applications in IC devices. This book will summarize the current status of the field covering important scientific developments made over the past decade with contributions from internationally recognized experts from all over the world. Fully cross-referenced, this book has clear, precise, and wide appeal as an essential reference source for all those interested in low and high dielectric constant material.

This book from MRS dedicated to III-Nitrides, focuses on developments in AlN, GaN, InN and their alloys that are now finding application in short-wavelength lasers (~400nm, cw at room temperature) and high-power electronics (2.8W/mm at GHz). Experts from fields including crystal growth, condensed matter theory, source chemistry, device processing and device design come together in the volume to address issues of both scientific and technological relevance. And while much of the book reports on advances in material preparation and the understanding of defect issues, similar advances in material and device processing are also reported. Topics include: growth and doping; substrates and substrate effects; characterization; processing and device performance and design.

Successful transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experimentation depends on many things, one being specimen preparation. Whereas TEM samples of bulk metallic or ceramic materials can be prepared in a straightforward manner, the need to examine nonbulk and/or other classes of materials creates a need for more specialized preparation methods. This book from MRS, the fourth in a successful series, pioneers novel methods or ways of characterizing the specimen preparation process. Contributions to the book are tutorial in nature, and therefore somewhat longer than usual. Papers cover both general and materials-specific specimen preparation methods. Metallic, polymer, plastic, semiconducting, ceramic and magnetic materials as found in bulk, thin-film, dispersed and powdered forms are discussed.

Low dielectric constant materials are an important component of microelectronic devices. This comprehensive book covers the latest low-dielectric-constant (low-k) materials technology, thin film materials characterization, integration and reliability for back-end interconnects and packaging applications in microelectronics. Highly informative contributions from leading academic and industrial laboratories provide comprehensive information about materials technologies for

The pervasive role of defects in determining the thermal, mechanical, electrical, optical and magnetic properties of materials is significant as is the knowledge and operation of generation and control of defects in electronic materials. Developing novel semiconductor materials, however, requires new insights into the role of defects to achieve new properties. New experimental techniques must be developed to study defects in small structures. Research groups come together in this book from MRS to provide a vivid picture of the current problems, progress and methods in defect studies in electronic materials. Topics include new techniques in defect studies; processing induced defects, plasma-induced point defects; processing induced defects -defects and gate-oxide integrity; point defects and reaction; point defects and interactions in Si; impurity diffusion and hydrogen in Si; dislocations in group IV semiconductors; point defects and defect interactions in SiGe; point defects in III-V compounds; compensation and structural defects in III-V compounds and layers and structures.