The switching speed of today's devices is limited not only by the carrier transit time, but more importantly, also by the parasitic capacitors and resistors. In this project, we develop and model novel transistor structures for high speed applications such as RF communication. The integration of power devices with digital and analog electronics promises to revolutionize the power control industry and other related applications. The commonly used aluminum alloy is not expected to meet the future requirements. In this project, we develop the technology, and characterize the physical and electrical behavior of multilevel copper interconnections.
Current emphasis is on chemical vapor deposition and electroplating techniques.
The integration of Cu interconnections with various low-K dielectrics is also under investigation. As multiple levels of interconnects are packed in ever-closer proximity, the electromagnetic interactions become significant and affect signal propagation and integrity. In this project, the characteristics of copper and low-K dielectrics at above GHz frequencies are studied. Appropriate models are being developed for predicting performance of advanced multilevel interconnect network. The applications of advanced metallization technology to fabricate critical elements such as inductors and strip-lines for RF communication and high speed circuits are also being explore.