ION-BEAM-INDUCED INSULATOR DEPOSITION FOR CHIP CIRCUIT MODIFICATION

As semiconductor manufacturing technologies become more complex and th e number of metallization levels increases, the complexity of chip cir cuit modification using focused ion beam technology has also increased . The fabrication of an insulating Aim in a localized region to protec t exposed metal greatly enhances the modification capability. It is of ten necessary to remove a portion of an overlying metal line to gain a ccess to an underlying area of interest. To maintain functionality, th is overlying metal line must be reconnected without shorting to underl ying metallurgy. We have developed an ion-beam-induced process for cir cuit modification which uses an oxygen and siloxane precursor. Test st ructures were fabricated to evaluate the electrical integrity of these films. Results indicating sufficient dielectric strength for both mem ory and logic applications and the material analysis of this insulator film, are presented.