THERMAL CHARACTERIZATION OF IC PASSIVATION LAYERS USING JOULE HEATINGAND OPTICAL THERMOMETRY

The temperature rise in microdevices is in many cases strongly increas ed by the thermal resistance of dielectric passivation layers. This pr oblem is especially important for integrated circuits (ICs) containing novel low-dielectric-constant passivation, such as polymers and porou s oxides. We report progress on developing a technique for measuring t he thermal properties of these passive layers, which uses harmonic Jou le heating in a metal line and compares solutions to the heat equation with a photothermal signal. This approach makes measurements possible otter a wide range of heating frequencies and allows the thermal cond uctivity to be determined without calibration or precise knowledge of the heat capacity of the layer. Data are reported for the thermal cond uctivity of thermally grown silicon dioxide and polymer thin films.