Interconnect scaling
Keeping on-chip wiring fast as pitches shrink.
As wires shrink, resistance and capacitance (RC delay) increasingly limit chip performance. Research explores alternative conductor metals (cobalt, ruthenium), lower-κ dielectrics, and air gaps.
Technologies
Copper damasceneLow-κ dielectricsAlternative metals (Co, Ru)Air gaps
Devices
Logic backend
Materials
CopperCobaltRutheniumLow-κ dielectricBarrier metals
Applications
Advanced logic
Active research directions
- RC delay at scaled pitch
- Barrier/liner scaling
- New conductor metals