Non-destructive electrical characterization of low-k sidewall damage before metallization by a near-field scanned microwave probe

We demonstrate a novel method to electrically characterize sidewall damage in patterned low-k dielectric films before metallization. The measurement is made on uniform trenches etched into a low-k film backed by Cu or a Cu grid. The technique, based on a near-field scanned microwave probe with ~10mum spot size, is non-contact and non-invasive, making it feasible as an in-line metrology