Impact of Sacrificial Hard Mask Material in BEOL Integration in Advanced Technology

As technology scaling continues, the selection of materials for sacrificial hard masks become very critical. Sacrificial hard masks are thin films that are used for patterning or protecting critical underlying films from damage during various processes like etching, deposition or planarization. In this article, we discuss the effect of the sacrificial hard mask material on the erosion in the self-aligned via (SAV) patterning process, selectivity in the etch process, adhesion, defectivity, and metallization.