Advanced Interconnect

Interconnects, the electrical pathways that connect transistors and other circuit components to one another – and to the outside world, are critical to the speed and reliability of a microchip.

Because modern microprocessors can have as many as ten levels of interconnects, this intricate structure is one of the most process-intensive – thus most costly – portions of the total chip fabrication process.

Advanced Interconnect Products
The sequence used to build each interconnect level of an advanced chip is known as a damascene process. Simply put, trenches are etched into a layer of insulating material, then filled with "liner" films to protect the structures and prepare them for the subsequent copper material fill. Copper is used to minimize resistance and thus maximize switching speed. In addition to using copper, manufacturers are implementing low dielectric constant insulating materials, called "low k films," to further enhance signal speed through the interconnect.
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