LO-KMOF - Vapour-deposited metal-organic frameworks as high-performance gap- filling dielectrics for nanoelectronics

Programme(s): H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Topic(s): ERC-2019-POC - ERC Proof of Concept Grant

Call for proposal: ERC-2019-PoC

Funding Scheme: ERC-POC-LS - ERC Proof of Concept Lump Sum Pilot

Grant agreement ID: 875577

Project description: Candidate insulating material paves the way for more powerful and smaller chips
 
A modern electronic chip presents a complex system of billions connected computing and information storage nodes. Having this system the size of a fingernail means an extremely dense packing of its elements. The associated miniaturization of on-chip wiring results in a delayed signal transfer between the nodes and in increased power consumption. One way to approach the above down-scaling challenges is to embed air-like and yet mechanically robust insulating materials between nanoscale metal wires. The EU-funded LO-KMOF project aims at integration of metal-organic frameworks, a novel class of highly porous crystalline materials, in on-chip wiring using an industry-compatible chemical vapor deposition process. The success of this project would contribute to a new generation of faster and more energy-saving electronics.

Objective:

Since the invention of integrated circuits, there has been a persistent incentive towards miniaturization. An indispensable part of every chip is a multi-level wiring system fabricated on top of the semiconductor layer containing the transistors. As transistors get smaller and more densely packed, the complexity and the impact on performance of the on-chip interconnects rises. The non-zero resistance and capacitance associated with the metal wires and the dielectric medium between them induce cross-talk noise between adjacent interconnects, limit the speed of signal propagation and increase the power consumption of a chip.

The LO-KMOF project proposes an approach to alleviate these issues by integrating for the first time metal-organic frameworks as an interconnect dielectric. The project will make use of a novel vapour phase deposition approach for these materials, developed in the ERC project VAPORE. If successful, the project will contribute to chips that are not only faster but also consume less power. The proposed technology will be validated in an industrially relevant demonstrator.